Planet of the Apes Test Reel

This brief test reel was created to showcase the makeup and visual potential of a film adaptation of Pierre Boulle's novel. It features Charlton Heston as an astronaut who crash-lands on a planet ruled by intelligent, talking apes, encountering both friendly and hostile simian societies. The reel aimed to convince studio executives of the project's viability, particularly the groundbreaking ape makeup.

As a test reel and not a full film, it was not widely reviewed in the traditional sense. However, its success in convincing 20th Century Fox to greenlight the feature film 'Planet of the Apes' is a testament to its effectiveness and the impressive quality of the ape makeup and performances shown. It is now regarded as a crucial piece of cinematic history.

• Demonstrated the groundbreaking potential of ape makeup.
• Effectively showcased the core concept for the feature film.
• Proved the viability of a science fiction epic on a grand scale.

Google audience: Information not applicable as this was a test reel and not a widely released film for general audience review.

None notable, as it was a pre-production test reel, though its success led to the 'Planet of the Apes' franchise.

The iconic ape makeup, designed by John Chambers, took up to three hours to apply to each actor and was so realistic that it won an honorary Academy Award for Best Makeup, the first ever given for that category.