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| Planet of the Apes
The way a
person reacts to being enslaved says a lot about a person’s character, to fight
or not to fight, that is the question. Davidson fights for his freedom because
he knows what freedom feels like. In the dinner scene he feels what it is to
have your freedom taken away. The apes say that he has no soul. Thade even
opens his mouth to look for Davidson’s soul. But is he really fighting to just switch
the enslavement back to the apes? Does he really just want to have the power
again? If so then, what does that say about his character? When does one cross
the line between civil liberties and just fighting for power? Civil liberties
in the eyes of the enslaved are freedom, but slavery in the eyes of the slave
holders is power over a lesser being. Davidson admits that his world treats
animals terribly, just as bad as the humans are treated, but yet he still wants
to go back to that world. He is fighting to get back to the world he knows is
just as bad as the one he is trapped in. But he cannot stand how he is treated
in this world. To be told you do not have a soul is probably the worst feeling in
the world, even though Americans said the same things about African Americans
in the 1800s. Davidson fights for his soul which makes his character self-righteous.
The scene in which the apes are rounding up the humans after violently captured
says a lot about the mind-set of the apes and the humans. Judging by the looks
on the humans face they definitely do not just accept this, they fight…only to
a certain extent though because they know they cannot win. The apes are vicious
to the humans because they are afraid of their potential. The humans multiply
too quickly and beat the apes in numbers and fighting spirit. The humans want
to fight for their freedom, but the apes are too powerful. The humans are involuntarily
submissive to the apes because the generations of oppression. The apes want to
be powerful, their treatment of the humans demonstrates that, but the humans
also want power. They want to be able to live peacefully away from the apes. But
history teaches us that the moment anyone gets power, they abuse it. So again,
when does granting civil liberties turn into enslavement of the lower species? When
does the switch happen?
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Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Dupuis: Planet of the Apes
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I agree that Leo has an interesting mixture of self-righteousness and humility about the world he came from. While he often mentions that the world he came from may actually be worse, he still desperately wants to return to it. He has never felt the sting of being such an outsider and treated drastically differently as a result. I think Burton liked acting on this fact to switch the average person into the outsider role. I think that Burton also proposes a lot of philosophical questions throughout the film like, why do we need community so badly? This idea is certainly played out in Leo’s quest to get back to the Earth that he knows. Perhaps if he had stayed at the end of the film, Thade would not have taken over the Earth that he once knew. II think that the mixture of self-righteousness and humility about his planet makes Leo a very interesting character overall. He continues to say that he cannot help the people he is journeying with and does not really want to take any responsibility for their fates – just his own. While he certainly is not for the way humans treat apes in the time he came from, he does not act on that to make a change. Perhaps he secretly likes the power overall and merely wantonly thinks of doing the right thing. I think that Burton forces these questions about Leo onto the audience. Also, asking the audience what they would do.
ReplyDelete-Leanne Reisz
You make some really good points here. Leo certainly does not accept the horrible treatment he and the other humans receive from the apes, and he wants to be the dominant of the two again. But we can certainly speculate his intentions for this longing; is it just to get back into his world to treat animals how the animals are treating him in their world? I think the answer is yes and no. Obviously, he wants to get home because he is not a slave where he is from. He is not living in the terrible environment seen on the planet of the apes on his spaceship. Naturally he wants to get back to what is familiar and comfortable to him, and we can not chastise him for that normal human longing. But, will his outlook on humans and animals coexisting together change? Will he go back to his space station and treat the apes there the way the apes treated him on their planet? I know I am answering your questions with more questions, but I think this movie is to make us have more questions than answers, seeing the political message of the movie.
ReplyDeleteKatie Carey
I think it's important that Davidson is fighting for his freedom because he knows what it's like and isn't willing to give it up. It's very hard in this society, since they all believe he is nuts. How on earth could humans ever have the upperhand? They all believe it to be ridiculous. This gives Davidson even more reason to get out and prove them wrong. They repeatedly torment him and he does not earn the respect he deserves. However, Ari is very understanding and reaches out in a benevolent way. But she still feels an alliance to her own kind. I also liked how you mentioned that both sides want power. Since they are craving control, both sides act selfishly to try to achieve it. In the end, each person is fighting for what they want with no compassion or regard for the enemy. Maybe if they put their arrogant interests aside, there could have been more peace during their time together.
ReplyDelete-Kathleen McCurdy