Planet of the Apes (1968) was an edgy horror and science fiction-infused film with a sophisticated avant-garde sound design and score, complex make-up effects, and a charismatic cast of Hollywood stars. The contemporary social, cultural, and political issues that the film raises include tensions between science and religion, racial and gender politics, militarism, evolution, environmental degradation, social control of landscapes, medical ethics, animal rights, and nuclear war. Planet of the Apes, which was based on Pierre Boulle’s 1963 novel, La Planète des Singes, spawned four sequels, one remake, and two prequels, including the most recent summer blockbuster Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), plus two television series and comic books. Join a dynamic group of scholars from American and cultural studies, anthropology, archaeology, and cinema studies to share perspectives on the films and discuss the elements that have retained their relevance to audiences, as well as ways that the franchise has adapted to a changing world.
About the presentersRebecca Stone Gordon
M.S. in Audio Technology & Communications. M.A. in Public Anthropology (Biological Anthropology & Archaeology) in progress/pandemic paused. When not engaging in vocational or avocational pursuits related to horror literature & film, I’m a volunteer at the Smithsonian in the Anthropology Department. My publications include essays on the TV show Supernatural and Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House.
I see dead people.
Becca Peixotto
Becca Peixotto is an archaeologist and PhD student at the American University in Washington, DC. Her areas of specialization and interest are historic landscapes, material culture, ideas of wilderness and public engagement with the past. She is also an experienced caver.
Tiffany A. Bryant
Tiffany A. Bryant graduated from William & Mary with a B.A. in Literary/Cultural Studies and from James Madison University with a M.A. in Literature. Her academic interests incorporate analyses of intersectionality and identity politics in popular culture, be that film, TV, literature, games, or interactive events. Horror narratives (especially with zombies and ghosts) are her favorite means for deconstructing internalized anxieties embedded in American society. In 2017, Tiffany was appointed PCA/ACA Horror Area Co-Chair.
Eric Gordon
Audio engineer, DJ, musician, food studies scholar.