Planet Of The Apes - The language issue

[Funky]

From Wiki:

Deviations from the novel
The film deviated from the original French novel in a number of ways:

• The hero is not a French journalist named Ulysse Mérou, but an American astronaut named Colonel George Taylor.
• The humans wear primitive clothing of animal skins. They were naked in the novel.
• The technology and general settings of the apes' towns are more primitive than in Boulle's original concept. This was a deliberate decision to reduce design and construction costs. Architectural elements were based on observations of ancient cave cities.
• The apes speak perfect 20th century English, while they spoke a wholly different language in the book. Ulysse has to learn it to get acquainted, while in the movie, Taylor has a throat wound which prevents him from speaking at first.
• In the original novel, the Planet of the Apes is located in the solar system of Betelgeuse and is not Earth. However the twist ending of the novel has Ulysse Mérou arriving back to Earth after his space flight to find out that it has taken the exact same evolutionary path and that the Apes are now in control. Although it is a significantly different twist ending, it inspired Rod Serling's twist. Producer Arthur P. Jacobs contacted Pierre Boulle and asked him to take a look at the script to see if it could be improved, to which the author responded on April 29, 1965. He said that "he truly did not like the Statue of Liberty ending, feeling that it cheapened the story as a whole, and served as the 'temptation from the Devil'. In fact, if Boulle was to contribute anything at all to the screenplay he would, in his own words, 'have to dismiss it entirely from my mind'". In the film, Taylor suggests they may be on a planet in orbit around a star in the constellation of Orion, where Betelgeuse is located. The astronauts initially speculate that the planet may be in orbit around Bellatrix, which is also in Orion.

 

[defstartrooper]

They were traveling to deep space and probably to Alpha Century the nearest Star.
That was why they were in Deep Sleep. They were asleep for something like 2000 years. The Constellations on Earth would change due to the rotation of the solar system in relation to the Galactic center of the Galaxy.

They thought they were light yeas away from earth so the constellations would be assumed to be different.
So much happens so fast he doesn't put it all together until later...then it hits him like a ton of bricks in the cave and then later at the end of the movie.
It always has made sense to me based on the fact he thought he was far from earth at the beginning and the amount of time that went by.
As far as the apes speaking and writing in English, he really didn't hear them until after his injury and at that point he was trying to survive and probably did have more important things to think about. He was a pilot not a scientist as far as I can remember right now.
Mobius

The stars are barely going to shift in 2,000 years, and you'd think an astronaut would at least be curious where he had landed in relation to home.

 

[PHArchivist]

Perhaps the implication is that, while mute during his recovery, he was silently learning the ape language, and the film makers simply translated it to English for us...

 

[Funky]

Perhaps the implication is that, while mute during his recovery, he was silently learning the ape language, and the film makers simply translated it to English for us...

Weak but feasible.

 

[PHArchivist]

Weak but feasible.

Hence the emoticon.

And there is zero indication or suggestion in the film that he is quietly studying their language.

 

[franz bolo]

It's very simple, in 1969, no one wants to sit through a movie and read the damn thing!!
It's bad enough reading Seven Samurai or any Kurosawa flick but to read Ape lingo....

I think you are reading to much into Science Fiction Entertainment.

FB

 

[PHArchivist]

I think you are reading to much into Science Fiction Entertainment.

:rolleyes

By the way, this is all just talk. I'm not defending nor trying to take down this film. I just find it a striking plot hole, and am curious if others agree.

 

[franz bolo]

:rolleyes

It's not a plot hole, it's just the limitations of Film. If the apes spoke any other language than English, you would have to sub title it.

If you think it's a plot hole then, who is to say that in a few thousand years from now that man will not inhabit another universe? If he does than it is quite possible that someone there will speak English.

Also, there is no moon on this planet. If it was Earth, where is the moon?????? Taylor is unsure where they are but thinks it's a few hundred light years away. After being captured and held inside, I doubt trying to read the stars to figure out if it's really earth is a high priority.

It's a surreal experience for him and he can't make any sense of it. Getting over the fact that apes can talk would be hard enough.

FB

 

[blewis17]

Don't forget- Hollywood Romans always speak with a British accent too! :lol

-Sarge

...and Hollywood Greeks
...and Star Wars Imperial Officers
...and wizards of any kind

 

[Jet Beetle]

As for checking the stars for their location - Landon does mention the constellation but neither had a chance to look at the instruments before the Liberty (Icarus) went underwater. They assume they are light years on a planet in circulation of constellation of Orion.
Doesn't answer the language the question but it does show they talked about where they were

 

[Lost in Trek]

...and Hollywood Greeks
...and Star Wars Imperial Officers
...and wizards of any kind

...and French Starfleet captains.

 

[CTF]

The same way writing in the Star Wars universe looks nothing like our alphabet, yet they have A-WING, X-WING AND B-WING labeled aircraft

Uh huh...