The writers turned a not very good novel into an allegory on race and religion.

It also takes an nuclear stance which makes an impact in its finale.

Charlton Heston is Taylor. An astronaut, part of a crew of four on a long term space mission.

They crash landed in what looks like a deserted planet. Soon they encounter some hunter/gatherer human beings who do not speak. Then he finds apes on horseback who speak English.

The apes treat the humans like animals. Taylor is injured by the apes and is unable to speak at first.

A female ape who is a zoologist is shocked when Taylor speaks. The other apes see him as a threat. Taylor being able to talk and think is against what the apes have been taught. The answer lies in the forbidden zone as to what happened to the humans.

The movie raises issues regarding race relations, the treatment of animals and adherence to holy texts.

This is a powerful film famous for its twist ending.