# Statue of Liberty in Planet of the Apes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 4, 2015, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statue-of-liberty-in-planet-of-the-apes/733511 "2015-10-04T16:26:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statue-of-liberty-in-planet-of-the-apes/733511/41 "2015-10-06T15:25:29Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > To me the biggest mystery about the movie since childhood is that he’s walking around an Earthlike planet where he can breathe the air/drink the water/eat the food with no problems and the apes both speak and write English, but he’s surprised to discover it’s Earth. Or that he hasn’t seen the Moon in all that time. Not a moon, which could have looked like a large death star, but The Moon. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statue-of-liberty-in-planet-of-the-apes/733511/42 "2015-10-06T15:29:31Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > To me the biggest mystery about the movie since childhood is that he’s walking around an Earthlike planet where he can breathe the air/drink the water/eat the food with no problems and the apes both speak and write English, but he’s surprised to discover it’s Earth. That bothered me ever since I saw the movie as a kid. Rod Serling wrote the original screenplay (much altered by the time it got filmed), and he handled such things similarly on The Twilight Zone. He’d have astronauts crash on some planet with breathable air and Earth-normal gravity, and wondering where the hell they were (and they often weren’t in interstellar craft). Where would they think they were? Or he’d have a story set on an asteroid, only it had earth gravity, an atmosphere, and a blue sky, all physically impossible unless your asteroid is the size of the Earth. The story is all – you make concessions to it, especially if you don’t want to wadte time explaining how your astronaut learns Ape language, and the like. That he came back to Earth at all is spectacularly dumb – you have to posit a very kindly wormhole, or an autopilot system that returns hibernating astronauts to their point of origin, or something equally whacky. For purposes of comparison, in Pierre Boulle’s original novel (which is somewhat more tongue-in-cheek, and some suggest should be translated as _Monkey Planet_), the astronauts do NOT originally land back on Earth – it’s apparently an alien world that just happened to evolve apes and humans, in a case of unbelievable parallel development. At the end, though, the lead astronaut returns to Earth, and finds that the apes have taken over. All you people who wonder abouit the weird ending to Tim Burton’s _Planet of the Apes_, get this – it’s the only part he actually took from the original novel. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statue-of-liberty-in-planet-of-the-apes/733511/43 "2015-10-11T18:21:47Z")
> [@Uniqueorn](#): > > 😃 It’s against the rules to change a quote, so please don’t do it. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statue-of-liberty-in-planet-of-the-apes/733511/44 "2015-10-11T18:34:56Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > That bothered me ever since I saw the movie as a kid. > > Rod Serling wrote the original screenplay (much altered by the time it got filmed), and he handled such things similarly on The Twilight Zone. He’d have astronauts crash on some planet with breathable air and Earth-normal gravity, and wondering where the hell they were (and they often weren’t in interstellar craft). Where would they think they were? Or he’d have a story set on an asteroid, only it had earth gravity, an atmosphere, and a blue sky, all physically impossible unless your asteroid is the size of the Earth. > > The story is all – you make concessions to it, especially if you don’t want to wadte time explaining how your astronaut learns Ape language, and the like. > That he came back to Earth at all is spectacularly dumb – you have to posit a very kindly wormhole, or an autopilot system that returns hibernating astronauts to their point of origin, or something equally whacky. > > For purposes of comparison, in Pierre Boulle’s original novel (which is somewhat more tongue-in-cheek, and some suggest should be translated as _Monkey Planet_), the astronauts do NOT originally land back on Earth – it’s apparently an alien world that just happened to evolve apes and humans, in a case of unbelievable parallel development. > > At the end, though, the lead astronaut returns to Earth, and finds that the apes have taken over. All you people who wonder abouit the weird ending to Tim Burton’s _Planet of the Apes_, get this – it’s the only part he actually took from the original novel. Well, the original novel was written as a social satire. And keep in mind when the movie was released. By that time, on TV alone, I’d seen enough movies where the astronauts take off their helmets and bop around like they were on Malibu Beach, this didn’t seem like a disturbing development at all. All the way up to where you get that twist ending… (and it irritates the hell out of me that they telegraph it by PUTTING IT ON THE COVER of certain VHS and DVD releases…) ---
**Author:** ![Uniqueorn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uniqueorn/32/2807_2.png) [@Uniqueorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniqueorn)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statue-of-liberty-in-planet-of-the-apes/733511/45 "2015-10-14T20:42:10Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > It’s against the rules to change a quote, so please don’t do it. Idiot! ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statue-of-liberty-in-planet-of-the-apes/733511/46 "2015-10-14T22:22:43Z")
THAT escalated ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statue-of-liberty-in-planet-of-the-apes/733511/47 "2015-10-14T23:43:41Z")
**Uniqueorn** : It is against the rules to insult another poster in this forum, and especially a mod. It is also against the rules to discuss a mod action in thread. If you have a problem with a moderator decision, open a thread in ATMB. Warning Issued > [@Uniqueorn](#): > > Idiot! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statue-of-liberty-in-planet-of-the-apes/733511/48 "2015-10-15T01:31:14Z")
> [@Aquadementia](#): > > Or that he hasn’t seen the Moon in all that time. Not a moon, which could have looked like a large death star, but The Moon. That’s a really good point I had never considered. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statue-of-liberty-in-planet-of-the-apes/733511/49 "2015-10-15T04:15:37Z")
> [@Aquadementia](#): > > Or that he hasn’t seen the Moon in all that time. Not a moon, which could have looked like a large death star, but The Moon. That’s why the destruction, earth quakes, and end of civilization as we know it! The loss of the moon. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statue-of-liberty-in-planet-of-the-apes/733511/50 "2015-10-15T04:26:31Z")
> [@Aquadementia](#): > > Or that he hasn’t seen the Moon in all that time. Not a moon, which could have looked like a large death star, but The Moon. Was Taylor really back on Earth long enough to have missed the Moon? I had the sense it was only a week or two from his crash-landing to finding the SOL. It might’ve been the wrong time of the month with a barely-visible Moon, or he just missed it the few evenings he was outside. Don’t mind me, just fanwanking… ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statue-of-liberty-in-planet-of-the-apes/733511/51 "2015-10-15T04:38:41Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Was Taylor really back on Earth long enough to have missed the Moon? I had the sense it was only a week or two from his crash-landing to finding the SOL. It might’ve been the wrong time of the month with a barely-visible Moon, or he just missed it the few evenings he was outside. > > Don’t mind me, just fanwanking… Taylor was there long enough for the throat wound he got when he was captured (and that prevented him from revealing he could talk) to heal, so probably more than a few weeks. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen it, by my impression was that the events took several months at least. But for much of the time Taylor was in a cage. ---
**Author:** ![northporlarbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7bcc69/32.png) [@northporlarbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/northporlarbear)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statue-of-liberty-in-planet-of-the-apes/733511/52 "2015-10-15T14:51:53Z")
Yeah, they probably weren’t thinking that deep about technicality but only about making an image & mood with a momentous impact. ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statue-of-liberty-in-planet-of-the-apes/733511/53 "2015-10-15T15:08:47Z")
I thought it ended up in Weehawken. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statue-of-liberty-in-planet-of-the-apes/733511/54 "2015-10-15T17:25:19Z")
That’s not a city, it’s a township. ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statue-of-liberty-in-planet-of-the-apes/733511/55 "2015-10-15T17:46:09Z")
> [@AncientHumanoid](#): > > That’s not a city, it’s a township. What difference does that make? It’s got mega cliffs that overlook the Hudson River and it’s about 4 1/2 miles upstream. I always thought some tidal wave swept it up there. I was a kid when I saw the movie, but it looked like it ended up on the Palisades Cliffs to me. ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statue-of-liberty-in-planet-of-the-apes/733511/56 "2015-10-15T17:53:24Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I’ve never seen the real Statue, but I think many people are surprised it isn’t as big as they imagined. Its true scale is hard to judge by the way it’s presented in movies. The statue is huge. It’s a long walk up there. What is surprising is that when you are in the crown is that only about 5 people can fit in at a time. You make a long trip up to stand in the crown and look out the small panels for a minute and then begin the long walk down. That’s where the letdown comes in. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statue-of-liberty-in-planet-of-the-apes/733511/57 "2015-10-15T19:01:15Z")
> [@LurkerInNJ](#): > > The statue is huge. It’s a long walk up there. > > What is surprising is that when you are in the crown is that only about 5 people can fit in at a time. You make a long trip up to stand in the crown and look out the small panels for a minute and then begin the long walk down. That’s where the letdown comes in. Well that sounds . . .claustrophobic. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statue-of-liberty-in-planet-of-the-apes/733511/58 "2015-10-15T19:06:13Z")
I visited the Statue of Liberty almost thirty years ago, and, yes, I was surprised at how small the platform in the crown is. As I remember, only a couple of people could fit up there. And we could not linger, as there were other people right behind us who also wanted to stand there. Some movies and TV shows gave me the impression that the windows were larger and you might even be able to stick your head out. But the windows were tiny; perhaps as large as a letter-sized sheet of paper. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statue-of-liberty-in-planet-of-the-apes/733511/59 "2015-10-15T19:22:11Z")
Just an anecdote, but I had a similar experience at the top of the Washington Monument. The viewing area and windows are very tiny and you are not encouraged to linger. At least there’s an elevator as opposed to having to climb the stairs. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statue-of-liberty-in-planet-of-the-apes/733511/60 "2015-10-15T19:36:21Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > Well that sounds . . .claustrophobic. The worst part (as I remember it) was coming back down. Both going up and coming down you are on a tight, narrow spiral staircase. But you are looking up as you are going up, and it is only when you are coming down that you notice all the empty space around you and how far down it is. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statue-of-liberty-in-planet-of-the-apes/733511.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statue-of-liberty-in-planet-of-the-apes/733511.md?page=4)