by Gail Clifford
At some point, every astronaut who walked on the moon trained in Flagstaff, Arizona, and just two hours north, in both Page and the Lake Powell area, many of our favorite film astronauts worked on their movies, including Planet of the Apes. Charlton Heston starred as astronaut George Taylor in Planet of the Apes (1968), Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1969), and Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971). Mark Wahlberg portrayed Captain Leo Davidson in the Tim Burton remake of the Planet of the Apes, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2021.
Burton’s reboot is described as ‘an alternate sequel to the first film’ by Adam Rifkin and tells the story of scientist Leo Davidson aboard the USAF space station Oberon in 2029. Davidson works closely with apes trained for space missions. His favorite, a chimpanzee named Pericles, utilizes a small space pod to probe an electromagnetic storm approaching the station. When Pericles appears to be in danger, Leo gives chase, entering the storm in a second pod.
Leo crashes on the planet Ashlar in 5021 and learns the world, now ruled by apes, treats humans as slaves. Abolitionist ape, Ari, purchases Leo as a house slave. Later, Leo escapes and sets other humans free.
Filming Backdrops
Northern Arizona has a very unique range of geologic features, many of which were thought to be similar to those that U.S. astronauts would encounter when they set foot on the moon. The location also lends itself to a proper sense of alien awe.
Much of the filming of Wahlberg’s remake was done at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California, but was also done at Lake Powell, lava plains in Hawaii, and Trona Pinnacles in Ridgecrest, California. The desert scenes were filmed in and around Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which did not look very different in 2001 when compared to 1967.
Dale Woods worked on the film for four months to help create movie magic. He spoke of long days, carrying 27,000 pounds of propane to warm the water the horses would have to swim in, and overseeing the barges that carried the horses across every day, in the dark, so they wouldn’t spook.
There was a drought, so they pumped in water for the main portion of Lake Powell by the Antelope Point Marina and created a waterfall inside the canyon. He also recalls 80 to 100 costumed apes, played by members of the Cleveland Browns and, maybe, some of the Green Bay Packers.
The sandstone cliffs, Toadstool Hoodoo, Hitchhikers and lookout from Alstrop Point form a large portion of the film’s backdrop.
Most of the action scenes occurred just to the left of the beach at Castle Rock where the Sand King is and the small canyon just beyond it.
Dale explained that electric lines were run beneath the sand to support the explosions and trampolines were also buried in the sand. Athletic apes ran through the shot, hit the trampolines and sailed over horses as special effect gurus added explosions.
When you watch the 2001 movie, watch for the cameo appearance by Charlton Heston as Zaius, Thade’s father. To maintain the surprise, Heston remains uncredited in the film.
And Dale said that the daily kiss he got from Helena Bonham Carter dressed as the chimp, Ari, wasn’t bad either.
