Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Hugh Hudson

Writers:

Edgar Rice Burroughs (novel)
Robert Towne (writer) ...

Release Date:

30 March 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Romance

Plot:

A shipping disaster in the 19th Century has stranded a man and woman in the wilds of Africa. The lady is pregnant...

Plot Keywords:

Ape | Civilization | Pregnant | Africa | Stranded

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Ralph Richardson	...	The Sixth Earl of Greystoke
Ian Holm	...	Capitaine Phillippe D'Arnot
James Fox	...	Lord Charles Esker
Christopher Lambert	...	John Clayton / Tarzan, Lord of the Apes
Andie MacDowell	...	Miss Jane Porter
Cheryl Campbell	...	Lady Alice Clayton
Ian Charleson	...	Jeffson Brown
Nigel Davenport	...	Major Jack Downing
Nicholas Farrell	...	Sir Hugh Belcher
Paul Geoffrey	...	Lord John 'Jack' Clayton
Richard Griffiths	...	Captain Billings
Hilton McRae	...	Willy
David Suchet	...	Buller
John Wells	...	Sir Evelyn Blount
Ravinder	...	Dean

Runtime:

143 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Iceland:10 | Canada:A (Ontario) | Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | Finland:K-8 | France:U | Norway:11 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Bimbia, Southwest Province, Cameroon

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Writer Robert Towne used the name of his sheepdog, P.H. Vazak, reportedly because he was dissatisfied with the film. This means a dog was nominated for an Academy Award.

Goofs:

Plot holes: Tarzan's hair gets shorter as he gets older, before he ever find the knife with which to cut it. Additionally, his hair style as an adult changes frequently in the jungle.

Quotes:

Capitaine Phillippe D'Arnot: [Narrating] I sensed we had a long and difficult journey ahead of us. Perhaps weeks of waiting for a ship that will give us passage to England. I will try to teach John some rudimentary manners and a greater understanding of the language. Like a father, I am resolved to empower to him all that I can. But never, not even for a moment, do I doubt that to take him back, is a perilous undertaking.
[pause]
Capitaine Phillippe D'Arnot: For John but also for his family.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Designing 'Blade' (1998) (V)

Soundtrack:

Symphony no. 1 in Ab major, op. 55

not the Tarzan you think of......

SPOILERS Edgar Rice Burroughs's famous character was adapted thousand of times for the screen til one's thirst is quenched, notably during the thirties and the forties by Hollywood. Its productors made Tarzan one of the most successful cinema characters. Several years later, Hugh Hudson decided to make a more ambitious version of the monkey-man and it's a more natural, more wild and more down-to-earth Tarzan that he gives away here. Hudson skilfully avoids the clichés that you usually grant to Tarzan such as his famous scream or his friendly pet, Cheetah. Not only, are we far from the designed and invented character made by Hollwood but we are also far from the film set used to make his stories. The movie was partly made in Africa (more precisely in Cameroon). The movie introduces two obvious parts: the first one which takes place in the jungle where Tarzan lives among his adoptive friends, the apes and considers himself as their lord. But he ignores his real origins. The second one in England where Tarzan discovers the English society. Ian Holm epitomizes the link between the two parts and Hudson avoids all that could make the movie falls into the ridiculous thanks to a clever screenplay. Indeed, Holm teaches Lambert basic rules of manners so as to behave correctly in the English society and the result works. Moreover, in the second part, no-one ever laughs at Tarzan and he's even really appreciated. As far as the end is concerned well it's a both bitter and happy end. Happy because Tarzan comes back to the jungle and meets again his adoptive close relatives. But bitter too, because this homecoming means that the Greystoke line won't be ensured and is condemned to disappear... Christophe Lambert finds here, his first (and last?) great role. Sadly, he'll never equal the achievement of his performance in this movie and he'll play in poor and insipide action movies. Nevertheless, as I said previously, a clever screenplay, a performance of a rare quality, some impressive natural sceneries (both the jungle and the English country and we get a gorgeous movie. It's also an excellent rereading from a popular novel. So why is it only rated barely (6/10)?