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IMDbPro

Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes

  • 19841984
  • PGPG
  • 2h 23m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
20K
YOUR RATING
Christopher Lambert in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)
A missing heir of respected Scottish family, raised in African jungles by animals, finally returns to his estate only to realize that difference between the two worlds is really significant.
Play trailer2:25
1 Video
58 Photos
  • Adventure
  • Drama
A missing heir of respected Scottish family, raised in African jungles by animals, finally returns to his estate only to realize that difference between the two worlds is really significant.A missing heir of respected Scottish family, raised in African jungles by animals, finally returns to his estate only to realize that difference between the two worlds is really significant.A missing heir of respected Scottish family, raised in African jungles by animals, finally returns to his estate only to realize that difference between the two worlds is really significant.
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
20K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Hugh Hudson
  • Writers
    • Edgar Rice Burroughs(novel "Tarzan of the Apes")
    • Robert Towne
    • Michael Austin
  • Stars
    • Christopher Lambert
    • Andie MacDowell
    • Ralph Richardson
Top credits
  • Director
    • Hugh Hudson
  • Writers
    • Edgar Rice Burroughs(novel "Tarzan of the Apes")
    • Robert Towne
    • Michael Austin
  • Stars
    • Christopher Lambert
    • Andie MacDowell
    • Ralph Richardson
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 90User reviews
    • 44Critic reviews
    • 62Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 3 Oscars
      • 3 wins & 17 nominations total

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:25
    Official Trailer

    Photos58

    Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)
    Christopher Lambert in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)
    Christopher Lambert in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)
    A3 movie poster - 29 x 42 cm or 11 x 17 inches
    Christopher Lambert in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)
    Christopher Lambert in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)
    Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)
    Christopher Lambert in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)
    Christopher Lambert in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)
    Christopher Lambert in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)
    Christopher Lambert in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)
    Christopher Lambert in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Christopher Lambert
    Christopher Lambert
    • John Claytonas John Clayton…
    Andie MacDowell
    Andie MacDowell
    • Miss Jane Porteras Miss Jane Porter
    Ralph Richardson
    Ralph Richardson
    • The Sixth Earl of Greystokeas The Sixth Earl of Greystoke
    Ian Holm
    Ian Holm
    • Capitaine Phillippe D'Arnotas Capitaine Phillippe D'Arnot
    James Fox
    James Fox
    • Lord Charles Eskeras Lord Charles Esker
    Cheryl Campbell
    Cheryl Campbell
    • Lady Alice Claytonas Lady Alice Clayton
    Ian Charleson
    Ian Charleson
    • Jeffson Brownas Jeffson Brown
    Nigel Davenport
    Nigel Davenport
    • Major Jack Downingas Major Jack Downing
    Nicholas Farrell
    Nicholas Farrell
    • Sir Hugh Belcheras Sir Hugh Belcher
    Paul Geoffrey
    Paul Geoffrey
    • Lord John 'Jack' Claytonas Lord John 'Jack' Clayton
    Richard Griffiths
    Richard Griffiths
    • Captain Billingsas Captain Billings
    Hilton McRae
    • Willyas Willy
    David Suchet
    David Suchet
    • Bulleras Buller
    Ravinder
    • Deanas Dean
    John Wells
    • Sir Evelyn Blountas Sir Evelyn Blount
    Eric Langlois
    • Tarzan aged 12as Tarzan aged 12
    Danny Potts
    • Tarzan aged 5as Tarzan aged 5
    • (as Daniel Potts)
    Peter Kyriakou
    • Tarzan aged oneas Tarzan aged one
    • Director
      • Hugh Hudson
    • Writers
      • Edgar Rice Burroughs(novel "Tarzan of the Apes")
      • Robert Towne
      • Michael Austin
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When this movie premiered in East Germany, the sentence "The wall comes all around the estate to keep them out, and keep us in" caused a roar in the audience. It was omitted in subsequent screenings.
    • Goofs
      When D'Arnot sharpens his straight razor before shaving Tarzan for the first time, a close-up of his hands shows him repeatedly flipping the straight razor the wrong way across the leather strop, blunting the blade. A 19th Century gentleman explorer of the would never make such a mistake.
    • Quotes

      [a tribe of cannibals are on the riverbank]

      Sir Evelyn Blount: What are they saying D'Arnot?

      Capitaine Phillippe D'Arnot: Dinner is serving. No! Arrived, dinner has arrived is a slightly better translation.

      Sir Evelyn Blount: I don't think that's frightfully funny D'Arnot!

    • Alternate versions
      In a 2016 Hollywood Reporter article that interviewed director Hugh Hudson about his work on "Greystoke" ("The Secrets Behind That Other Tarzan Movie - The One That Earned a Dog a Screenwriting Oscar Nomination," by Stephen Galloway, July 01, 2016), Hudson is quoted saying, "What was complicated was to bring the film down to two hours and 20 minutes. We had an original cut of three hours, and it was at its best at two hours and 40 minutes, where you had a little bit longer [with Tarzan] growing up in the jungle and it was a bit more violent. The world of an ape is a violent world. And the studio was very nervous about that." http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/greystoke-inside-story-1984-tarzan-908081 Unfortunately, there are no known intact copies of the director's favored two hour, 40 minute cut anywhere to be found.
    • Connections
      Featured in The 57th Annual Academy Awards (1985)
    • Soundtracks
      Symphony No. 1 in A flat major, op. 55
      (uncredited)

      Music by Edward Elgar (as Sir Edward Elgar)

    User reviews90

    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    Starts out great, but...
    A bit of an oddity, this: a few years ago I read through the original Burroughs novel and was eager to find out how this adaptation held up. The answer is that it follows the story in the book extremely closely – especially in the first half – depicting events with a kind of vicious believability that's miles away from the chest-beating, vine-swinging Tarzans of old.

    It's not entirely accurate – there's far less of that grisly business involving the hostile tribesmen – but what I saw, I liked. The apes are played by men in pretty convincing suits, and watching Tarzan growing up to become lord of the jungle is a lot of fun. In addition to that, the film plays an ace in the casting of Ian Holm as the Belgian captain who 'civilises' Tarzan. Holm gives a subtle, mannered, quite excellent performance, one that's filled with emotion and is the best in the entire movie.

    That's not to say that Christopher Lambert, as the title character, is bad. It's a memorable debut turn, carefully judged and entirely physical. He gets the movements and mannerisms of a jungle-born man just right, which is why it's a shame that the ridiculous decision was made to rub him over with animal noises. If he's angry, a lion's roar comes out of his mouth, etc. The filmmakers rely on such things a lot, especially in the second half, and it's a real shame.

    That's not the only problem with the second half. Once the action shifts to England, the pacing slows right down and the film feels devoid of incident. Andie MacDowell is fairly uninteresting in playing an insipid Jane, and even a final, unexpectedly touching turn from Ralph Richardson fails to liven things up. As I remember, this part of the film deviates quite substantially from the book, and it suffers for it. Basically we get an hour of Tarzan wandering around his mansion and it's all rather depressing. It's a shame, because earlier on a great deal of effort was made to bring those jungle scenes to life, and it all fizzles out at the end.
    helpful•7
    1
    • Leofwine_draca
    • Apr 23, 2012

    FAQ1

    • Why was Andie MacDowell's voice dubbed? Didn't she film it in English?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 30, 1984 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Warner Bros.
      • WB Shop / Warner Archive
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Greystoke
    • Filming locations
      • Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • Warner Bros.
      • Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc.
      • WEA Records
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $30,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $45,858,563
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $6,517,732
      • Apr 1, 1984
    • Gross worldwide
      • $45,858,563
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 23 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

    Related news

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