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:

Glenn Close, who voiced Andie MacDowell's character of Jane, also voiced Kala, Tarzan's adoptive mother, in the 1999 Disney version.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Tarzan’s ape father is shot he lands face down. When they cut to the next shot he is face up. Then face down again. Then they roll him over on his back.

Quotes:

Sir Evelyn Blount: Although the circumstances indicate that he is your grandson, we cant prove it. Of course, we, erm, might be able to do so if we could do some tests.
Sixth Earl of Greystoke: [Looking out the window] He's here!
[turns to Sir Evelyn]
Sixth Earl of Greystoke: If he's a Greystoke, I'll know him at a glance!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "HBO First Look: I Dreamed of Africa: On Location (#7.6)" (2000)

Soundtrack:

Symphony no. 1 in Ab major, op. 55

Excellent novel, good film.

Greystoke stays close to the first Tarzan novel which makes for a striking contrast between this film and earlier Tarzan flicks.

'Christophe' sticks to his French accent for most of this film, which is a relief as he concentrates on his acting and, for the most part, gets it spot on. His reversion to ape behaviour in moments of emotional stress is funny and touching. Ralph Richardson's potrayal of the Sixth Earl is full of humour and subtlety, only to be expected from a master of the art. Ian Holm, again, a masterful performance. They put Andie MacDowell to shame.

The first half is mainly in the jungle and is fascinating to watch. A huge amount of research about ape behaviour is put to entertaining use. It comes to a close when some amusingly nasty English explorers and a disdainful Belgian appear in the jungle. The second half, when Johnny (Lambert) is introduced to Victorian society touches on what it means to be 'civilized'. He meets his grandfather and is expected to take his place in society but then discovers what society is like.

A great adaptation and an entertaining film.