This film is officially known as "Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes", but the name "Tarzan" is never used in the dialogue. (The central character is always referred to as "John", "Jean" or "Lord Greystoke"). It tells the story of Tarzan before he became Tarzan, or, if you like, before he became Johnny Weissmuller.
The film starts with Tarzan's parents being shipwrecked on the coast of West Africa, where his wife gives birth to a son. Both his parents die soon afterwards, but the young child is adopted and raised by a tribe of apes. In Edgar Rice Burroughs' original novel, Tarzan's foster- family belonged to a fictitious species of ape known as "Mangani", who had the power of speech. (Burroughs even introduces a few words of their language). Here, however, they are gorillas, and do not speak. The film- makers clearly felt that it would be more difficult to persuade people to believe in talking apes than it had been for a novelist in 1912.
Tarzan grows to adulthood in the jungle, but is eventually discovered by a Belgian explorer named Philippe D'Arnot. Through some abandoned papers, D'Arnot discovers that Tarzan is the heir to the Earl of Greystoke, a wealthy British aristocrat, and arranges for the young man's return to the ancestral family home in Scotland. Tarzan, now named John after his late father, is warmly welcomed by his grandfather, the current Earl, and quickly learns to speak English. Adapting to the strange new world in which he finds himself, however, proves to be more difficult.
Burroughs' novel was very much a product of its time. It was clearly influenced by Darwin's evolutionary theories, stressing the links between men and apes- in the ape language "mangani" can include humans as well as the apes themselves- but it also reflects the values of Edwardian colonialism. It is notable that Burroughs made his hero both a white man and an aristocrat. These values did not seem to bother too many people when the numerous "Tarzan" adaptations were made in the thirties and forties, but by the more democratic, post-colonial eighties they were starting to seem more problematic. That decade, however, saw two major attempts to revive the character for the cinema. The first was 1981's dreadful brain-dead "Tarzan the Ape Man" with Bo Derek, arguably the worst actress ever to become a major Hollywood star, although here she faced considerable competition in the bad acting stakes from her male co-star Miles O'Keeffe.
"Greystoke", however, represented a much more serious attempt to rethink the story for more modern times. Unlike most earlier "Tarzan" films, it no longer assumed the superiority of European civilisation over other cultures, or even that of humanity over the animal kingdom. Europeans are seen at their worst in the form of that hunting party, blasting away with their guns at any animal that comes within range, and Tarzan finds as much love and compassion among the apes as he does in his stately home. His ultimate rejection of his new life can be seen as a critique of Western civilisation.
This was Ralph Richardson's last film, and it was not released until after his death. He received a posthumous nomination for a "Best Supporting Actor" Academy Award. Christopher Lambert was not nominated for "Best Actor", but his interpretation of the role was much praised. Whereas Weissmuller and other earlier actors had made Tarzan something of a muscle-bound simpleton, Lambert's character is a sensitive and intelligent young man, doing his best to cope with the difficult circumstances in which he finds himself. There is also a good performance from Ian Holm as D'Arnot. The film was directed by Hugh Hudson who had earlier made "Chariots of Fire"; Holm was one of several actors, also including Cheryl Campbell and Ian Charleson, who had also worked with Hudson on that film.
The film received three Oscar nominations overall, the first for any "Tarzan" film. Bizarrely, one of these went to a dog; following a dispute with the producers the screenwriter Robert Towne had insisted that the screenplay be credited to "P.H. Vazak". (Apparently Towne had also wanted to direct the movie, and was disappointed when the job was given to Hudson). The Academy, however, apparently unaware that this was the name of Towne's dog, nominated Vazak for Best Adapted Screenplay. I wonder if he would have turned up to collect it in person had he won.
Towne's script is, however, a good one. (I am not sure how much Vazak actually contributed to it). The acting is generally of a high standard and the film is visually attractive, with a sharp contrast between the world of the jungle and that of Greystoke itself. I wouldn't rate the film quite as highly as "Chariots of Fire", in my view one of the greatest British films of the eighties, but it nevertheless rates as an interesting, thought-provoking contemporary take on an old legend. 7/10
The film starts with Tarzan's parents being shipwrecked on the coast of West Africa, where his wife gives birth to a son. Both his parents die soon afterwards, but the young child is adopted and raised by a tribe of apes. In Edgar Rice Burroughs' original novel, Tarzan's foster- family belonged to a fictitious species of ape known as "Mangani", who had the power of speech. (Burroughs even introduces a few words of their language). Here, however, they are gorillas, and do not speak. The film- makers clearly felt that it would be more difficult to persuade people to believe in talking apes than it had been for a novelist in 1912.
Tarzan grows to adulthood in the jungle, but is eventually discovered by a Belgian explorer named Philippe D'Arnot. Through some abandoned papers, D'Arnot discovers that Tarzan is the heir to the Earl of Greystoke, a wealthy British aristocrat, and arranges for the young man's return to the ancestral family home in Scotland. Tarzan, now named John after his late father, is warmly welcomed by his grandfather, the current Earl, and quickly learns to speak English. Adapting to the strange new world in which he finds himself, however, proves to be more difficult.
Burroughs' novel was very much a product of its time. It was clearly influenced by Darwin's evolutionary theories, stressing the links between men and apes- in the ape language "mangani" can include humans as well as the apes themselves- but it also reflects the values of Edwardian colonialism. It is notable that Burroughs made his hero both a white man and an aristocrat. These values did not seem to bother too many people when the numerous "Tarzan" adaptations were made in the thirties and forties, but by the more democratic, post-colonial eighties they were starting to seem more problematic. That decade, however, saw two major attempts to revive the character for the cinema. The first was 1981's dreadful brain-dead "Tarzan the Ape Man" with Bo Derek, arguably the worst actress ever to become a major Hollywood star, although here she faced considerable competition in the bad acting stakes from her male co-star Miles O'Keeffe.
"Greystoke", however, represented a much more serious attempt to rethink the story for more modern times. Unlike most earlier "Tarzan" films, it no longer assumed the superiority of European civilisation over other cultures, or even that of humanity over the animal kingdom. Europeans are seen at their worst in the form of that hunting party, blasting away with their guns at any animal that comes within range, and Tarzan finds as much love and compassion among the apes as he does in his stately home. His ultimate rejection of his new life can be seen as a critique of Western civilisation.
This was Ralph Richardson's last film, and it was not released until after his death. He received a posthumous nomination for a "Best Supporting Actor" Academy Award. Christopher Lambert was not nominated for "Best Actor", but his interpretation of the role was much praised. Whereas Weissmuller and other earlier actors had made Tarzan something of a muscle-bound simpleton, Lambert's character is a sensitive and intelligent young man, doing his best to cope with the difficult circumstances in which he finds himself. There is also a good performance from Ian Holm as D'Arnot. The film was directed by Hugh Hudson who had earlier made "Chariots of Fire"; Holm was one of several actors, also including Cheryl Campbell and Ian Charleson, who had also worked with Hudson on that film.
The film received three Oscar nominations overall, the first for any "Tarzan" film. Bizarrely, one of these went to a dog; following a dispute with the producers the screenwriter Robert Towne had insisted that the screenplay be credited to "P.H. Vazak". (Apparently Towne had also wanted to direct the movie, and was disappointed when the job was given to Hudson). The Academy, however, apparently unaware that this was the name of Towne's dog, nominated Vazak for Best Adapted Screenplay. I wonder if he would have turned up to collect it in person had he won.
Towne's script is, however, a good one. (I am not sure how much Vazak actually contributed to it). The acting is generally of a high standard and the film is visually attractive, with a sharp contrast between the world of the jungle and that of Greystoke itself. I wouldn't rate the film quite as highly as "Chariots of Fire", in my view one of the greatest British films of the eighties, but it nevertheless rates as an interesting, thought-provoking contemporary take on an old legend. 7/10