Greystoke, la légende de Tarzan

I, unlike a lot of you unkind movie reviewers, actually liked the movie. The movie was slow? That it wasn't. If it was, I would have sent it back to Amazon.Com. All of Tarzan's actions in the movie HAD to take place. Like the love scene. You'd be stupid to think that Tarzan would turn into a Romeo and just make love to Jane..duh..he's half ape peoples! If you're in the mood for a beautiful movie, don't listen to the no-brainers, see it, you'll love Greystoke! I first saw it in Theaters when I was 11, and I loved it then & I still love it now. All the actors in the movie did a great job..the jungle scenes are beautiful, and the original score is a masterpiece. 9 out of 10

What a masterpiece! Filmed in Cameroon, with stuntspeople, gymnasts, and circus performers in ridiculously lifelike ape suits, Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes is a beautiful, sentimental drama that shows the differences and similarities between civilization and the animal kingdom.

This two-and-a-half hour epic from director Hugh Hudson starts before the titular character's birth. His parents, nobles from England, get shipwrecked along the African coast, and while they survive long enough to build a treehouse, write a diary, and have a child, the die shortly after the baby's birth. Coincidentally, a female ape has just lost her baby, and when she sees the abandoned human infant, her mothering instincts kick in. All the deaths are pretty violent and graphic, so you'll want to stick to the cartoon for the kiddies, but it is a very interesting backstory to see the transition from a proper English castle to the wilderness.

All the actors who play Tarzan, Danny Potts, Eric Langlois, and finally Christopher Lambert, are pitch-perfect in their performances. I don't know how they managed to get through their scenes without laughing, but perhaps they got all their giggles out during rehearsal. All three have an enormous amount of physical acting to do, from vine-swinging to tree climbing to lifting, throwing, and fighting. All three have to pretend they're hairless apes, imitating the use of their limbs, their posture, the different tones and noises of their language, and their facial expressions. Accomplishing all that, without laughing and without making the audience laugh, is quite a feat. Christopher Lambert has to add in an entire transformation to his performance of learning how to speak and act like a civilized person, which, to his character, is a completely different species.

Ian Holm, a Belgian zoologist, also gets shipwrecked in the same wilderness, and while he nearly dies, he meets up with Christopher Lambert, who saves his life. In turn, he teaches him the ways of being a human. The greatest flaw of the movie is Chris's lack of a beard after living his entire life in the jungle. When Ian teaches him his first word, "razor," then shaves him, there's nothing to shave! Besides that, the rest of the movie is very good. Ian's performance is so convincing, if I'd never seen him before, I would have thought his French accent was real! Ironically, if you keep your eyes open, you'll get to see David Suchet, famous for his portrayal of Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, in a couple of scenes with Ian in the first half of the movie.

Andie MacDowell made her film debut in Greystoke as Jane, but all her lines were tragically dubbed over by Glenn Close, so it'll seem a little jarring to watch the famously Southern Andie speaking in a British accent. Even though the first portion of the film is very close to the original novel, the plot differs during the second half. Christophe returns to England to meet Andie, rather than meeting her while she's on safari in the jungle, as in the classic "Me Tarzan, you Jane" scene. In the novel, Jane is supposed to be a Southern American, but the director felt that dialect wouldn't fit with the rest of the movie. Andie may not sound like herself, but she certainly looks like herself. She's positively gorgeous, and she gets to wear some beautiful gowns!

All in all, this is a very good movie. You might need your Kleenexes, because parts of it are pretty sad from an animal lover's perspective and a sociologist's perspective. You'll be treated to beautiful scenery, both indoor and outdoor, wonderful performances, and Ralph Richardson's final film. Check this out if you like the Tarzan story and want to see a lush, dramatic adaptation.

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. There are a few aerial camera swirls in the jungle and it will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to violence, nudity, and upsetting scenes involving animals and children, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.

GREYSTOKE: THE LEGEND OF TARZAN, LORD OF THE APES (1984) ***1/2 Christopher Lambert, Ian Holm, Ralph Richardson, James Fox, Andie McDowall. Incredibly realized adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic tale of an orphaned infant raised by apes in the deepest darkest jungles of Northern Africa that eschews the old Johnny Weissmuller route ("Me Tarzan, You Jane") and instead captures the essence of the story of the man who would be the next Earl of Greystoke Estate of Scotland who cannot escape the upbringing by primates no matter how hard established (and snobbish) society dictates what is proper. Exquisitely breathtaking cinematography by John Alcott and make up artist/genius Rick Baker's ape creations are indeed a wonder to behold (the apes are the most empathetic I believe since his "King Kong" sympathetic figure). Richardson (in his last screen role) received a Best Supporting Actor nomination as the grandfather of John Clayton (Tarzan), gives a memorable performance. McDowall in her screen debut has her voice dubbed by Glenn Close thanks to director Hugh Hudson's supposed distaste for her unmistakably anachoristic Southern accent (as well as his rewrite of screenwriter Robert Towne's script that promptly led to Towne removing his moniker for the pseudonym of P.H. Vazak, which incidently is the name of his pet sheepdog(!) )

Once you get past the first notion of the unlikeliness of the actual events in the story, you'll enjoy this film a lot more. I have seen this movie several times, and still enjoy it. Although i find Christopher Lambert a mediocre actor in most of his films, i feel that he shines here (a good idea to let him speak in his native French accent, cleverly written into the script by means of the Belgian explorer who finds him)instead of making him put on a bizarre accent, and it works well. Ian Holm and Ralph Richardson are fantastic and moving, but McDowell spoils it again and most of her scenes are irritating to watch. Some of this movie was actually quite upsetting (the taxidermy labs and the scene where the ape/father is shot) but very well done. The scenery is fantastic, and the musical score is brilliant and stirring. Great make-up effects for its day. This movie is well worth watching, give it a try, you might be pleasantly surprised!

Having seen numerous Tarzan movies over the years, I consider Greystoke, one of the best, if not the best. It played with all emotions. Christopher Lambert's portrayal of Tarzan was excellent. I have never read Borough's book, but this adaptation must, in the least, put any Tarzan movie that Johnny Weismueller or Lex Barker played in to shame. I have seen this movie at least 5 times and would watch it again and again.