Greystoke - The Legend of Tarzan

Marshall Fine, in his featured review (above) states that Greystoke was a 'missed opportunity'. He claims that "the film tried to rethink the Tarzan legend of Edgar Rice Burroughs". Well, sure it did, and thank the stars that it had such talented writers and a great director. I wonder if Marshall Fine has ever read 'Tarzan of the Apes'? The book is appallingly written trash - the worst of the pulp genre. Far from being a misbegotten attempt to create a film version of Tarzan, this movie represents the best Tarzan ever created - a realistic rendition of what Edgar Rice Burroughs' book should have been.

Marshall Fine's review states that "By casting French-accented Christopher Lambert as Tarzan, the filmmakers had to transform his white-hunter mentor Ian Holm into a Frenchman to explain those inflections in Tarzan's monosyllabic speech". Again, Marshall misses the mark, since it's clear that he doesn't realise that Edgar Rice Burroughs WROTE Tarzan as having learned French under the tutelage of a French naval lieutenant. According to the BOOK, Tarzan's English was poor, and he DID speak it with a French accent. The casting wasn't a mistake - it was intentional, and it was the correct decision if the filmmakers wanted to faithfully transfer the book to the screen. What was Marshall Fine thinking???

In my opinion, this movie brings us the REAL Tarzan. It's such a pity that because of shortsighted and ignorant reviews, the movie did not attract the audience it should have reached. Too bad it's only available on VHS - I would like to see a feature-packed DVD version of this classic movie.

Even though it doesn't really bear on the quality (or lack there of) of this movie, I'd like to clear up a very common misconception about this film.

It is absolutley nothing like the novel on which it is supposedly based. However, for some reason people who appearantly mistook the Greystoke press release for Burrough's novel continue to perpetuate the myth that this is a faithful adaption of the novel. Even Disney's _Tarzan_ which deviated greatly from the novel itself had more simularities to it than this.

Of course this doesn't make Greystoke a bad movie. However, it is disappointing that no film has ever told the story of Burrough's book because _Tarzan_ was not only a very good novel, it is the kind of novel that would make an incredible film if anyone would ever bother to film it rather than simply borrow its title character.

As for _Greystoke_, it's best near the begining when Tarzan is in the jungle, but it just becomes tedious once the story moves to England.

It's hard to articulate exactly what is wrong with this film. It isn't so much that anything is wrong with it, but there is so very little good about it. The idea of a story about a man who grew up as an ape trying to become a man sounds compelling, but on the screen it gets old fast.

Lambert and MacDowell don't help much with performances which like the film aren't really bad but aren't good either. Lambert to often makes it obvious that he is acting and the fact that MacDowell had to be dubbed by Glenn Close doesn't help her performance.

Ralph Richardson on the other hand gives a very good performance and carries the parts of the film he has the misfortune of being in.

The ending is completely unsatisfying. It tries for the same bittersweet quality of the novel's ending, but because the film so firmly establishes that Tarzan is out of place in the world of man, it has trouble coming to a sensible conclusion.

Hopefully, Hollywood will someday make a good version of _Tarzan_, but this isn't it. But don't take my word for it. Screenwriter Robert Towne was so disastified with the final film that he had his name taken of the picture. Instead the screenplay was credited P. H. Vazak, the name of Towne's dog. Then again, maybe Vazak did write this one.

This movie was ok when I first watched it, but now that I am so familiar with Andie MacDowell and Glenn Close I find it impossible to hear Glenn's dubbed voice when Andie speaks and still enjoy the movie.

Whether you think this movie is The Elephant Man For Dummies, or Tarzan Meets Jane Austen, there's nothing like a man acting like a monkey in a period drama. It's strange and wonderful.

Note July 7th 2004. So finally it's released on DVD. Worth waiting for??!!/Tomas.

A pretty good movie I would like to see on DVD! Anyone who knows when it will be released? From 1984 the make-up is still stunning, infact not at all far from the recent Burton's Planet of The Apes...
The film sometimes tends to get a little silly - proving it is difficult to convert an original old victorian story to moving pictures. In mind is when Tarzan is being introduced to the 'upper English class'.