Greystoke, the legend of Tarzan, the king of the apes

Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (original title: Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes >) is a 1984 film based on the novel Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

It was nominated for three Oscars: Best Supporting Actor (posthumously nominated Ralph Richardson), Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Makeup. She didn't win any.

Plot

In the 19th century, 1886, there is a mutiny on board a ship, and a married couple is left stranded in the African jungle. The woman is pregnant, and she soon gives birth to a boy. Shortly after, a group of chimpanzees run through the hut that the parents have built; they panic and die. A female takes care of the baby, replacing her calf, which has also died.

20 years later, Belgian explorer Captain Phillipe D'Arnot (Ian Holm) discovers the man (Christopher Lambert), whom he initially mistakes for a primate. Seeing his cabin and his utensils, he realizes it must be John Clayton, only son of the Earl of Greystoke (Ralph Richardson), and takes him back to civilization. There, John meets Jane Porter (Andie MacDowell), her American cousin, and falls in love with her. Captain Phillipe D'Arnot thinks that Jane and John hit it off and could marry.

Production

In 1974 producer Stanley Jaffe announced that Warner Bros. would make a "serious" of the character of Tarzan and that he hoped that the actor chosen would not be just "muscles". The film was supposed to be ready for 1976. "

It wasn't until almost ten years later, in the 1980s, that the project was picked up again and director Hugh Hudson (of fame for his debut Chariots of Fire) was hired.

Shooting

The film was shot in the following locations:

• 

  Floors Castle in Kelso

• 

  Hatfield House in Hertfordshire

• 

  Ekom Nkam Waterfalls in Korup National Park

Reception

The film production was very successful in Europe.