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Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes

Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes

Adventure · Drama · 1984

A shipping disaster in the 19th Century has stranded a man and woman in the wilds of Africa. The lady is pregnant, and gives birth to a son in their tree house. Soon after, a family of apes stumble across the house and in the ensuing panic, both parents are killed. A female ape takes the tiny boy as a replacement for her own dead infant, and raises him as her son. Twenty years later, Captain Phillippe D'Arnot discovers the man who thinks he is an ape. Evidence in the tree house leads him to believe that he is the direct descendant of the Earl of Greystoke, and thus takes it upon himself to return the man to civilization.

Movie details

Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes

1984 Adventure · Drama 2h 23m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.4 / 10

Community rating

A shipping disaster in the 19th Century has stranded a man and woman in the wilds of Africa. The lady is pregnant, and gives birth to a son in their tree house. Soon after, a family of apes stumble across the house and in the ensuing panic, both parents are killed. A female ape takes the tiny boy as a replacement for her own dead infant, and raises him as her son. Twenty years later, Captain Phillippe D'Arnot discovers the man who thinks he is an ape. Evidence in the tree house leads him to believe that he is the direct descendant of the Earl of Greystoke, and thus takes it upon himself to return the man to civilization.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Hugh Hudson

Written by

Michael Austin · Robert Towne

Christopher Lambert

Christopher Lambert

John Clayton / Tarzan, Lord of the Apes

Andie MacDowell

Andie MacDowell

Miss Jane Porter

Ralph Richardson

Ralph Richardson

The Sixth Earl of Greystoke

Ian Holm

Ian Holm

Capitaine Phillippe D'Arnot

James Fox

James Fox

Lord Charles Esker

Cheryl Campbell

Cheryl Campbell

Lady Alice Clayton

Ian Charleson

Ian Charleson

Jeffson Brown

Court is in session

Put Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.