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Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes

Play trailer Poster for Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes PG Released Mar 30, 1984 2h 9m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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79% Tomatometer 14 Reviews 60% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Classic tale of the wild man raised by apes in the African jungle after his explorer parents are shipwrecked and then die while he is still a baby. Rediscovered by adventurers when he has grown to manhood, he is returned to the strange and unfamiliar world of the British aristocracy and discovers that, despite a doting grandfather and a female admirer, civilization can be a cruel place.
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Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes

Critics Reviews

View All (14) Critics Reviews
Vincent Canby New York Times 'Greystoke' is one of the most thoroughly enjoyable films of its kind I've ever seen. Jul 20, 2004 Full Review Octavi Marti El Pais (Spain) An odd and attractive adventure, with a notable ability to to fictionalize at the same time that it's concerned with historical reconstruction. [Full Review in Spanish] Feb 19, 2020 Full Review Sergio Benítez Espinof The beauty with which John Alcott photographs the African natural landscapes and the extraordinary personality displayed by John Scott in the composition of the soundtrack that makes the film stay in the cinematic memory. [Full Review in Spanish] Aug 27, 2019 Full Review James Plath Family Home Theater For all its flaws, Greystoke is still better than the romanticized live-action versions of Tarzan that Hollywood has produced. Rated: B- Mar 30, 2016 Full Review Rob Vaux Mania.com As long as they stay in the jungle, this Tarzan may be one of the very best versions of the character you're likely to see. Rated: B+ Apr 1, 2014 Full Review Luis Martinez Cinenganos Beautiful. A real view of an ape man clashing with the civilization. Rated: 4/5 Oct 20, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Alec B Easily the best film version of Burroughs's character so far. This is likely because it was made late enough to not be cluelessly romantic about the 19th century, while also being made early enough to avoid the need to be deconstructive or ironic. Gorgeously filmed and the make-up effects are still remarkable. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/10/24 Full Review jelisije j A movie that took a realistic approach to the character of Tarzan and his journey from the jungle to civilized society. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Easily the best film version of Burroughs's character so far. This is likely because it was made late enough to not be cluelessly romantic about the 19th century, while also being made early enough to avoid the need to be deconstructive or ironic. Gorgeously filmed and the make-up effects are still remarkable. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review steve d It brings nothing new to the often told tale. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review jordan m I loved the entire first half of the movie - I don't know that I've seen so much emotion and drama portrayed without any words as I saw in the first 40 minutes of this. The jungle scenes were just fantastically done, with the monkey suits done extremely well and the production values and acting were very convincing. I think they could easily have avoided showing the child actor's butthole and was disconcerted by all of that, and the plot was too wordy and rushed when he was out of the jungle and so that part wasn't very interesting. It's unfortunate Jane was near-exclusively shown there. I appreciated the way they handled the end of the movie. The highlights for me were Lambert prior to them tidying him up with a ponytail, the costume work and the film score, which was really tremendous given the composer was a short notice replacement! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member I saw this movie in the theater when it was first released. I had been a Tarzan fan since the early 60's. My favorite had always been Johnny Weismuller, though Ron Ely was good, even in the TV series. As much as I liked the movies. none of them ever did the books justice, in my opinion. I walked out of the theater convinced that Tarzan had finally gotten a proper treatment, and that I had seen the best Tarzan ever, both the movie, and the actor. I just watched it again tonight, and that opinion has not changed. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes

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Movie Info

Synopsis Classic tale of the wild man raised by apes in the African jungle after his explorer parents are shipwrecked and then die while he is still a baby. Rediscovered by adventurers when he has grown to manhood, he is returned to the strange and unfamiliar world of the British aristocracy and discovers that, despite a doting grandfather and a female admirer, civilization can be a cruel place.
Director
Hugh Hudson
Producer
Hugh Hudson, Stanley S. Canter
Screenwriter
Robert Towne, Michael Austin
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Warner Brothers/Seven Arts, Warner Bros.
Rating
PG
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 30, 1984, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
May 1, 2008
Runtime
2h 9m
Sound Mix
Surround
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