Director Hugh Hudson and screenwriter Robert Towne (under pseudonym, P. H. Vazak) fashion a tale that is much closer to creator Edgar Rice Burroughs’ original vision of The Ape Man than any other cinematic version. Following the shipwreck of Lord and Lady Greystoke on the African coast when Tarzan was just a baby, their subsequent deaths and his adoption by a female ape who hears the cries of the abandoned child, our hero (Christopher Lambert, of The Highlander series) grows to manhood. Nursing a wounded French explorer (Ian Holm) back to life spurs The Lord of the Apes’ return to England and reintroduction to his human family, including his grandfather Lord Greystoke (Ralph Richardson, in a stunning final performance before his death). Tarzan also meets Jane (Andie McDowell) a young American woman staying at the mansion. Nominated for three Oscars, including Best Supporting Actor (Richardson).
“Hugh Hudson, director of the Oscar-winning Chariots of Fire, and his associates have made something much more than a good fantasy. They have discovered reserves of feeling and beauty in the old Edgar Rice Burroughs tales that remained unexplored by Burroughs himself… Greystoke is one of the most thoroughly enjoyable films of its kind I’ve ever seen.” – Vincent Canby, The New York Times
