SYNOPSIS
GREYSTOKE is a spellbinding screen version of Edgar Rice Burroughs’s 1914 classic tale. Tarzan (Christopher Lambert), the seventh Earl of Greystoke, is raised by a family of apes after he is lost as a child in the jungles of Africa. Captain Phillipe D’Arnot (Ian Holm), a Belgian explorer, discovers the adult Tarzan, now lord of the apes, and reintroduces him to the English language and to the British aristocracy. Tarzan becomes John Clayton and is taken to meet his elderly grandfather, the sixth Earl of Greystoke (Ralph Richardson), and his beautiful American ward, Jane Porter (model Andie MacDowell). Living in a grand estate instead of in the trees of the African jungle proves daunting for the struggling student of British formality, but he is protected by his loving and eccentric grandfather. Jane continues to teach him about life in British society and before long has captivated John, who must learn how to deal with the strong emotions of human love. John and Jane begin their courtship despite the disapproval of British high society and are eventually engaged to be married. In the wake of family tragedy, John is forced to face his responsibility to the Greystoke family, but he is unable to reconcile his mounting distaste for modern civilization. Ultimately, he finds himself torn between his animal and human families and is forced to make a profound decision about his future. Director Hugh Hudson’s film features astounding special effects makeup (courtesy of Rick Baker) and beautiful photography of the remote jungles of Cameroon and the British countryside.
