GRAYSTOKE: THE LEGEND OF TARZAN

REVIEWED BY CARISSA HORTON

Our rating: 2 out of 5

Because of: gore, sensuality, nudity

Rated:

Raising a child in civilization is difficult enough, but to attempt it in the outskirts of a rainforest with no other human beings is almost impossible. Yet Lord Jack Clayton (Paul Geoffrey) and his lovely wife Lady Alice (Cheryl Campbell) have no choice in the matter. Stranded after a dreadful storm on the high seas, Jack and Alice do what they must to survive, and even then their lives aren't worth much in the jungle. Only a few months after baby John is born, Alice yields to her illness and within days Jack follows her after being brutally killed by an ape leader from a nearby family unit. That leaves only the baby, and were it not for the loving care of a mother gorilla who had just recently lost her youngster, John would have died as well.

This innocent child is raised amongst the gorillas, with no idea as to his ancestry. He believes himself to be one of them, and defends his gorilla mother at all costs. Though well-cared for by her, he is an outcast to the rest of the group and murder is attempted at least twice by the head gorilla. Finally, John (Christopher Lambert) grows into a strapping young man, and having found the hut where his real parents had lived, he unknowingly wears their pictures in a locket around his neck. The hunters of this gorilla unit soon become the hunted when a group of Englishmen embark on an excursion through the jungle. Many gorillas are taken and killed for their fur and organs, with no thought as to the survival of the species.

Yet there is one man, Capitaine Phillippe D'Arnot (Ian Holm) who sees no point in mindless killing, and has no taste for it. When a group natives attack the encampment, Phillippe is the only survivor and than just barely, hiding himself as well as he might. John rescues the helpless man, harboring no guile or ill feelings toward him. A small bond forms between them and slowly grows, as John constantly defends Phillippe against gorilla attacks while Phillippe endeavors to teach John the English language. Phillippe uncovers who this jungle man really is; the only heir to the Greystoke Estate in England, and that renews his endeavors to bring John some sense of society and belonging. Time passes slowly, and finally Phillippe's wounds are healed well enough for him to travel. After much debating and concern, John accompanies him back to civilization; back to his family. It's not easy. He doesn't quite belong in the human world, but nor does he belong in the jungle. His grandfather, the Sixth Earl of Greystoke (Ralph Richardson) welcomes him with open arms, as does his ward Jane Porter (Andie MacDowell), but he cannot help but see the cautious and degrading looks sent toward him. And so a choice is lain before him; to stay or to leave.

I have always enjoyed a good telling of Tarzan, and though this is quite different from anything I've seen before, I did find it interesting. Unfortunately, were I to choose, I would never watch this version again. It's accurate, almost too much so, with John's condition while in the jungle. As a baby or even a toddler, I can understand nudity, but not as a young boy or teenager. That was too much, though it's never portrayed in a sensual form and usually he's in some form of motion so details are blurred. But you do get full backside nudity several times. I was never so thrilled as when John finally becomes a man and discovers the use of a loincloth. Quite a relief.

The friendship between the characters of John and Phillippe is strongly intertwined, and I valued it above anything else in the film. Phillippe does not abandon John when in England; he returns often to see his old friend and becomes furious at the idea of scientists studying John under a microscope. John is eager to learn everything people can teach him, especially from Phillippe and Jane. He mimics almost everything he hears, and does it remarkably well. Phillippe becomes a father figure to John; although once in civilization, people read John's attachment the wrong way. He'll grip Phillippe's hand now and again, and draw curious stares from the passerby, though their relationship is purely innocent. The relationships and innocence of John very nearly make the movie worthwhile, but I cannot deny the presence of other problems.

There is violence, starting with the death of the gorilla mother's actual baby. She drags the corpse behind her until she locates John and than willingly abandons it. John is proficient with a blade and he uses it often. The massacre of the hunting party is rather horrific, including one man winding up with an arrow through his throat. But what I found most disturbing were the horrendous rituals performed on the gorillas all in the name of science. While in the jungle, you see gorilla corpses hung upside down while air is pumped to inflate their bodies. When in England, John finds his way into a museum that has gorilla carcasses after they've been experimented on. The very sight caused bile to rise in my throat, so believe me when I say it was not a pretty picture. John catches and kills a jaguar which had been stalking his clan and calmly hacks away pieces of it for the gorillas to enjoy. In a word, the violence was rather disturbing and very convincing.

Now we move onto the sensuality. John takes one look at Jane and his heart is completely gone. Most of the time, he's very mellow and polite in her presence, nothing but a little dancing and such. However, after the death of a loved one, John seeks comfort in Jane's arms, and he does find it. He comes to her room once night has fallen and she doesn't stop him. Having already refused one offer of marriage because of her attraction to John, it only made sense she would have wanted him badly enough to yield before marriage. He has a fascination with human skin; he enjoys touching and caressing it, and Jane reacts to him in kind. Thankfully, the scene faded out after a heavy make-out session when he laid her back on the bed. No nudity was present though he does lower her dressing gown and kiss her shoulders.

I don't really know what to think of this version. There are many problems, and in the end, it gives the impression that we, the humans, are the enemies. Never mind that gorillas can kill and would have done so gladly if they were given the chance. Yet, the men were involved in senseless murder as well. It almost felt as if the film were trying to prove that man was the beast and not the gorillas. We have our faults, but we also possess something animals lack and that is a soul. I could never fully praise this interpretation, as it is dark and morbidly disturbing. But if you have an interest in the story of Tarzan or in jungle tales, than perhaps you would find it worthwhile. Myself, I'll stick with the older versions or Disney's adorable retelling.