Brought to uncivilized civilization, Lord Greystoke is powerfully attracted to his American cousin, Jane Porter (Andie MacDowell).


would abandon culture, not to mention a great-looking lady like Jane, to spend the rest of his days monkeying around with a lot of apes. More satisfyingly, Burroughs’ Tarzan learned to live in both worlds—a conceit that Hudson avoids, as it would un- dermine his simplistic moral les- son that the purity of the jungle is innately more civilized than what men have made of society. Despite the screenplay’s


faults (it was begun by Robert Towne and revised by Michael Austin), the film is beautifully photographed by the late John Alcott (the atmosphere is pal- pable, whether it’s the humidity of the jungle or the stuffiness of Greystoke manor) and the sym- phonic score by John Scott (THE FINAL COUNTDOWN, KING KONG LIVES) is the grandest musical support a Tarzan picture has ever received. Supplement- ing Scott’s original compositions are excerpts from the works of Edward Elgar, whose music Hudson correctly felt typified the Edwardian period. The cast is also extraordinary, particularly the quirky Ralph Richardson who, in his valedictory film role, delivers both a greeting and a farewell that are heart-wrenching.


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Tarzan fans, however, will be in- censed that Jane’s introduction is held off for so long, that she is not a part of the expedition into the jungle, and that she is disal- lowed meeting and falling in love with Tarzan within the primitive, dream-like milieu of the jungle. In Hudson’s film, Jane is marginalized to the point of being nearly inconsequential. There is a love scene, though its eroticism is inverted from the norm: traditionally in Tarzan films, Jane’s inhibitions are whittled by her wild surroundings; whereas in GREYSTOKE, the set- ting is Jane’s bedroom, where Tarzan’s primitive brand of sexu- ality (in his excitement, he reverts to ape-like behavior) is an inva- sive force to prim, Edwardian sensibilities. Warner presents GREYSTOKE


on DVD in its original aspect ra- tio of 2.35:1, enhanced for widescreen televisions. The transfer is glorious, exhibiting strong colors and a natural, film- like quality. Minor edge en- hancement is apparent in the brightest scenes, though it is only really noticeable on large monitors. This is a slightly ex- panded version of the film com- pared to its initial theatrical run.


The additions (first introduced on VHS about five years ago) add up to almost 8m and start with a short overture that pre- cedes the Warner Brothers logo, followed by a prologue, which restores a jungle panorama for the first image (this neatly book- ends the film, as the final shot is another view of this antedi- luvian vista) before detailing how Kala the she-ape’s baby dies. The prologue makes for a nice action opener, even if it would be better placed between the shipwreck and the erection of the Claytons’ jungle hut; po- sitioned as it is now, before the Claytons even begin their voy- age to Africa, it’s implied that Kala has been carrying around her dead baby for over a year! The final extra footage expands and restores action to the scene where Tarzan and D’Arnot seek shelter at a seedy lodge as they work their way out of Africa. Surrounded by a menagerie of white monsters (played by a host of distinguished British character actors, including Ri- chard Griffiths, Paul Brooke and David Suchet)—D’Arnot is about to be whipped—perhaps even sodomized by a syphilis- stricken psycho—before Tarzan


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