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Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes

Name: Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes
Director: Hugh Hudson
Released: 1984
Duration: 143 min

Representation Score

2.4/10

Limited

1984

Director

Hugh Hudson

Runtime

143 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Greystoke functions as a period drama that prioritizes the tension between nature and nurture over modern identity politics. It adheres to traditional historical frameworks, limiting its depth in reflecting multiple aspects of identity. The film challenges the perceived superiority of Western social structures by critiquing the performative nature of civilized social codes. Ultimately, the lack of diverse casting and the colonialist perspective result in a traditional approach to representation.

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Category Breakdown

Does Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The story focuses on biological lineage and the protagonist's integration into human society, offering no queer subtext.

How does Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes portray gender?

Fair

Jane Porter displays more ability to act than typical Victorian archetypes, but the film ultimately relies on her to facilitate the protagonist's transition into patriarchal British aristocracy.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes?

Limited

The film is framed through a colonial lens, depicting Africa as a site for European discovery and centering a white protagonist's journey toward European nobility.

How does Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes represent religion and culture?

Fair

The story contrasts natural honesty with rigid Victorian hierarchies, suggesting that civilization imposes artificial restrictions on the human spirit.

Does Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no prominent depictions of visible or invisible disabilities, and no such traits serve as central drivers for the narrative.

Present on Screen

Challenges the perceived superiority of Western social structures.
Critiques the performative nature of civilized social codes.
Provides a more adventurous and agentic portrayal of Jane Porter.

Limited or Absent

Lacks significant representation of multiple aspects of identity.
Operates through a colonial lens regarding the African landscape.
Maintains traditional gender hierarchies and assumptions about straight relationships.

Official Synopsis

A shipping disaster in the 19th Century has stranded a man and woman in the wilds of Africa. The lady is pregnant, and gives birth to a son in their tree house. Soon after, a family of apes stumble across the house and in the ensuing panic, both parents are killed. A female ape takes the tiny boy as a replacement for her own dead infant, and raises him as her son. Twenty years later, Captain Phillippe D'Arnot discovers the man who thinks he is an ape. Evidence in the tree house leads him to believe that he is the direct descendant of the Earl of Greystoke, and thus takes it upon himself to return the man to civilization.

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