The Legend of Tarzan

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LadyTevar
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The Legend of Tarzan

Post by LadyTevar »

First, let me state for the record that I have been a Tarzan fan for years, thanks to the 1970s-early 80s cartoon. Then my dad let me read his original 1916 copy of "The Beasts of Tarzan", and I've been a huge fan of Burroughs ever since. However, let's be honest. Most TV/Movie versions of Tarzan have lost something in translation, usually by focusing more on Tarzan as the Ape-Man with broken English and only animal friends.

"The Legend of Tarzan" does not follow this route. This is not an origin story, as we first meet John Clayton III, Lord Greystroke, Victorian gentleman and member of the House of Lords, not a wildman of the jungle. He is gentile in speech, elegant in manners, and sharp of wit, fully understanding the situation in the Belgium Congo that drives the plot of this movie. As in the trailers for the movie, he informs George Washington Williams (Samuel L Jackson) "My name is John Clayton III"; Tarzan is firmly in the past.
Except his life in the Congo does not stay in the past. We are introduced to Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz), who as King Leopold of Belgium's agent is trying to obtain the rights to a diamond mine that would save the King from defaulting on personal loans, and pay for more men to enforce his will upon the Congo. There is a price for access to the diamonds, however -- Tarzan's Head.
And so, King Leopold invites Lord Greystroke to see the modern wonders of the Congo, while Williams wishes to join the trip to find if rumors of native slavery by the Belgians are true. Jane joins because she wishes to return to the village where she grew up and taught, complicating Rom's task to capture Tarzan and turn him over in exchange for the diamonds. Jane is captured along with many of the villagers, Williams joins Tarzan in tracking and rescuing her, finding all the proof he needs of Belgian misdeeds in the process, and we see how thin the veneer of civilization truly is as Tarzan thinks and fights his way through jungle to reunite with Jane.

This is where the movie gets interesting in its choices.
Edgar R. Burrough's Tarzan was set in deepest darkest Africa, where the natives were savage, uncultured beasts at worst and 'noble savages' at best. Jungle spread everywhere, gorillas were carnivorous killers, and one could swing on a vine from one side of the jungle to the other. The movie leave this old belief behind, instead showing the Congo as it truly is; a mix of savannah and jungle river basin, with different tribal nations each with their own culture and language. They speak English as well as multiple local languages, welcome Tarzan and Jane home like lost relatives with food and song; in short, they are shown as they truly were, not as the Victorian ideal of uncultured savages, noble or not. Nor does the movie shy away from historical records of Belgian cruelty towards these tribes. We are shown the Belgians have little regard for their lives, slaughtering villagers without regret, enslaving thousands to build their railroads, and darker deeds. The movie shows history as it happened, and builds a place where Tarzan makes a difference in the outcome.
One way the movie integrates Tarzan is the use of actual historical figures from the time: George Washington Williams, King Leopold of Belgium, and his agent Leon Rom. King Leopold had created a false front called "The Congo Free State", based on the East India Company of old, that was meant to bring Christianity and European Civilization to the Congo, while profiting from its natural resources of ivory and rubber. King Leopold was the head and sole owner of this private company, and all profits went straight to him. He hired a private army to oversee the Congo, and roughly half the known population of the Congo perished while under Free State rule, either from slavery, widespread killing, or disease. In the movie he is mentioned but never seen.
Leon Rom was one of the Congo's administrators, and his jurisdiction was said to be brutal, using slavery and murder to keep the local tribes in line. The movie depicts him as a man of culture who has been given a task and he will do whatever is needed to carry out that task; bargain, threaten, kidnap, or kill.
George Washington Williams details part of his personal history in the movie; a Civil War vet, a Mexican War Vet, an Indian War Vet; but he was also a politician, author, and minister. Most importantly, he did travel to the Belgian Congo, and wrote an open letter to King Leopold on the mistreatment and enslavement of the natives, calling the King as guilty as those acting in his name. His letter called for Europe and America to condemn Belgium's actions, and eventually forced the King to fold the company and make it a true Belgian colony. In the movie, he is a stranger to the Congo and to Tarzan, and a viewpoint character to draw the audience in. Williams has his moments of fish-out-of-water, but not as a comic foil. He is a military man and fully contributes to the search for Jane.

But what truly made this movie for me was the little touches, scenes that may not have driven the plot but enhanced the setting. Scenes like Lord Greystroke at 10 Downey Street, listening to English politicians discussing the Congo problem, while properly sipping a cup of tea. Later, surrounded by curious children, he shows his calloused hands, demonstrating how he had walked and ran on his knuckles like the gorillas and how it had changed the bone structure. Jane, packing for the trip, arguing with her maid over how many corsets to take. The villagers having a song about Tarzan, the ghost of the jungle, and how he came to live with them. Jane, captured with the villagers, being told she was lucky she was European and avoiding being 'serviced' by Rom's men (a very Victorian way to say 'raped'). Jane having dinner with Rom, spreading the tablecloth neatly over her lap to catch spills. Rom, after Jane was lead away, neatly crossing her utensils on her plate to indicate she was done eating and left the table. A steam-driven stern-wheel paddleboat, and the wheel visibly reverses direction to stop the boat when Jane jumps ship. The gathered warriors of the tribes, each tribe marked by a different style of shield, of clothing, even of hair style.
Little things like this show how much the director wanted to get it right. And to me, this movie got it RIGHT.
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The Romulan Republic
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Re: The Legend of Tarzan

Post by The Romulan Republic »

Not being a Tarzan fan and having been put off by the teasers, I had largely written this film off as not worth the money.

I may have to reevaluate that.
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Re: The Legend of Tarzan

Post by LadyTevar »

The Romulan Republic wrote:Not being a Tarzan fan and having been put off by the teasers, I had largely written this film off as not worth the money.

I may have to reevaluate that.
As I said, I highly enjoyed it. My 15yr old nephew enjoyed it. We had a packed theater, and several people were discussing the movie as we left. Most of all, Burrough's grandson John was invited to a special preview, and after the credits rolled stated "Thank God, we finally have a winner."
So, for the fans, it's a good movie. If you are not a fan of Tarzan, it would still be a good popcorn movie. I will firmly state that it's ten times better than the "John Carter of Mars" movie that was released (it wasn't even good with popcorn).
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Re: The Legend of Tarzan

Post by NecronLord »

You've convinced me to see this Tev.
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Re: The Legend of Tarzan

Post by Elheru Aran »

I watched this the other night.

Pretty good. I'm not necessarily a huge fan of the 'scatter flashbacks throughout the movie' technique, but I can live with it as a form of exposition.

It's always hilarious how wild Tarzan, teenager and all, is practically clean shaven... it's possible he's from a fairly light-faced genetic group, but earlier in the movie Alexander Skarsgard is sporting a light five-o'clock-shadow. So who knows. I thought they did demonstrate rather well his strength (he *kicks* a guy almost through the *ceiling* of a train car) and abilities, which I will note are contextual-- he's able to sort-of interact with a few lions because he met them when they were cubs, for example (perhaps they were orphaned and he fed them?). But a point to their favor: while John Clayton is well spoken and obviously intelligent, they don't take Burroughs' silly idea of him self-educating in the English language into consideration. His parents' treehouse is a wreck, the jungle climate has destroyed any remaining books in there (though apparently he saved a trunk with his father's journal).

Cons:

I found the animal-stampede part of the ending somewhat contrived. You have this smallish town on the coast that's been around long enough for them to construct European style buildings and set up a very neatly organized mercenary camp. Why would there be massive herds of wildebeest (gnu?) so close to the town that they can stampede it to little toothpicks? Especially considering they would be prime meat stock for all those mercenaries?

Also, while I did enjoy seeing Sam Jackson in the movie, it seemed like every other line was to reinforce the whole "Tarzan is awesome" thing. I can't say I cared for that as much. It's probably less than I thought, but still.

From a historic perspective... the atrocities in the Belgian Congo were, if anything, *far* worse than depicted in the film. Nasty piece of business.

It got a pretty solid 3.5-4 out of 5 for me.
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