| Tarzan is
the undisputed Lord of the Apes. No other jungle-man series ever came close to
capturing the imagination of the public as did this, and there is a singular
reason for it. Tarzan was created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, one of the greatest
action-adventure writers we have ever known. He infuses his tales with a
vibrancy and life that still rings true after almost 90 years. They are fresh,
and beguiling, and full of wit and wisdom at a most practical level. ERB is
particularly good at pointing out the foibles of mortal man.
To
start the tale of Tarzan of the Apes, Burroughs marooned an enterprising young
English Lord and his expectant Lady on a tropical shoreline. Born in the savage
wilderness, Tarzan is but a year old when nature claims his parents. He soon
finds himself adopted by a grieving she-ape, Kala, and learning the ways of the
jungle.
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From that
humblest beginning, Tarzan grows into the most fearsome, brutal, yet just
creature the jungle has ever seen. Possessed with a sly, grim humor, and a
ruthlessly practical get-it-done attitude, he sets about rescuing fair maidens,
intimidating natives, cohabiting with Jane Porter and screwing up bad guys in
general.
With a
massive intelligence and a propensity for imitation of the sounds of the
jungle, Tarzan asserts his dominion. He is a practicing conservationist, and a
peacemaker, but not above planting a few cannibal heads on stakes to terrorize
the rest. He is funny, and a source of amusement, but Burroughs makes it
possible to find humor in his plights without degrading the dignity of the
ape-man.
Furthermore,
Tarzan finds companionship with all manner of man and beast, and for his day,
was quite tolerant of almost every stripe.
Yes, yes.
But what about the movie?
I
liked it a lot the first time. I liked it better the second time.
You will
find
- an adventurous, intelligent
Tarzan, growing up, growing strong, and making mistakes that cost dearly
- passages lifted directly from
the original Tarzan book.
- comic characterizations of
Tantor, here re-imagined as a younger but sillier elephant.
- wild leopards and other
ferocious animals abounding, untamed and unequaled in any Disney efforts
previous.
- lower jungle creatures much in
evidence too, especially a Cheetah wannabe. (Shades of Aladdin...)
Most
mercifully, Tarzan did not have a monkey companion in this one.
The canvas
for all of this is the deep jungle, and special software was developed
precisely for this effect. Deep Canvas, they call it. Hmmmmmm.
The result
is simply exhilarating. Wild chases, acrobatics, and plain old Sunday drives on
the vines take on new perspectives. It is a rambunctous P.O.V. that has not
been animated before, at least not to this level of sophistication and detail.
And other
aspects of the film fare as well. Even the PC elements so pervasive in recent
Disney films are excised...in fact the title song refers to Tarzan as a
"Son of Man".
This is
remarkable progress considering the "colors of the wind" sermon in
Pocahontas(albeit beautiful) (not that there's anything wrong with that). Maybe
we can finally get back to normal inclusivity without having to bend over
backwards taking care of everybody's feelings. (Before you even start, I am a
founding member of an inclusive language church here in Batonburg, so I know
what from what in inclusive language.)
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Smorgas-bar
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"Things Tarzan Has
Eaten"
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Disney's Tarzan was criticized as being
anatomically incorrect. They declared that Tarzan's jungle diet would have
precluded the development of huge muscle mass. Since it purportedly would
consist of fruits and leafy matter, it would be hardly a protein rich diet. So,
no hunk.
They also reasoned
that the Apes have adapted to this diet over millennia and thereby can
develop muscles on the human-unbuffing diet.
The truth is, anyone reading the
original Edgar Rice Burroughs books knows that Tarzan was a mighty hunter, and
a devotee of raw, bloody flesh.
He would eat until sated, then "wipe his
greasy fingers on his thighs". (For those who like aged meat, Tarzan would
bury the rest of the kill for later, to keep scavengers away.)
From the novels, more
or less, here is what Tarzan ate:
- Milk from his birth Mother's
breast
- Milk from his Ape mother's
breast.
- Bugs
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Berries
- Lions
- Pumas
- Wild Boar
- Antelope
- Elephant (Once. It was bad,
he hallucinated and shot arrows at the moon all night- Jungle Tales of
Tarzan.)
- Monkey
- Clams
- Fish
- Great Ape
- Gorilla
- Snake
- French Cuisine,
and
- English food.
He
did not, however, eat human flesh. This is gone into in great detail in the
first book, Tarzan of the Apes.
As I reread the
novels, I will add to this from time to time should I see anything
new... |
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One little
PC moment that was snuck in had Terk (Rosie O'Donnell) asking "what
primitive creatures are responsible for this mess!" as the camera panned
test tubes and beakers of the Porter's makeshift jungle lab. As a scientist,
and not "of sorts", being an actual, living, breathing, chemist, I
take offense at the continual jibes at technology. Especially when mouthed by Rosie O. Oh
well, come the revolution...!
The only
weak point seems to be the under-developed conflict between Tarzan and Clayton,
or rather I should say, the conflict is developed late in the picture. And
Clayton is a little one-dimensional for a two-d film. But then the story is
more about Tarzan overall, his education, and life, than about one villain in a
contest of wills.
Songs are
by Phil Collins. I am not a huge fan of his, being more of an Elton John
appreciator, but they are nicely done. I suspect "Son Of Man", or
possibly "One Family", will get an academy nod, even if there are no
other vocal standouts. Terk and the boys do a pretty good job of destroying the
campsite with a romping be-bop, and it's fun.It really is not a musical, thank
God.
In fact, I'd characterize the
entire film as fun. And it is the best Disney has had to offer in
decades.
All in all
this is a big big winner, and blessedly, one I believe that parents will be
able to watch over and over. When this thing hits video you know you will have
to.
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