re: The Legend of Tarzan (NOW SHOWING)

quote:

---

There are certain things that any good Tarzan adaption needs to have and very few have actually adhered to. All you need to do is read the book. It's all there, Don't change it, rearrange it or "Make it your own" It's not your story! it's Edgar Rice Burrough's story!

1- It's a period piece. Tarzan was born in 1888. The events of the first novel take place in 1909. DO NOT update them to the twenty-first century!

This is one of the most important things in my opinion. It's not just true for Tarzan but for any literary creation. The time period in which they are created and exist are an integral part of who they are. You can't modernize a character and expect them to be the same character. In my opinion Tarzan just doesn't work in the modern world. He's a child of the wild unexplored places and there are few of those left today.

2- Tarzan's Africa is NOT the real historical Africa that we know. It is in fact a very stylistic, fictionalized version of colonial European Africa.

This is also very important, Any persons environment plays as important a role in who they are as does era. Tarzan's Africa is a wondrous place filled with lost cities and ancient unknown tribes. Magic wielding wizards and medicine men. Dinosaurs and monsters. Don't try to match it with the real Africa of our world because that's not what it is. Now I realize that in Burroughs time not very much was known about Africa which is probably why he chose that continent to place this story in. It allowed him to let his imagination run wild but even now this can be visualized if you just make sure people understand that this is a fictional version of the dark continent.

3- Tarzan was NOT raised by Gorillas. They were a fictional species of large ape that Burroughs created for this story. (The Mangani).

This one really bugs me because it only takes reading the book to know that the Mangani are not gorillas. why filmmakers want to turn them into gorillas is beyond me. This is another indication of Burrough's genius as a storyteller in my opinion. Science knew very little about gorillas then so instead of trying to match actual creatures to his story only to have them not match what science might learn later he created his own. In fact Burroughs has gorillas in the story portrayed them pretty much the way the public viewed them then, as huge vicious brutes who could be dangerous mankillers.

4- Tarzan's adoptive ape father was NOT Kerchak the tribes leader.

The Disney film is guilty of this. Kerchak was the leader of the tribe but he was not Tarzan's adoptive ape father. That was Tublat, Kala's mate. Kerchak was a vicious hateful brute who in fact was responsible for the death of Kala's original ape child. Tarzan finally kills him and becomes leader of the tribe. In fact Tublat didn't much care for Tarzan either but he was more afraid of him than anything. Do not make Kerchak Tarzan's ape father!

5- Tarzan although uneducated and ignorant when young, was not stupid.

He was in fact very intelligent. He did not speak with broken English and NEVER said "Me Tarzan, You Jane" EVER! Tarzan was very good at learning languages and could eventually speak, as well as the Mangani language and English, French, Dutch, German, Swahili, many Bantu dialects, Arabic, ancient Greek, ancient Latin, Mayan, the languages of the Ant Men and of Pellucidar.

6- Tarzan was not a pacifist.

He had no problem killing his enemies if it was necessary but he didn't kill with malice or hatred. He killed for protection, to end a particularly intractable enemy threat and since he was not a vegetarian, He had no problem killing animals for food.

7- He was not above using a weapon.

His favorite weapon was his fathers hunting knife followed by His rope that he made from vines and learned to use when he growing. He was also fond of bow and arrows and a spear if he could make them. He would also use a rifle it he had no choice.

8- If you do a Tarzan origin to not rush through the first part of Tarzan's life.

this is actually the most interesting part of the first book. Tarzan growing up, finding his parents cabin and slowly teaching himself to read and coming to realize that he is not an ape but something more. Learning how top deal with the animals and living in the jungle. These are the things that make Tarzan who he is, don't gloss over them just to get to the action. I love that part of the book.

---

quote:

---

9- Tarzan's stranded English parents did not build a treehouse.

Now I have nothing in particular against a treehouse. In fact I think living in a huge elaborate treehouse would be pretty cool but that is not what Tarzan's father built. He built a cabin coated it with several layers of clay that hardened to cement like hardness. Gave it an elaborate locking mechanism to keep the apes out.

10- Tarzan's real name is John Clayton!

Please, PLEASE for the love of God do not make the villain's name Clayton. Do not give the name Clayton to some other character who may or may not be the villain. John Clayton. Actually to be completely technical and nitpicky about it. The person narrating the book Tarzan of the Apes describes both Clayton and Greystoke as fictitious names – implying that, within the fictional world that Tarzan inhabits, he may have a different real name. But we can overlook that if you just make Tarzan's name John Clayton III, Viscount of Greystoke.

11- Jane is a blonde American!

There is no reason to make her anything else. Either a brunette or any other nationality. I mean why? A blonde American I would think is fairly easy to cast.

12- NO Chimpanzee comic relief.

The only animal companions that Tarzan had were,
Nkeema, a small monkey with a big ego who, while he could provide some comic relief quite often helped Tarzan.
Tantor, Tarzan's name for all elephants not any particular elephant, He was able to befriend any elephant he met because of his natural affinity to the jungle animals. he would often ride on Tantor's back if he didn't feel like traveling through the trees or if he needed some real muscle.
Jad-Bal-Ja, The golden lion. A lion that Tarzan raised form a cub and while he was Tarzan's friend and would obey him he was still a wild predator. Tarzan knew this and didn't try to push him too hard to do something too against his nature.

13- Tarzan was not a vine swinger.

That comes from the Weissmuller movies. Although it's not beyond the realm of possibility that once in a while he used a vine to swing from one tree to another, Tarzan's primary mode of travel was to jump from branch to branch through what Burroughs called the middle terrace of the canopy. He could in fact travel much faster that way than a man could on the ground. (Disney actually didn't do a bad job portraying this. I thought the sliding along the branches was pretty neat just way too overdone.)

14- Tarzan had Black hair. Not blonde, not brown not even dark brown but thick, jet black hair.

This may not seem like a big deal but it kind of is. How a character looks is important. Specially an iconic one like Tarzan. It gives him that dark browed, brooding stoic look that he is famous for.

Regarding looks he also has a scar on his forehead that he got in a fight with one of the big Gorillas. He kept it the rest of his life and it flames red when he is really angry.

15- Tarzan is immortal.

This is actually not really well known outside of diehard fans like me. he was given some kind of potion when he was a young man by a witch doctor that made him immortal.

Last but certainly not least, And I can't stress this strongly enough.

16- Tarzan is NOT your creation.

He was created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. He made him a certain kind of character. Gave him certain sensibilities and characteristics. DO NOT try and make him your own. Do not update him to try and give him depth or make him complicated. Do not try to turn him into some modern, ecology spouting, new age do gooder.

READ THE FREAKIN BOOK!! Everything you need to make a damn good Tarzan movie is in there if you'll just use it. There is a wealth of adventures. Twenty four volumes written by Burroughs. For the love of the character and the fans use them, don't change them or re-write them or modernize them. Just adapt them.

Thank you.

---

quote:

---

They whiffed on John Carter, please get Tarzan right dammit.

---

quote:

---

If not a gorilla would frick his world up.

---