Hugh Hudson
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All of it's wasted, really, on another run-of-the-mill slapstick cartoon that, after a marvellous hallucination culminating with a hippo dressed as the Statue of Liberty, becomes a procession of the usual pop-smart references to stuff like Cast Away , Planet of the Apes, The Mission, Chariots of Fire, "Hawaii Five-O", and that "To Serve Man" episode of "The Twilight Zone".
For all the grown-up caregivers who are sitting in the theater, however -- the ones for whom, presumably, all the hipper-than-thou references to HMOs, Tom Wolfe, "Planet of the Apes," "Chariots of Fire" and Washoe the sign-language-using chimp are meant -- it would be nice if the movie didn't insult our intelligence by withholding a real ending in favor of one that, in more ways than one, merely runs out of gas.
A screwball adventure about four animals who escape from their supposedly cushy captivity of the Central Park Zoo and eventually end up lost in the wild, "Madagascar" has good energy, fairly steady chuckles for kids (fart jokes and spit-takes galore), and a few out-loud laughs for adults, mostly stemming from hilarious homages to movies from "Chariots of Fire" to "American Beauty" to "Planet of the Apes."
In short, Madagascar is a violent place kids at the screening I attended were crying and the filmmakers (Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath) layer in lackluster nods to Chariots of Fire, Castaway, and Planet of the Apes that didnt make them laugh.
The plot in "Madagascar," however, is frequently interrupted (or all but overwhelmed) by the gags; halfway through the film's brisk 80 minutes the screenwriters still haven't established where the movie is heading, although they have squeezed in references to Tom Wolfe, "Chariots of Fire," "Saturday Night Fever," "Hawaii Five-O," "Cast Away," "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and one of Earth, Wind and Fire's greatest hits.
If we're not suffering poo-flinging or butt-biting, we get the theme songs from Chariots of Fire and "Hawaii Five-O."
Tarzan (1999)
Directed by Chris Buck
influenced by Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)
Some 20 movies, starting with the 1918 silent (with Elmo Lincoln in the title role) and going on to the Johnny Weissmuller/Maureen O'Sullivan classics (the first of which, Tarzan the Ape Man, came out in '32), the 1981 Miles O'Keeffe/Bo Derek remake, Hugh Hudson's 1984 Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (with Christopher Lambert and Andie MacDowell), and last year's Tarzan and the Lost City (with Casper Van Dien and Jane March).
The actress earlier performed voice-over work for 1984's live-action Greystoke: the Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, kindly agreeing to re-dub all of Andie MacDowell's lines; MacDowell, forever a cartoon in her own lame way, was so typically mush-mouthed in her turn as Jane that the sound engineers could not understand her.
Kala (Glenn Close, who dubbed Andie MacDowell in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes), a mother gorilla whose new child was similarly devoured, discovers Tarzan squirming in his cradle and adopts him instantly, though husband Kerchak (Lance Henriksen) refuses to regard the boy as a son based solely on his human countenance.
Tarzan the Ape Man (1932)
Directed by W.S. Van Dyke
influenced Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)
Over the coming weeks, we'll be covering seven of Warner's Tarzan titles, the first six of which (Tarzan the Ape Man, Tarzan and His Mate, Tarzan Escapes, Tarzan Finds a Son!, Tarzan's Secret Treasure, Tarzan's New York Adventure) are available only as a package deal known as "The Tarzan Collection," whose supplementary material we'll cover in conjunction with Tarzan's New York Adventure.…
As with the original film, Greek composer Vangelis is the real star here—his keening keyboard themes have been acid-washed by today’s re-scorers, Benjamin Wallfisch and Hans Zimmer, yet the Chariots of Fire wizard’s aural signature echoes through these urban canyons like a welcoming beacon.
He launches into a Jack-Blackian set-piece in a DVD store, amusing Iris by humming famous themes—Jaws, Gone with the Wind, Chariots of Fire—and so providing suitable diversion from the still hanging-around Jasper (he’s called to ask her help in editing his manuscript, claiming that he needs “some Iris").
There's an homage to Chariots of Fire which felt like a forced gag.
Running through rhythmic calisthenics and Olympic-level tongue twisters ("I'm a thistle sifter"), Rush and Firth might as well be Ian Holm and Ben Cross in Chariots of Fire.
At times, Desmond seems like a GI version of Eric Liddell, the runner in Chariots Of Fire who still manages to win a gold medal in spite of refusing to run on Sundays.
The Legend of Tarzan (2016)
Directed by David Yates
influenced by Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984), Chariots of Fire (1981)
Characters Themes
The most financially successful modern take on the tale remains Disney's animated 1999 Tarzan, the most serious has been Hugh Hudson's stately Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes in 1984, and the most ridiculous was unquestionably John Derek's 1981 Tarzan, the Ape Man, in which the director was far more interested in photographing his wife, Bo, in multiple stages of undress than in training his lenses on the title character.
My habit extended to the filmic versions, including all 12 Johnny Weissmuller yarns, most of the Gordon Scotts and Lex Barkers, the TV series starring Ron Ely, and 1984's intelligent and handsomely mounted Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes.
It was entitled Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, and that was handled by Oscar nominee Hugh Hudson of Chariots of Fire fame.
As we watch the figure we will come to know as Private Tommy (Fionn Whitehead) a grand cinematic language is invoked with all the strength of a visual blast: the iconic closing scene of François Truffaut’s 400 Blows and the stunning running montages of Chariots of Fire; but here Tommy is running into limbo.
Near the end of a second viewing, I was struck with a comparison to Chariots of Fire, of all things.
Tarzan the Ape Man (1981)
Directed by John Derek
influenced Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)
Edgar Rice Burroughs' jungle swinger has been brought to the screen on nearly 100 separate occasions, including Elmo Lincoln's big-screen christening of the role in the silent era, Johnny Weismuller's popular portrayal in 12 movies during the 1930s and '40s, Ron Ely's run on the '60s TV show and Miles O'Keeffe's attempt in the unspeakably awful Tarzan, the Ape Man, starring Bo Derek as the virginal, banana-nibbling Jane.
Moore's story addresses only a few key theories, including the possible involvement of Queen Victoria's grandson, Prince Albert, and the queen's personal physician, William Gull -- the latter masterfully portrayed by veteran actor Ian Holm ("The Madness of King George," "Chariots of Fire").
And you know what you want to see in a “Top Gun” movie: hazy sunrises and sunsets; the opening soundtrack that was originally stolen from “Chariots of Fire,” the one with the church bell added in; Micky-mouse-eared deck hands doing ritualistic cat-shot-prep dance moves; warplanes screaming off carrier decks; deafening jet engines; pilots carousing in bars; Maverick motorcycling; beach volleyball; arrogant stick jockeys; flat spins; and of course, dogfight mayhem in the skies.
The film tries to demand viewers treat this tale with all the sentimental regard they might Chariots of Fire .
Eddie isn't anywhere near, say, Chariots of Fire or the sadly forgotten (and totally great) '90s golf comedy Tin Cup when it comes to great sports movies about how being true to yourself is more important than winning.
The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun (2021)
Directed by Wes Anderson
influenced by Chariots of Fire (1981)
To take an integral element of every frame, consider the work of seventy-five-year-old costume designer Milena Canonero, who has shelved four Oscars (“Barry Lyndon,” “Chariots of Fire,” “Marie Antoinette,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel”) from nine nominations.