Greystroke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes is a 1984 adventure film directed by Hugh Hudson. The film opens when a man, the heir to the Earl of Greystroke (Ralph Richardson), and his pregnant wife, Lady Alice Clayton (Cheryl Campbell), are stranded in a remote region of Africa following a shipwreck. Lady Alice gives birth to a son, but dies during the process. Earl Greystroke dies soon after in an altercation with apes, during which a young ape is killed as well. The mother of the young ape adopts the orphaned human child that comes to be known as Tarzan (Christopher Lambert). Tarzan grows to maturity amongst the apes, slowly becoming aware of the differences between himself and his adopted family. He eventually becomes the dominant male and is one day discovered by a French explorer (Ian Holm) and convinced to return to Great Britain. However, Tarzan does not realize the difficulties and heartbreak that he will experience in civilized society.moreless