''Investigating Tarzan'' is a 1997

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

written and directed by Alain d 'Aix for InformAction Films to investigate the history and cultural impact of the character of

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

and the books and films in which the character was depicted.

Background

The documentary features interviews with Edgar Rice Burroughs' grandson Danton Burroughs, Tarzan film actors Denny Miller and

Gordon Scott Gordon Scott (born Gordon Merrill Werschkul; August 3, 1926 – April 30, 2007) was an American film and television actor known for his portrayal of the fictional character Tarzan in five films (and one compilation of three made-as-a ...

, ''Sheena'' film actors

Tanya Roberts Tanya Roberts (born Victoria Leigh Blum; October 15, 1949 – January 4, 2021) was an American actress. She played Julie Rogers in the final season of the television series ''Charlie's Angels'' (1980–1981), Stacey Sutton in the James Bond fi ...

and France Zobda, Johnny Weissmuller, Jr., primate-specializing actor Peter Elliott, and Edgar Rice Burroughs historian

Scott Tracy Griffin Scott Tracy Griffin is an American writer, actor and "one of the world's leading experts" on author Edgar Rice Burroughs and his works. He is the author of ''Tarzan: The Centennial Celebration,'' the "only official commemorative illustrated history ...

, and was filmed on location in

Tarzana, California Tarzana is a suburban neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Tarzana is on the site of a former ranch owned by author Edgar Rice Burroughs. It is named after Burroughs' fictional jungle hero, Tarzan. Histo ...

, at the 1996 'Dum Dum', an annual gathering of the Edgar Rice Burroughs' fan society 'The Burroughs Bibliophiles'. Aspects of the Tarzan mystique were discussed, including the racism inherent in ''Tarzan'' and other Burroughs novels.

Recognition

The Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington ...

'' wrote the film was a "surprisingly thorough survey of the history of Edgar Rice Burroughs' most famous creation," and shared that the film follows the character of Tarzan from his 1912 "birth" in the All-Story Magazine, to his 1918

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

debut, and through the character's "success in comic books and novels, on radio and television," expanding on how one of the keys to the early success of the Tarzan films was due stock footage in

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

's archives left from the 1929 filming of their 1931 film '' Trader Horn'' allowing access to "cheap jungle footage".

Awards and nominations

* 1997, Gémeaux Awards nomination for 'Meilleur documentaire d'auteur' * 1998, Won Bronze award at WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival * 1998, Gemini Award nomination for 'Best Performing Arts Program or Series, or Arts Documentary Program'

References

External links

* {{Tarzan 1997 films 1997 documentary films Canadian documentary films Documentary films about films Tarzan films English-language Canadian films 1990s English-language films 1990s Canadian films