schatz@bambi.UUCP (Bruce R. Schatz) (05/17/84)
was the original writer and director for "Greystroke". after winning a screenwriting Oscar for Chinatown, he started his dream project -- a realistic movie about Tarzan. after several scripts for other things, however, his first directorial effort, "Personal Best", ran into severe financial difficulty and he had to sell his stake in Greystoke to Hugh Hudson. Towne claimed he was directing PB as a tuneup to get ready for Greystroke. PB is a pretty good movie about women track athletes and almost the only one which was fairly realistic about their lives and training (although the sex was played up a bit). At roughly the same time, Hudson was directing a movie about men track athletes which was far less realistic although far more inspirational. it was called "Chariots of Fire" and took off at the box office after it won the Oscar for best picture. I wonder if the second half of Greystroke would have matched the first (with Rick Baker's apes) if Towne hadn't lost control.