tarzan, the ape man is a 1981 adventure film directed by john derek and starring bo derek, miles o'keeffe, richard harris, and john phillip law. the screenplay by tom rowe and gary goddard is loosely based on the novel "tarzan of the apes" by edgar rice burroughs, but from the point of view of jane parker. it is the final of three filmed versions of the story released by metro-goldwyn-mayer.