Tarzan the Ape Man

Tarzan the Ape Man

22/3/1932 1h 40m 6.6/10

Overview

James Parker and Harry Holt are on an expedition in Africa in search of the elephant burial grounds that will provide enough ivory to make them rich. Parker's beautiful daughter Jane arrives unexpectedly to join them. Jane is terrified when Tarzan and his ape friends abduct her, but when she returns to her father's expedition she has second thoughts about leaving Tarzan.

Director

W.S. Van Dyke

Top Billed Cast

Forrester Harvey

Forrester Harvey

Beamish

Maureen O'Sullivan

Maureen O'Sullivan

Jane Parker

Johnny Weissmüller

Johnny Weissmüller

Tarzan

Neil Hamilton

Neil Hamilton

Harry Holt

Doris Lloyd

Doris Lloyd

Mrs. Cutten

C. Aubrey Smith

C. Aubrey Smith

James Parker

Reviews

CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

6/13/2022

7/10

By my reckoning, it takes around twenty-three minutes before our intrepid explorers C. Aubrey Smith ("Parker") and his on-screen daughter "Jane" (Maureen O'Sullivan) hear the jungle call of vine-swinging Johnny Weissmuller and the pace of this treasure hunt really starts to get going. Our travellers, alongside Neil Hamilton ("Holt") are in search of the legendary elephant's graveyard - riches beyond the dreams of avarice. Of course this journey through the hitherto unknown wilderness is perilous: lots of treacherous rivers, mountains and beasties - oh yes, lots and lots of hungry beauties. Much of the imagery is back shot (or stock footage) which isn't great, but there is still quite bit of chemistry once the agile and handsome "Tarzan" comes to the screen and kidnaps/rescued (depending on your point of view) the beautiful "Jane" and the stuff of cinema legend is established. The quality of the production struggles a bit 90-odd years later, but the story is a characterful boy meets girl affair with plenty of action, noise and a good bit of loin-cloth clad romance. I imagine that at the time, this may have been the first exposure many people would have had to a jungle scenario and it must have been quite exciting to watch... There are plot holes a-plenty, but I'd suggest that you don't judge it by modern standards (though I'd say it is still better than any of the 1981, 1984 or 2016 iterations). It's a fun adventure story that is there to be enjoyed on face value.

Similar Movies

Along Came a Spider

6.3

Along Came a Spider

2001

The Forbidden Kingdom

6.6

The Forbidden Kingdom

2008

The Dirty Dozen

7.6

The Dirty Dozen

1967

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

7.2

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

1998

The 13th Warrior

6.7

The 13th Warrior

1999

Escape from the Planet of the Apes

6.4

Escape from the Planet of the Apes

1971

King Kong vs. Godzilla

6.9

King Kong vs. Godzilla

1962

The Most Dangerous Game

6.9

The Most Dangerous Game

1932

To End All Wars

6.4

To End All Wars

2001

Tabu: A Story of the South Seas

7.1

Tabu: A Story of the South Seas

1931