Tarzan, the Ape Man

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Cast & Crew

Johnny Weissmuller
Tarzan

Maureen O'Sullivan
Jane Parker

C. Aubrey Smith
James Parker

Neil Hamilton
Harry Holt

Doris Lloyd
Mrs. Cutten

Forrester Harvey
Beamish

Ivory Williams
Riano

W. S. Van Dyke II
Director

Edgar Rice Burroughs
Writer (Novel)

Cyril Hume
Writer (Adaptation)

Ivor Novello
Writer (Dialogue)

Bernard H. Hyman
Producer

Irving Thalberg
Producer

George Richelavie
Original Music

Clyde De Vinna
Cinematographer

Harold Rosson
Cinematographer

Tom Held
Film Editor

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Critic Reviews for Tarzan the Ape Man

Audience Reviews for Tarzan the Ape Man

• May 01, 2016

  Meh. The original Tarzan has some historical appeal and watching it can be fun in a campy way, but it just didn't click with me, despite reminding me of the classic 'King Kong' in a few ways. The white man goes to the unknown, forbidden jungle in search of treasure. The natives jump around and dance to sacrificial rites. The explorers have no qualms about blowing things away with their guns, in this case, hippopotamuses, not dinosaurs. The young woman along for the adventure falls into the hands of a powerful being who can take care of her. Tarzan, like Kong, has to fight and kill other wild creatures that threaten them. They want to bring him back to civilization, but here is it where it diverges: Tarzan has the choice, and declines, and Jane has fallen in love with him, and wants to stay. Olympic champion Johnny Weissmuller was a great choice for Tarzan (my understanding is that Clark Gable was also considered ... yikes), and Maureen O'Sullivan has great chemistry with him, so what's the trouble? I ask myself, does the movie hold up? The worst of the scenes has the explorers very noticeably standing in front of stock footage of African tribesmen in the background. Ugh. The best has Tarzan battling a lion in what looks real, and we know it's not CGI. There are scenes that drag on, dashing through the jungle and bellowing his famous cry in places he could not possibly have done, such as when he's swimming, and O'Sullivan shrieking 'Tarzan' gets quickly jarring to the ears. There are other scenes that surprise us, like Jane falling off a cliff face shortly after a native has; the difference, she's on a rope, whereas his death is treated simply as property loss, with no recognition that he was a human being. We see the African porters whipped on more than one occasion to keep up. We cringe as we hear Jane trying to stop the others from shooting Tarzan by yelling "He's White!" The racism is certainly one of the film's problems, and is more than a little off-putting. The other is the plot, which isn't all that exciting, and I began looking forward to the movie ending about halfway through. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood. Maybe I would have preferred the sequel, where it sounds like the sex and violence was ratcheted up a notch. I don't know. Just, meh.
  Antonius B Super Reviewer
• Aug 31, 2008

  The best Tarzan ever features loads of vine-swinging, some water frolic-ing, and plenty of the big lug going up against the many animal dangers (he takes out two, count 'em, two lions, one after the other, and this while injured) Darkest Africa might present. In the middle there's a nice little interlude wherein Jane and he simply get to know one another. And all the action is framed by the infamous hunt for the legended elephant's graveyard. Sure, the piece is as racist as it could be (the main bad guys are Black Midgets, no political message there) and much of the tech is, well, old, but no one has surpassed the sheer adventure of this telling of Burrough's White-man-as-god thesis.
  Kevin M. W Super Reviewer
• Jan 15, 2008

  When I was a kid, I just couldn't stand the Tarzan movies. But as I watch them now, I have a new appreciation for them. Sure this movie is far from perfect, but it is still an entertaining watch.
  Ken D Super Reviewer

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