Review of Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) by Scott S — 04 Oct 2008
Weissmuller does indeed inhabit the skin of his character. I may just be a sucker for an Olympic swimmer in a loincloth, but I enjoyed the first movie in what would become a 12-film series. Sure, it's not faithful to Burroughs.
It's a hammy bastardization with its own unique charm. Cheetah the monkey is a sweetie, and you gotta love all the animal fighting that goes on in these things. It would probably be illegal today (or accomplished via CGI), but in this movie, there are real stunt men fighting large, exotic animals.
Perhaps best of all is the buried sexual content: a man and a woman, living in the jungle, wearing very little... it's there, to be sure. The visual effects don't hold up well at times. It's hilarious that in the first act, all the African tribesmen they encounter are depicted via rearscreen photography.
And some of the electronic hippos and crocodiles don't fool anyone for a second. Plus, for our finale, we get elephants stampeding over screaming pygmies. Cheezy? Charming? Either way, I dig it.
This review of Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) was written by Scott S on 04 Oct 2008.
Tarzan the Ape Man has generally received positive reviews.
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