Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) Reviews

• Grand daddy of all ape man movies is a rousing adventure and worth a viewing (especially if you want to see where all the jokes came from)

  dbborroughs2006-09-23

  Jane Parker goes into the jungle and meets the man of her dreams. A long running movie series is born. All kidding aside this is a really good adventure film of the sort that they don't make any more. The first of the MGM series, though not the first Tarzan movie, nor the only Tarzan film made during the same period (Edgar Rice Burroughs had deals with several producers) this is the film that broke box office records and spawned ten million "Me Tarzan, you Jane" jokes. The film was made to cash in the previous years Trader Horn, a jungle picture that MGM had produced. Wanting to feed a public that wanted more as well as to make use of the hours of location footage shot for that film. The ape man was the perfect choice. The plot has to do with Jane arriving in the jungle to see her father and then going of to find the elephant grave yard. Along the way is carried off by Tarzan and the rest is the movie. Its an exciting ride (especially if you forgive the creaky special effects and ape suits). A perfect film for a rainy afternoon

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• Tarzan is a hit in movies

  nnnn450891912007-01-30

  Johnny Weissmuller,the former Olympic champion in swimming,makes his debut as Tarzan.The movie spawned a lot of sequels and Weissmuller continued as Tarzan for 11 more films during the next 16 years. I had seen this early and somewhat primitive talkie a couple of years back and found it hard to sit through.I decided I'd give it another chance and was surprised at how much more I enjoyed it.Weissmuller is stunning, he fits the part excellent and looks amazing.There's screen charisma by the thousands.Maureen O' Sullivan as Jane really made the role her own.The African footage, shot during the making of "Trader Horn" is exciting and must have been worth the ticket on its own back in the thirties.There's some bad rear-projection used,but it doesn't spoil the movie if you don't let it bother you. So enjoy this entertaining film.

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• The one and only real Tarzan—Johnny Weissmuller!

  Nazi_Fighter_David2003-03-02

  Johnny Weissmuller, an Olympic swimmer, was billed as "the only man in Hollywood who is natural in the flesh and can act without clothes." Maureen O'Sullivan was chosen for his mate, and the film concentrated on romance and ignored Tarzan's origins... It was in this movie, that Tarzan becomes the unintelligible, but very sexy man-ape that most cinema-goers recognize... The famous phrase "Me Tarzan, You Jane' was never spoken, but the film did include Tarzan constantly pointing to himself and then to Jane, enunciating "Tarzan - Jane." It was in this film that Cheetah the chimpanzee made the debut... The film was an enormous success, and Weissmuller's simple native hero became the forerunner of many subsequent versions...

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• "I'm going to be a savage, just like you".

  classicsoncall2010-05-22

  When I hearken back to my days as a kid, I can count on three heroes during my personal golden age - Superman, The Lone Ranger, and... Tarzan! I remember seeing this film back in the day, as I recall the business about finding the elephant graveyard. "Tarzan the Ape Man" reinvigorated the franchise for the first time in the talkie era; I was actually surprised to learn that this picture came out in 1932. I mark progress in cinema to a large degree by the stunning achievements of 1933's "King Kong", so in some respect, this was an ambitious film in it's own right. At the time, Johnny Weissmuller held sixty seven world records in swimming, and five Olympic gold medals. For me, he's the definitive movie Tarzan, wisely chosen for his athletic physique contrasted to that of bodybuilder types that would arguably hold sway today. Even if not a great actor, there's a naturalness to his presence in this film one might expect from someone portraying a savage. Then there's Maureen O'Sullivan. That early scene when she first encountered her father (C. Aubrey Smith) was a bit strange, with a crying jag that went a bit over the top. There are more than a few pre-Code moments that command the viewer's attention, the first being that venture into soft porn territory when she removes her dress and washes her face. Her father rather wisely wished to excuse himself; you're just going to have to see it for yourself. By the way, the quote in my summary line was uttered by Jane Parker, but to her father, and not as you would expect, to Tarzan. What got me hooked as a Tarzan fan back in my youth was the presence of all the wild animals, though watching today, I realize that a lot of the apes were actually men in monkey suits. There's also the issue of geographical integrity that Weissmuller's alter ego, Jungle Jim, encountered in every picture I've seen of that franchise. In this picture, Tarzan's first battle with a jungle cat brought him into contact with a jaguar, not a leopard as most viewers would suspect. Jaguars are only found in South America, so thumbs down there for authenticity. Or maybe I'm just being nit-picky. But hey, how about that battle with the pygmy (dwarf?) natives? That was as surreal as it gets when it comes down to your standard jungle lore. That along with the knife in the eye of the gorilla brute made for some heavy action without requiring a vine swing. I'm not sure if younger viewers today can appreciate all the stuff going on here when everything produced today seems to go for all action all the time. With Tarzan, you get back to a primitive minimalism, with life and death at stake in hand to claw combat. I can just hear the gasps of 1930's era movie goers when Tarzan hit the big screen. Finally, I can't finish this review without mention of Cheeta. Can you believe Cheeta is still alive as I write this? Weissmuller and O'Sullivan are long gone, as are all the other principals from the film. I keep checking every so often since I learned of Cheeta's longevity, but as of right now, though retired, he's still in the swing of things. Addendum - NOTE*** Cheeta passed away on December 24th, 2011.

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• A great film, often eclipsed by its sequel.

  history_652001-02-08

  Of course, Tarzan and His Mate is by far the best film in the wonderful 1930s MGM series. But you shouldn't therefore overlook its forerunner, Tarzan the Ape Man. This is also a great movie and has some fantastic moments. In particular, get a load of the lighting and the way in which the jungle's well-defined shadows are cast across Tarzan's (equally well-defined!) torso. Also worth watching, of course, to discover what Tarzan really says, as he certainly DOESN'T ever say 'Me Tarzan, You Jane'. While Tarzan and His Mate is often cited for its sexy content, this movie is also pretty hot in places; a beautiful pre-code film, which is a must for any Tarzan fan to see.

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