Tarzan, the Ape Man

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David K There are so many Tarzan movies out there, but this one is close to being the definitive, must-see entry. The first one. I had seen this one long ago but many others in the interim. Coming back to this one as part of TCM's April 2025 Spotlight on films based on pulp fiction novels, I was reminded how good it was, not the tired entries of later years. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/12/25 Full Review Audience Member This film introduced the chimpanzee Chetah and provided the first yodel yell. This was the first to introduce Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review dave s Many an hour was spent on Sunday mornings when I was a kid watching Tarzan movies on TV, so from a nostalgia perspective, Tarzan, the Ape Man is great. Unfortunately, the movie itself isn't all that great. It takes what seems like an interminable amount of time to get Tarzan involved in the action and once he arrives, it becomes a repetitive cycle of Tarzan leisurely kibitzing with Jane followed by a fight with a threatening animal, usually a lion, equipped with nothing but a knife and his good looks. Most scenes drag on much longer than they have to and many of the scenes that incorporate rear-screen projection are downright embarrassing. And the pygmies have to be seen to be believed, especially the one that gets tossed by the elephant. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member The best. Still amazingly exciting. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review jordan m I'm on the fence about the first half of the movie, as one can reasonably expect a very long prologue when the likely intention from the outset was a series of movies after a well-told origin story, but the pace was absolutely languid at the exact same time as the dialogue was positively SPRINTED through - I couldn't make out what Jane said to her dad any more than I could understand the tribesmen in their foreign language. They were talking far too fast for people who weren't in any hurry to do anything. That said, as soon as Tarzan starts fighting big cats, particularly one after another, seeing that in a 1932 movie just blew me away - I'm truly baffled as to how they pulled it off. A lot of the monkey suitwork and the costumes for them were very convincing as well, truly impressive coming a year before King Kong. They did a good job highlighting the acting prowess of Jane and of developing the character of Tarzan through how gently he comes to treat her. They did waste running time on scenes that should likely have been cut shorter, like the slow trek of the elephants carrying them at the end and the lengthy swimming scene with Jane. At the same time, they did a superb job splicing in different camera angles of the jungle cat fights. The first 30 minutes are definitely skippable, but otherwise an excellent watch. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member The best thrilling movie ever made! With the best movie character ever portrayed: Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan! And the best movie quote ever spoken: "Jane. Tarzan. Jane. Tarzan." Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Tarzan, the Ape Man

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