Customer Reviews

AMC: Tarzan of the Apes: Collection

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

As has been noted, some of these prints aren't the greatest, but I've obtained the same ones from multiple other sources and I can tell you that this is as good as it gets for these particular films. And someone else mentioned that they are NOT in color and that is exactly correct. These are all Black-and-White films.

The older COLOR Tarzan films of the '60s are NOT yet available either on VHS tape or DVD. I hope they become available soon -- they include:

Tarzan Goes to India, (Jock Mahoney, 1962)

Tarzan's Three Challenges, (Jock Mahoney, 1963)

Tarzan and the Valley of Gold, (Mike Henry, 1966)

Tarzan and the Great River, (Mike Henry, 1967)

Tarzan and the Jungle Boy, (Mike Henry, 1968)

There was also the superb Tarzan TV series (NBC, '66-'68) starring Ron Ely and that is not yet available either.

At least three, (and probably all), of these Black-and-White films in this package are movies which are now in the public domain, meaning that anyone can copy and sell them -- that is why this "5-pack" is being sold so cheaply. There are four different Tarzans involved here, (on the actual film credits in "Tarzan and the Green Goddess," Herman Brix is listed as playing Tarzan... but he later changed his name to Bruce Bennett).

I enjoy all these old Tarzan films but, unlike the other reviewers, my expectations were not violated -- I knew exactly what I was buying in advance of receiving this package. The five films are on two separate DVDs, nicely packaged.

In any case, here's the list of the movies:

1. Tarzan the Fearless, (1933, Buster Crabbe)

2. The New Adventures of Tarzan, (1935, Bruce Bennett)

3. Tarzan and the Green Goddess, (1938, Bruce Bennett, aka Herman Brix)

4. Tarzan's Revenge, (1938, Glenn Morris)

5. Tarzan and the Trappers, (1958, Gordon Scott)

What can I say? If you're a fan of the older Tarzan movies, you'll probably love this set.

UPDATE, 3/30/11... The Jock Mahoney color Tarzan films are now available on DVD and they're really great:

Tarzan Goes To India (1962)

Tarzan's Three Challenges (1963)

When I was a young man, I liked to see Tarzan in the movie. I think it was Less Barker, who played Tarzan. He was the right Tarzan for me. Unfortunately he is not on this DVD. But Gordon Scott, who followed, is on

one movie. He is ok. The other Tarzans on this DVD are before my time.

Unfortunately is this DVD in black and white and I misordered 2. I hope to

find some in colour from 1960-1970.Best regards from Birger Lundsfryd, Denmark.

Five films for ten dollars, and people are whining about the quality? Of course these films will be lower quality--they are being released NOT by the studios that own the original prints and/or negatives, but by AMC cable network, which has had to make do with whatever they have been able to lay their hands on...

These are Tarzan flicks, not high art. With the exception of the Herman Brix serial (New Adventures of Tarzan) and the feature film that was cobbled together from that same serial (Tarzan and the Green Goddess), these are all post-Weissmuller Tarzans (Edgar Rice Burroughs managed to hold on to some of the film rights to Tarzan as a character, and he was directly responsible for the Brix serial, made specifically to show Tarzan as he appeared in the novels rather than as the grunting savage played by Johnny Weissmuller).

Tarzan flicks, like Godzilla flicks, are cool just because they're silly. Without exception, these films were ALL much better back when we were seven years old; the movies didn't get worse, we just got older and started expecting more complex and more realistic movies.

It's unlikely that there will be a better quality repackaging of these titles in multi-film format anytime soon, and the movies that have hit the public domain will probably never be remastered in high definition from pristine prints. Therefore, if you like cheesy Tarzan films (and I do, but there's only so many I can watch at one sitting), you really can't beat the price. Just don't expect them to look good on a 60" HDTV screen.

"AMC: Tarzan of the Apes: Collection" is an interesting 2-disc edition of non-Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan films (primarily from the 1930s), but be aware, these are non-restored (Public Domain) features, so the visual and sound quality is frequently poor, and the films have occasional breaks that affect the continuity (due, I suspect, from being serials re-edited as features).

Disc 1:
"Tarzan the Fearless" (1933), is most famous as Olympian Larry (Buster) Crabbe's only appearance in the role, 3 years before he'd achieve immortality as Flash Gordon. The 1932 Olympic 400-meter freestyle champion (who'd been a teammate of Weissmuller in 1928), had tested for Tarzan at MGM, was rejected, then appeared in the Paramount rip-off "King of the Jungle", as Kaspa the Lion Man, before Sol Lesser, beginning a twenty-five-year involvement with Tarzan, hired him for this micro-budget indie film (also released in serial format). Clad in a really skimpy leopard skin, uttering less than a dozen coherent words, Crabbe occasionally appears more unbalanced than primitive! On the 'plus' side, Jaqueline Wells is attractive (and even has a soft-focus nude swim), and Crabbe frequently does some amazing vaulting leaps to catch vines (he'd have made a pretty respectable Superman!) (Two stars).

"The New Adventures of Tarzan" (1935), introduced another Olympian, 1928 shot-putter Herman Brix (who'd achieve success after changing his name to Bruce Bennett). The only time Tarzan author Edgar Rice Burroughs would take a 'Producer' credit, this feature and it's sequel (both culled from serials), were unique as the only sound features to actually portray the Tarzan of the novels, until 1959; a sophisticated British lord who, while raised by apes, could speak full sentences, and look hot in a dinner jacket! And Bennett, after a shaky start, truly does a very respectable turn as the Ape Man; intelligent, yet capable of brute force. But the films were textbook examples of filmmaking horror stories. Shot in Guatemala on a shoestring budget, there were language problems, equipment problems, weather problems, script problems, you name it! When stock footage of lions, rhinos, and African elephants appear in Central America, you know the cash has run out. And the version in this DVD ends abruptly, leaving, I'd guess, about ten minutes out! Weighing Bennett's three-star performance against this one-star version, this film barely gets two stars.

While you'd think the logical last film on the disc would be the sequel, "Tarzan and the Green Goddess", instead we cut from Bruce Bennett in a treetop to Gordon Scott in a treetop!

"Tarzan and the Trappers" (1958), Sol Lesser's last 'Tarzan' feature, is actually two episodes of an unsold B&W TV series stuck together, starring the then-current Tarzan, brawny Gordon Scott. Scott, who replaced Lex Barker in the loincloth in 1955, had caught the tail end of the Lesser Tarzan franchise, in a series of poorly-made, low-budget jungle features, but in addition to his Herculean physique, he was very likable, making up for a lack of acting skills with genuine screen presence. While this cheaply-made production (co-starring Eve Brent as a blonde, forgettable Jane, and Rickie Sorensen as an equally forgettable Boy) looked like the end of the line, new producer Sy Weintraub would bring Gordon back for his debut, "Tarzan's Greatest Adventure", in 1959...and the film, and Gordon, would be so good that many would consider him the definitive Ape Man! So while you're watching this stock footage-heavy yawner, remember that much, much better things were only a year away... (One star).

Disc 2:

"Tarzan and the Green Goddess" (1938), the sequel of "The New Adventures of Tarzan", will seem a bit confusing, at first, because of the missing minutes in Part One...but stick with it...it will get even MORE confusing! Who has the Goddess statue? Who has the notes to 'read' the secret explosives formula inside the statue? Where has Tarzan's chimp disappeared to? And where did all those African animals come from? No answers, here! But Bruce Bennett certainly displays why he had a decades-long film career; he's a terrific actor! (Two stars).

"Tarzan's Revenge" (1938): The sole "Tarzan" outing of TWO Olympians, Glenn Morris (1936 decathlon champion) and Eleanor Holm (1932 100-meter backstroke champion) would not only end their acting careers, but also any more Tarzan features competing against MGM, until Metro sold the franchise to Sol Lesser Productions, after "Tarzan's New York Adventure", in 1942. Lesser also produced this feature, released by 20th Century Fox, and it has better production values, better co-stars (George Barbier, C. Henry Gordon, Hedda Hopper, and Joe Sawyer), and three-quarters of a decent script (until the silly Busby Berkeley-knock-off production number at Gordon's jungle palace). The film's problem was, simply, Morris and Holm. Morris' Tarzan lacked any 'fire', in possibly the most wooden Ape Man portrayal, ever. Holm, on the other hand, looked good and had fire...but she also had a New York accent you could cut with a knife! Who could believe she was Barbier and Hopper's daughter? Even scenes displaying her amazing backstroke and his many athletic skills would end with audience giggles, when she opened her mouth. The film was a disaster...and in the version on this DVD, poor sound quality only magnifies the problem...(1 1/2 stars).

I don't pan this collection, because I'm a Tarzan fan, and these are important titles for a comprehensive look at the history of the Jungle Lord. But if you want to see the best of series (at least until 1959), stick with the Weissmuller Classics!

THIS PRODUCT WAS AS ADVERTISED AND FULFILLED MY EXPECTATIONS. I RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT AND WOULD BUY IT AGAIN IF NEEDED. AGAIN THIS PRODUCT IS RECOMMENDED BY THIS REVIEWER.

I'm rating this product based on the quality of the DVD transfer. I own multiple copies of these movies from several distributors and have always been disappointed in the quality. These are obviously older films so I don't expect high definition or even standard definition, this however is, by far, the best DVD print I have found for these movies. I was particularly happy with the copy of "The New Adventures of Tarzan". It actually verged on being "sharp" for a movie/serial made in 1935. One reviewer stated this set was "as good as it gets" as far as print quality, and he's right! I was even happy with the handsome packaging and bonus features, although minimal. AMC seems to always put out a good quality product... Thank you, AMC for raising the bar for quality on bargain DVD's!

I'm a Gordon Scott fan, his Tarzan's were the ones I remember from my childhood. I thought he was the 'ideal' Tarzan, but unfortunately they don't have his good color versions available on Amazon. The funny thing is that the famous Tarzan yell is Weismuller, not any of those after him. I do think his Jungle Jim movies were good, but again, if you want good Tarzan you need to find "Tarzan's' Big Adventure" with Gordon Scott.

I used to watch old movies on WSB-TV's Armchair Playhouse after church on Sundays. Old Tarzan movies were regularly shown and these are some of the better ones. Cheetah, Boy, and lots of action are featured.

this item is NOT in color! there is only one movie with Gordon Scott in it. The picture and sound quality are horrendous! I am truely disappointed. Looking forward to watching some good tarzan movies and finding the whole experience very disappointing. Im glad i didnt send this movie to my brother for a Christmas Gift.

AMC should be ashamed! "Tarzan's Revenge" has such a poor sound quality that I could not watch the entire movie. "Tarzan and the Green Goddess" has had vital scenes deleted, and "The New Adventures of Tarzan" contains extra minutes of footage which ruin the continuity of the story. I've been watching Tarzan for over 45 years, and these are not even the same versions which were shown on AMC's Tarzan Marathon. I am extremely disappointed.