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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Cheetah find Boy. Give Boy to Tarzan. Jane say keep Boy., November 20, 2002
This review is from: Tarzan Finds a Son [VHS] (VHS Tape)
It was not until I actually started working my way chronologically through the Tarzan novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs that I discovered Tarzan and Jane did not find their son in a wrecked airplane. The novel "The Son of Tarzan" was actually made into a fairly faithful silent film in 1920, but Johnny Weissmuller's Tarzan is not going to father Korak the Killer in this 1939 effort. This begs the question "Why?" Is it because women would faint at the idea of Maureen Sullivan's Jane giving birth in the jungle, no doubt with Cheetah as the mid-wife? Or would it be because pregnancy results from sex and the Hays Office would have a conniption over the implied jungle love? Then again, it might just be that the theme of the purity of the jungle versus the sins of civilization play up better with this film's storyline. The plot is pretty simplistic. A plane crashes in the jungle and a baby is the only survivor. Cheetah brings the infant to Tarzan and Jane. Of course, Jane insists they will raise it as their own and acquiesces to the idea of calling the baby boy "Boy" (we can only wonder what would happen if the couple were to come across a second male child in terms of names). Boy (Johnny Shefield) is happy in his jungle home when suddenly a saffair made up of his parents' relatives arrives up the scene to begin a custody dispute, jungle style, which means involving a LOT of elephants. The bottom line is that "Tarzan Finds a Son!" is the second best of the Weismuller Tarzan films, behind 1934's "Tarzan and His Mate," bringing out a paternal streak in the Lord of the Jungle that becomes him. The chemistry between the trio (okay, the quartet when you include Cheetah), makes this film work despite the limited vocabulary Weismuller's Tarzan has to work with in this series. Not to mention Boy has a pretty good variation of the Tarzan yell going for him. Of course, if you see this one be sure to check out "Tarzan's New York Adventure," where Boy is kidnapped by an evil circus promoter and taken to New York City where Tarzan and Jane follow to rescue him.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rousing Jungle adventure yarn, April 29, 2002
This review is from: Tarzan Finds a Son [VHS] (VHS Tape)
I only saw this installment in the terrific MGM Tarzan series for the first time recently and must admit I was impressed. I feel this story further developed the storyline of Tarzan and Jane living the good life in the jungle. This installment certainly added extra dimension to both of their characters with Tarzan displaying paternal emotions for the character of Boy and Jane being revealed as not always making the right choice and having a disagreement with Tarzan that causes a rupture, however temporary, in their relationship. By the time this installment was released in 1939 (it was the fourth in the Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan films) technology had developed considerly from the first film (Tarzan the Ape Man) in the early 30's which today seems abit primitive. In this film , apart from a few very fake vine swings , the special effects are wonderfully handled and show a real refinement.The underwater sequences are superbly handled and where actually filmed by the actors themselves. The film really has everthing from wild animals to rampaging tribes of natives, plane crashes etc. Everthing to make this film an exciting adventure story and one of the very best in the MGM Tarzan series The stories main feature is of course the introduction of Johnny Sheffield as Boy, a character that remained in the rest of the Tarzan features. I wont relate the plot line of Boy's introduction into the story as other reviewers have already covered that but to say that Johhny Weissmuller personally picked young Sheffield for the role and their on screen chemistry is wonderful. I feel Boy's introduction adds a logical development to the Tarzan character and from now on the king of the jungle had a family in the true sense of the word. No Tarzan film would be complete without its quota of villians and "Tarzan finds a Son" has a very exceptional list of fine character actors as supporting performers. The great Henry Stephenson appears fresh from his great performance in the previous years MGM classic "Marie Antoniette" as Boy's long lost great Uncle looking for the possible survivors of the earlier plane crash. Another great performer is Cecil B. DeMille regular Henry Wilcoxon who plays one of the white explorers. Both add a real prestige element to this film. I think "Tarzan finds a Son" is a terrific piece of entertainment and one of the best in the MGM series. At this point the series was still alive and fresh and the expert direction by Richard Thorpe really keeps the action moving along. Enjoy!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very delightful movie - that raises religious questions, April 26, 2011
This review is from: Tarzan Finds a Son [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This is the fourth of six Tarzan films that Johnny Weissmuller, Tarzan, made with Maureen O'Sullivan, Jane, at a time when O'Sullivan was pregnant and beginning to show her first born, but the filmmakers hid the growth well. Tarzan and Jane are living in the jungle together unwed, without standing in front of clergy, or having their wedding sanctified. This is by no means a brutish jungle-type union, because sex was how people consummated a marriage even in the Bible, as mentioned in Deuteronomy 24:1, "When a man takes a wife and marries her." It was only in post-biblical times that Judaism recognized that marriages could be achieved by the man giving his bride an object, such as a ring, or by a contract, as a wedding certificate. But Judaism never required the presence of clergy; it was optional. Later, the Roman Catholic Church considered marriage a sacrament.
Tarzan and Jane find a child in the jungle, the only survivor of a plane crash, adopt him, and being somewhat language disabled, Tarzan insists on calling the lad "Boy." This adoption too was done without civic approval and certification. Again, adoption was also informal in past ages, people who wanted to live together, simply did so. Thus in the biblical book Esther 2:7, where the Hebrew uses the word omein, referring to Mordechai's relationship with Esther, which means "adopt" in modern Hebrew, the English is "brought up," since the concept of adoption did not exist in biblical times.
The action in the film takes place five years later when a close family relationship exists between the jungle trio. Two men and a woman, relations of Boy and his dead parents, come searching for them because they had inherited over a million dollars, a considerable sum in 1939, when the film was made. Two of them hope that they can prove that the family is dead so that they can obtain the money; the third is honest. Tarzan is adamant that Boy will not leave him, but Jane feels that it is better for Boy's future if he would be brought up in civilization in a very wealthy home.
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