Customer Reviews

Tarzan and His Mate [VHS]

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This film is considered by many to be the finest of the Johnny Weissmuller MGM Tarzan movies. It's a crackling good adventure story that is a real roller coaster ride. The African jungle, considering the B&W photography and primitive special effects, is vividly portrayed as a savage place indeed. Wild animals abound: charging rhinos, stampeding elephants, lions with an attitude, and a tribe of fearsome great apes. An annoyance for Tarzan purists is the portrayal of Tarzan as a hulking brute that only speaks in halting, broken sentences. The character written of by Edgar Rice Burroughs is an intelligent white ape that is fluent in several languages, including native dialects and the animal "language" of the great apes. The Tarzan yell is overdone in this movie, too. Depending on the viewer's tolerance level, it may start to grate as chalk on a chalkboard, especially when Jane (Maureen O'Sullivan) gets in the act with her combination soprano Swiss yodel and the familiar "ape call." Again, ERB's Tarzan only gave this fierce victory cry as he stood bloodied and dirty over a vanquished foe, animal or otherwise. In personal combat, Tarzan reverts to his primitive self and truly becomes a denizen of the forest primeval.

This film stresses the marriage relationship of Tarzan and Jane more than subsequent entries in the Tarzan series. The sex is implied, of course, but one can easily infer that the jungle couple is not celibate. The costumes (especially Jane's) are very revealing for the time period in which the movie was made. There is a riveting "nude" swimming scene that is a wonderful erotic interlude. This segment had been censored for years, but is included in the restored version. The plot involves two wordly white men (including Jane's old friend) that show up to entice Jane away from Tarzan, and to desecrate the elephant graveyard for the valuable ivory. Tarzan takes a dim view of these unfriendly intentions. Lurking in the brush there are fierce savages that stalk the safari. Just when things can't get any worse, the natives openly attack the safari, kill the porters, murder the two white men stealing the ivory, and, as Jane is about to be devoured by lions, well, you get the idea. Before anyone dismisses this movie as a typically trite Tarzan movie, it's fair to mention this was only the second film in the MGM series and it set the pattern for much that followed. The fast pace of the story, the almost nonstop action, the sexual overtones, and the primitive setting all make this an entertaining jungle adventure film. Don't expect subtleties of plot and character development, and you will be pleased.

I bet when you were a little kid and you were watching all those great Johnny Weissmuller/ Maureen O'Sullivan Tarzan movies on TV, that you did not notice that in this one Jane swam nude under the water. I know I didn't notice stuff like that, but boy, my brother and daddy sure did. "Daddy, Jane don't have any clothes on," my brother told him. But I didn't know he said that until I was old and married and my mom told me.

Of all the Tarzan movies, the only ones I liked had Johnny Weissmuller in them. This one was my favorite, and my second favorite was Tarzan Finds a Son with Johnny Sheffield playing Boy.

I loved those groovy screams/yells they did. Johnny Weissmuller had his very own scream, which was copied by sound directors in all later Tarzan movies by other Tarzans. Maureen O'Sullivan was the only Jane who had a yell. Did you know she is Mia Farrow's mother? And Johnny Sheffield, Boy, had his own yell.

They had great films when I was a kid: Tarzan, Shirley Temple, Sherlock Holmes, Charlie Chan, Mr. Moto, just to name a few. And they had them on every year, certain times of the year. Tarzan was usually summer time Saturdays, Shirley Temple was in the winter, Charlie Chan in the spring, and Sherlock Holmes in the Fall. At least that's how it was in Texas.

I dearly loved all those Tarzan movies, the ones with Johnny and Maureen, but did not like the newer Tarzans. They were all so phony compared to Weissmuller.

This is a much recommended movie for the whole family to watch, even if Jane does swim naked. You gotta watch awful close to see it.

Weissmuller was the best of the loincloth-clad men of swinging valor and bravery. This admirable film is the ultimate testament to that. This is a good action and adventure tale. Erotic for its time this story has Tarzan swinging into action and ROMANCE. It contains discriminating effects and exquisite photography. Great supporting cast. The villains once again meet their match in this tense and absorbing drama as good overcomes evil jungle style.

This was shot in the days before the dead hand of the Hays code descended on the Hollywood studios and its most intriguing aspect is its adult theme .Tarzan and Jane are clearly living a life of sexual liberation ,and Jane ,once a member of polite society in London ,has discarded her inhibitions along with her clothing.She sleeps and swims in the nude and her walking around attire is not exactly voluminous.Likewise Tarzan sports a skimpier loincloth than would be the case in late movies.

It has quite a stromng plot too .Neal Hamilton and Paul Cavenaugh play two adventurers searching for the elephants graveyard and the fortune in ivory that would accrue from its discovery.The journey up the jungle is fraught with peril especially attacks from a tribe of cannibals and on arrival at Tarzan's lair they find him unwilling to lead them to the graveyard.

The latter part of the movie is about the conflict between the hunters and Tarzan and is lively and excitingly put together with a rousing climax as the party are besieged by a savage tribe and a pack of lions.

It is technically primitive by today's standards but still has power and pace .There are lots of fights with reptiles and animals , much swinging from the trees and even an early ecological message .

Enjoyable and made just before the series descended into the formulaic and routine

All things considered "Tarzan and His Mate" is probably the most entertaining Tarzan film in cinematic history. Of course, one of the things that we are considering here is the celebrated nude swim by Jane (Maureen O'Sullivan's stunt double as I understand it). Between Jane's skimpy jungle outfit and the clear sexual relationship she enjoys with Tarzan, this film bears the burden as much as any other for bringing the Hays Office into being. Ironically, today we would find Tarzan and Jane's version of jungle love to be relatively tame and it would be all the animals that were hurt making this film that would upset people.

This 1934 film is a sequel to Johnny Weismuller's first effort as the lord of the jungle in 1932's "Tarzan the Ape Man." A hunting expedition is moving through the African jungle, searching for the legendary burial ground of the elephants in the Mutia Escarpment. Explorer Harry Holt (Neil Hamilton) is serving as the guide for his friend, the British adventurer Marlin Arlington (Paul Cavanaugh). Arlington is after the ivory, but Holt wants to win back Jane and take her away from the jungle back to civilization.

Ultimately, what makes "Tarzan and His Mate" so interesting is that the film is more about Jane and her reasons for living in the jungle. This allows Jane to comment on the troubles of civilization, but her bigger argument is that she loves Tarzan and she knows he would never survive in the civilized world. Even the beautiful gown and phonograph music the visitors bring to her cannot tempt Jane, especially when Tarzan carries her away to spend the night in the trees (Note: Tarzan calls Jane his wife the next morning, suggesting they were married in between the two films; the couple were definitely married in the Edgar Rice Burroughs novels, but that, along with Tarzan's ability to speak English, French and several other languages fluently, was obviously jettisoned for these films).

The latter part of the film returns to the search for the elephant's graveyard during which Arlington goes out of his way to show the downside of "civilized" behavior. This is where the film becomes a more traditional Tarzan adventure as Jane has to be rescued from a variety of jungle animals and human predators. It is interesting to see how much raw violence there is in this film, mainly because it is directed mostly against animals rather than humans, therefore it ends up being more "realistic" than what we would expect. But ultimately "Tarzan and His Mate" stands out because the love story between Tarzan and Jane is much stronger now that they are a happy couple than when he was courting her the first time around.

Johnny Weissmuller was the king of movie Tarzans to the generation of the 30's who wore the loincloth for nearly 2 decades. In my opinion he's one of the best but the ultimate Tarzan is MIKE HENRY the last of the classic movie Tarzans in the late 60's though he only did 3 movies before not wanting the role any longer, only one of Henry's movies is really good, another fair, his last the weakest. THIS Weissmuller Tarzan movie is one of the only GREAT films in the whole run since the silent films up to the present! TONS OF ACTION to satisfy by today's standards. One of only two or 3 Weissmuller movies where Tarzan and Jane sport the more true to the books skimpy animal skins. In an age when seeing wild animals on theatre screens was thrilling, this movie SOCKS IT TO YOU! Weissmuller shows you why he was the lord of the jungle. If you're an adventure movie buff or like super heroes, you hav'nt seen it all without seeing this movie!

let me cut to the quick... easily the best tarzan movie ever made,the first fifteen minutes delivers as much fabulous over the top violence as you could wish for,arrows in the face,and giant crazy rock throwing gorillas are two highlights,naked Jane and an awesome rubber croc....if this movie was remade today,uncut,it would recieve an R rating,no problem. all in all top notch entertainment....where is the DVD?

This is without a doubt the greatest Tarzan movie ever made. Crackling with sexual energy, shocking violence and true "boy's own" adventure plotting, it cannot fail to please! compare this to Disney's version - this is the most fun for sure.

FIRST THOUGHTS: CEDRIC GIBBONS HAS WON 12 OSCARS & ABOUT 40 NOMINATIONS

I rather disregarded this film since seeing it in the late 1950s or early 60s. Now, seeing it today, remastered, restored and with all the deleted footage back in place, I found myself shocked. What a thrilling and wildly exciting modern film this was! And to think, it was released less than 2 years after the original King Kong.

-----> BUT NOT ALL IS PERFECT IN TARZAN'S UTOPIA <-----

Having extolled "Tarzan and His Mate's" virtues, I was equally shocked with how the native people were treated, in essence, with much less regard than wild animals. I'd like to think at least that has changed -- somewhat!

IN A NUTSHELL: BEFORE SUPERMAN WAS SAVING LOIS LANE, TARZAN WAS DOING WHAT NO MORTAL MAN COULD

That's right, Tarzan saved Jane from every form of disaster in literally every scene. He always seemed to be just a yodel away from Jane who very smoothly always yodelled back. Young kids get an incredible kick out of this form of communication and our youngest son [age 6] insisted we replay the yodelling sequences repeatedly, with him smiling and giggling each time as if he had never heard it before.

SPECIAL EFFECTS BLENDED BETWEEN REAL WILD ANIMALS AND SUITS, PUPPETS, & BLUE SCREENS: THANK YOU CEDRIC GIBBONS

Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan certainly distinguished himself as an incredible action hero in all his 12 Tarzan films for MGM. To do this without CGI, Weissmuller had to fight an eclectic array of wild animals, men in animal costumes, latex crocodiles, and 'Blue Screen Monsters' like rhinos, lions, lepards and snakes. This blend of special effect devices is so incredible that one literally can't tell where the real animal ends and the puppet, latex model, or blue screen begins in most cases. Cedric Gibbons was the man most responsible for the cinematic wonders and his 12 Oscars and about 40 nominations let us know that the man was a cinematic genius.

WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT: YES - YES - THERE IS A STORY TOO!

The plot is 'reel' simple. Greed has brought white men from 'civilization' back to the jungle in search of the elephant graveyard and a fortune in ivory. Tarzan, of course, realizes that this is wrong and the 'civilized' men, of course, are prepared to get rid of Tarzan in a civilized way -- with guns.

ALONG THE WAY: JANE [Maureen O'Sullivan]

One of these fortune hunters is Jane's former beau who has brought with him a rather ridiculous selection of provocative clothes to tempt Jane to come back with him to 'civilization'. Yes, we see Jane rather scantily clad and a nude swim [a body double is slickly substituted for O'Sullivan]. There is the implication of intercourse between Tarzan and Jane, and Jane has declared that they have been married for the last 2 years. Maureen O'Sullivan as Jane is a terrific addition to the Tarzan franchise and her featured role in this film clearly makes it the most compelling, though the most adult of the series as well.

Tarzan and His Mate is a typical installment in the Tarzan film collection in terms of story. Jane's former beau travels to the jungle with a new entourage in hopes of rediscovering the elephant graveyard and perhaps the lovely Jane. He finds her indeed as well as her new "husband" Tarzan. He also finds plenty of action; trouble with natives, animals, and later, with Tarzan.

This film shocked the censors of later years with its sexual content. Although it is bluntly stated that Jane and Tarzan consider themselves to be married, the scene where he whisks a glamoured-up Jane into the trees for a night of passion still raises eyebrows. On top of the provocative dialogue, there are scantily clad and topless natives, a scene where a man undresses completely, and an underwater nude scene. Maureen O'Sullivan did not do this scene; a body double did, but we still get an eye-full of the beautiful star due to her loose loincloth outfit.

The stars are very capable in this film. O'Sullivan in coy, smart, and helpless as Jane. Johnny Weissmuller is heroic, simple, and strong; he leaps through the trees with the ease of silent movie star Douglas Fairbanks. His character is a bit wooden, but he shows range even with scarce lines at the end of the film when he is reunited with Jane.

The action scenes are frequent but the use of blue screens and mannequins make them less thrilling. Also, the disregard for the lives of the natives is somewhat disturbing.