When I was a kid watching these Tarzan flicks, there was one film, and this might be the one, that introduced the term 'juju' as something to be feared or forbidden. The word just captivated my imagination for some reason that I can't explain even today, but this movie brought it all back to mind. Funny how one's mind works.
Going back a half century or so when I was first introduced to Johnny Weissmuller's Tarzan movies, I can't remember today which ones I saw but this one seemed familiar. I instinctively knew what was going to happen next a number of times, an example being the elephant who came to Tarzan's aid in the steel cage and dunked him in the river to wake him up. One of the odder segments was that goofy looking flightless bird that looked like it stepped off the set of "Alice in Wonderland". I'm pretty sure I've seen it before in a picture like that but don't ask me to nail it down.
I wasn't surprised to see Tarzan take on a crocodile in the story, Weissmuller did it any number of times in his Jungle Jim flicks a little over a decade later. The thing is, it looked more real in this film than the rubberized versions used later on, so that was a head scratcher. However the Jungle Jim movies were done on a way cheaper budget, so that probably explains a lot.
As for the main story, I found it interesting that the expedition led by Captain Fry (John Buckler) traveled through all sorts of terrain to find Jane (Maureen O'Sullivan) and her Great White Ape companion. There were swamps, a desert, highlands and mountains in addition to your standard jungle setting, and the story offered a lot of clever contraptions Tarzan put together for his tree-house home. It was cool to see Cheetah on hand as well; his little interlude with the zebra added a nice comedic touch to the picture.
With only a handful of Weissmuller's Tarzan films viewed recently, this is probably the most romantic one involving the relationship between Tarzan and Jane. That scene that went to a fade when Jane released the water lily into the stream could have only meant one thing, and it was quite tastefully done. It makes you glad Jane decided to hang around the jungle when all was said and done, and made the picture one of the better Tarzan films, even with some of the other goofy stuff going on.
One last thought - Cheetah's laugh - it kills me every time I hear it.
Going back a half century or so when I was first introduced to Johnny Weissmuller's Tarzan movies, I can't remember today which ones I saw but this one seemed familiar. I instinctively knew what was going to happen next a number of times, an example being the elephant who came to Tarzan's aid in the steel cage and dunked him in the river to wake him up. One of the odder segments was that goofy looking flightless bird that looked like it stepped off the set of "Alice in Wonderland". I'm pretty sure I've seen it before in a picture like that but don't ask me to nail it down.
I wasn't surprised to see Tarzan take on a crocodile in the story, Weissmuller did it any number of times in his Jungle Jim flicks a little over a decade later. The thing is, it looked more real in this film than the rubberized versions used later on, so that was a head scratcher. However the Jungle Jim movies were done on a way cheaper budget, so that probably explains a lot.
As for the main story, I found it interesting that the expedition led by Captain Fry (John Buckler) traveled through all sorts of terrain to find Jane (Maureen O'Sullivan) and her Great White Ape companion. There were swamps, a desert, highlands and mountains in addition to your standard jungle setting, and the story offered a lot of clever contraptions Tarzan put together for his tree-house home. It was cool to see Cheetah on hand as well; his little interlude with the zebra added a nice comedic touch to the picture.
With only a handful of Weissmuller's Tarzan films viewed recently, this is probably the most romantic one involving the relationship between Tarzan and Jane. That scene that went to a fade when Jane released the water lily into the stream could have only meant one thing, and it was quite tastefully done. It makes you glad Jane decided to hang around the jungle when all was said and done, and made the picture one of the better Tarzan films, even with some of the other goofy stuff going on.
One last thought - Cheetah's laugh - it kills me every time I hear it.