Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

Nessieldwi Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

quridley The film still has a lot of charm and strength after all these years. While sort of clumsily directed from a thin but intriguing plot, the film is visually wonderful, ambitious in scope and has a magnetic performance from Johnny Weissmuller. He gives Tarzan so much depth and realistic psychology. Its fascinating to watch an actor fit a charismatic and complex role. This performance reminded me of James Dean and Heath Ledger's strange screen power. Johnny uplifts the film but its solid on its own. Very romantic and thrilling even today, even if its a bit childish and undercooked. You couldn't have Chris Reeves as Superman without this film and you wouldn't have superhero films as we know them without Superman: The Movie. "The Ape Man" is a pioneering classic in its genre.

Hitchcoc I guess except for Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan is the the character that has had the most movies made about him. He was a bit of a staple in silent films but now was ready for the next incarnation. Johnny Weissmuller, Olympic swimming medalist, was given the role and no other Tarzan ever came close. Maureen O'Sullivan plays Jane Parker who is destined to be his mate. She is there with the evil hunters who care nothing about the natives or the animals. They want to find the elephants' graveyard and carry off the ivory. Through infighting there is eventually death and betrayal. Tarzan is the new man, uncluttered by society and practical to a fault. In his world, he is the master. He talks to animals and depends on them to help out of rough spots. The second movie is superior, but this has all the elements, including the first time Tarzan does his yell.

atlasmb It might be difficult to imagine what audiences who saw this film in 1932 thought of it. Cinema's state of the art at that time was so different than today's. We can count on the fact that many viewers had read Edgar Rice Burrough's accounts of Tarzan and were measuring the film against their expectations based upon reading the imaginative stories.When this film was released, fourteen Tarzan books had already been published and the series was still ongoing. In print, Tarzan's exploits had ventured far from the original story and, perhaps, lost some of their original charm. "Tarzan the Ape Man" would have been measured against the original story.This was the first Tarzan film starring Johnny Weismuller, the American swimming champion. He seems the perfect specimen for the part--lean, athletic and, of course, able to swim like a fish. He was paired with Maureen O'Hara. Her portrayal of Jane is disarmingly sweet and the perfect complement to Weismuller. The dialogue between Tarzan and Jane is very limited in this film, so gestures and looks say what words cannot. They share a primitive electricity.In the first part of the film, Jane arrives in Africa, joining her father and his team who plan to search for the "elephants' graveyard". The viewer is exposed to the wildness of Africa through Jane's eyes: tribal paint and strange customs, myths of forbidden "juju" that no one speaks of, primitive drumming, the sounds of wild animals at night (hyenas, lions, and some unknown sounds). A tribal search party threateningly approaches their encampment at night and then slips back into the darkness of the jungle (achieved by a clever dissolve).When the group of hunters--with their expendable bearers, of course--leaves to investigate unknown territory, Jane goes with them. Before we ever see Tarzan, his eerie yell is heard echoing through the jungle. Much has been written about the actual source of that yell. Was it Weismuller or a concoction of various sounds by MGM sound technicians (probably the latter)? In any event, I don't think it can be overstated how much its blend of human-and-animal helped create the mystery surrounding Tarzan in these scenes (and later continued to always bind Tarzan to his animalistic beginnings).In a similar way, the scenes of Tarzan swinging through the trees makes him seem almost superhuman and at home in nature.Eventually, Tarzan and Jane meet. Curiosity fires their connection at first. An animal attraction takes over.Some of the shots in "Tarzan the Ape Man" were made using rear projection. It is done as competently as was possible at the time. And it does lend an air of authenticity.Some of the animal scenes were made with stuffed animals or fake animals. This is just part of cinema at that time.The early scene where the hunting party traverses an escarpment is, of course, done with special effects, but the result is breathtaking and it creates the needed suspense as the party travels into the unknown.I can only believe that this film, which is fun to watch now, must have been significantly more enjoyable when audiences first viewed it. Lucky them.

nnnn45089191 Johnny Weissmuller,the former Olympic champion in swimming,makes his debut as Tarzan.The movie spawned a lot of sequels and Weissmuller continued as Tarzan for 11 more films during the next 16 years. I had seen this early and somewhat primitive talkie a couple of years back and found it hard to sit through.I decided I'd give it another chance and was surprised at how much more I enjoyed it.Weissmuller is stunning, he fits the part excellent and looks amazing.There's screen charisma by the thousands.Maureen O' Sullivan as Jane really made the role her own.The African footage, shot during the making of "Trader Horn" is exciting and must have been worth the ticket on its own back in the thirties.There's some bad rear-projection used,but it doesn't spoil the movie if you don't let it bother you. So enjoy this entertaining film.