You get lots of old-style adventure, lots of animals, lots of Africa and lots of Maureen O'Sullivan's bare bum. But apart from all that, this very well made film is really about the strength of love, a love so pure and innocent that nothing else matters.
There is a lot of adventure stuff however and whilst that's done exceptionally well for 1934, it is 1934 and adventure films have improved significantly since then. Nevertheless it still holds its own and keeps you glued to the screen. At least half of this fairly long film is 'adventure in the jungle' stuff which although pretty good is nothing like as interesting as how it depicts the relationship between Tarzan and Jane.
The premise is utterly insane: that an entitled socialite from London would abandon her privileged but possibly meaningless life in London to live in the middle of the jungle with a man she can't even speak with is ridiculous. The most obvious reason she'd do this is for sex and since they can't have conversations then one guesses, lots of sex! But whilst lust alone may have made her stay with Tarzan initially, that she can't even contemplate the offer to return home with her ex boyfriend, shows that this is love is something pretty amazing.
Her ex simply can't understand how such a girl could possibly want to stay in such a place alone with Tarzan. 'What if he dies?' he quite justifiably asks. That's not something she can contemplate, Tarzan is her life. Harry, the ex, is one of the ivory hunters (distasteful but acceptable back then), whom a year after leaving her in the jungle is reunited with her as she swings down from the trees. How he doesn't scream, 'Oh my God, what are you wearing!' is beyond me. What she is wearing is generally considered to be the most revealing, sexiest outfit in a film until Sharon Stone crossed her legs decades later. It is astonishingly jaw-dropping!
The nudity and semi-nudity, not just of Miss O'Sullivan but of Mr Weissmuller as well is absolutely intrinsic to the story. Besides all the adventure stuff, this is a love story. It's not just about lust (although there's a lot of that too), it's about two people who are so in love with each other that the world of man has nothing to do with them. They are Adam and Eve, pure and innocent living in the Garden of Eden, living in a world without sin, a world without shame....and of course without (most) clothes.
I'm not qualified to comment on Johnny Weissmuller's looks but he clearly had an admirable athletic physique which I'd guess was quite appealing to the ladies. Maureen O'Sullivan however was unquestionably beautiful with an equally beautiful body as well and this film presents these beautiful people in the flesh, so to speak, as natural, innocent and purity uncontaminated by the tawdriness of civilisation. There's a mental dichotomy in watching this inasmuch that you can appreciate the Garden of Eden analogy but the film clearly encourages you to find Miss O'Sullivan (or Mr Weissmuller) very sexually exciting.
Overall this film, which is the best Tarzan film is more mature picture than the family friendly ones which came after. There's much more depth to it and it succeeds in being more than just a jungle adventure. What makes this special is the superb nuanced acting from both Tarzan and Jane. Considering that they were both fairly new to acting, they are both absolutely perfect in these roles.... And with my shallow head on: Oh my God, Maureen O'Sullivan is sexy in this.
There is a lot of adventure stuff however and whilst that's done exceptionally well for 1934, it is 1934 and adventure films have improved significantly since then. Nevertheless it still holds its own and keeps you glued to the screen. At least half of this fairly long film is 'adventure in the jungle' stuff which although pretty good is nothing like as interesting as how it depicts the relationship between Tarzan and Jane.
The premise is utterly insane: that an entitled socialite from London would abandon her privileged but possibly meaningless life in London to live in the middle of the jungle with a man she can't even speak with is ridiculous. The most obvious reason she'd do this is for sex and since they can't have conversations then one guesses, lots of sex! But whilst lust alone may have made her stay with Tarzan initially, that she can't even contemplate the offer to return home with her ex boyfriend, shows that this is love is something pretty amazing.
Her ex simply can't understand how such a girl could possibly want to stay in such a place alone with Tarzan. 'What if he dies?' he quite justifiably asks. That's not something she can contemplate, Tarzan is her life. Harry, the ex, is one of the ivory hunters (distasteful but acceptable back then), whom a year after leaving her in the jungle is reunited with her as she swings down from the trees. How he doesn't scream, 'Oh my God, what are you wearing!' is beyond me. What she is wearing is generally considered to be the most revealing, sexiest outfit in a film until Sharon Stone crossed her legs decades later. It is astonishingly jaw-dropping!
The nudity and semi-nudity, not just of Miss O'Sullivan but of Mr Weissmuller as well is absolutely intrinsic to the story. Besides all the adventure stuff, this is a love story. It's not just about lust (although there's a lot of that too), it's about two people who are so in love with each other that the world of man has nothing to do with them. They are Adam and Eve, pure and innocent living in the Garden of Eden, living in a world without sin, a world without shame....and of course without (most) clothes.
I'm not qualified to comment on Johnny Weissmuller's looks but he clearly had an admirable athletic physique which I'd guess was quite appealing to the ladies. Maureen O'Sullivan however was unquestionably beautiful with an equally beautiful body as well and this film presents these beautiful people in the flesh, so to speak, as natural, innocent and purity uncontaminated by the tawdriness of civilisation. There's a mental dichotomy in watching this inasmuch that you can appreciate the Garden of Eden analogy but the film clearly encourages you to find Miss O'Sullivan (or Mr Weissmuller) very sexually exciting.
Overall this film, which is the best Tarzan film is more mature picture than the family friendly ones which came after. There's much more depth to it and it succeeds in being more than just a jungle adventure. What makes this special is the superb nuanced acting from both Tarzan and Jane. Considering that they were both fairly new to acting, they are both absolutely perfect in these roles.... And with my shallow head on: Oh my God, Maureen O'Sullivan is sexy in this.