Tarzan s'évade

Nasty hunter Captain Fry (John Buckler) leads an expedition to Tarzan's stomping ground with the aim of capturing the ape-man and exhibiting him in England. Unaware of Fry's nefarious intentions, Jane's cousins, Eric and Rita (William Henry and Benita Hume), tag along for the journey hoping to convince their relative to return to England in order to help them claim the fortune that has been left to them in a will.

It's back to the Mutia escarpment for more jungle action in the third of the Weissmuller Tarzan films; unfortunately, this time around, much of what made the first two films so much fun—the gloriously un-PC violence and steamy sexuality—is missing thanks to the introduction of the Hays code, Hollywood's moral guidelines.

So instead of Maureen O'Sullivan giving us an eyeful in her animal skin bikini, we have her wearing a much more demure dress, and when the film gets down to the dispatching of native bearers, much of the nastiness happens off-screen; the film also suffers due to a troubled production which saw much of the original film being re-shot and re-edited. It all amounts to a rather tame offering that lacks the thrills and spills of Weissmuller's earlier outings as the affable ape-man (even the nasty execution via tree that horrified me as a child was less gruesome than I remembered).

Still, the film remains fairly watchable thanks to the chemistry between Weissmuller and O'Sullivan, some funny antics from Cheetah the Chimp (she teases lion cubs, attempts to ride a zebra, and laughs as comedy relief Rawlins tries to master swinging on a vine), the impressive sight of Tarzan's 'town-house' (complete with elephant powered elevator!), and one particularly bizarre scene featuring a weird dodo-like bird (which I presume must have been performed by a man with no legs, walking on his hands in a feathered suit!!!).

6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.

The Hays Code brought the Tarzan Series down from Adult Adventure to Teen Adventure (this one) to the Kiddie Adventures to come after.

"Tarzan Escapes" was made prior to the Hays Code but was released after it took effect and therein is the Problem with the Third in the Series. It Suffers from Extended Reshoots and Editing the "Good Stuff".

Although the Movie does Retain a bit of the Jungle Violence, the Nasty Natives of Previous Entries, and a Few Scenes of Terror, it Loses the Pre-Code Edge and is Replaced with some Clunky Scenes (Tarzan walking zombie like with depression and extended Cheetah shenanigans).

Overall, the Story of Tarzan being Caged and put on Exhibition is a Nervous Anxiety and some Safari Scenes Impress, the much Talked About Ju-Ju is Only Talked About.

After this, when the Hays Code and "Boy" showed up, the Series fell into a "Flintstones" Frolic that can at times be Witnessed in this one. The Beginning of the End for Tarzan as an Adult Adventure.

As a kid I LOVED all Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan flicks, including this one. But one incident has been bothering me all these years; Benita Hume finds two adorable lion cubs in a tree trunk, and as she picks them up in her arms and starts cuddling them, their mother appears rushing menacingly towards Benita. Capt Fry shoots the lioness dead just in the nick of time. What bothers me is that nothing more is said or shown of the two cubs, who, we are to assume, must have perished without their mother's protection and nourishment. My anxiety about the fate of the cubs was rekindled recently when I viewed the DVD version of the film. Another incident which disturbs me is when one of the native bearers tumbles screaming to his death from the precipitous rocky mountain passage; however, before falling he had dropped the large crate of supplies he was carrying, prompting Fry's comment: "That was a close call" (or something to that effect). Never mind that a human being has just perished horribly

As incongruous as it may sound, I'm beginning to detect similar patterns between the "Tarzan" and the "Rocky" series, a hunch I'll use to structure my review of the misleadingly titled "Tarzan Escapes", directed by Richard Thorpe and an uncredited John Farrow.

While the first "Rocky" film is more celebrated, "Tarzan: the Ape Man" is a true American classic nonetheless; marked by the legendary encounter of Tarzan and Jane, Johnny Weismuller and Maureen O'Sullivan who'd form one of the most endearing and enduring couples of Hollywood history just like Sylvester Stallone and Talia Shire with Rocky and Adrian. Their chemistry never inspired dubiousness and contributed to the film's best moments, which is saying a lot. And the second opus of both series marked a romantic culmination and "Tarzan and his Mate" featured some incredibly erotic shots, pinpointing the final breaths of creative freedom before the Hays Code would impose the most suffocating diktats of respectability.

So "Tarzan Escapes" is the "Rocky III" of the series, there's an obvious change of tone that betrays its obedience to the rampant puritanism that will slowly affect American celluloid. Jane has traded her sexy top halter for a more modest clothing item though we're conceded some generous shots on her legs every once in a while. Meanwhile, the plot is just a throwaway excuse to challenge her relationship with Tarzan, some vague cousins need her to come back to London for some financial issues, a rather bland William Henry is the young and well meaning Eric Parker and Rita (Benita Hume) is like a Jane Parker from the first film without the self-confidence, the humor and the perkiness. On the casting department, the cousins are only there to remind us one last (?) time about Jane's roots.

In a much showier role, there's the greedy explorer Captain Fry (John Buckley) who's so eager to help the Parkers to find Jane that we suspect his intentions might not be as pure as he pretends to, and to make the outsiders a tad more colorful and interesting, there's also Herbert Mundin playing Rawlins, the second in command in the comedy department... after Cheetah of course. I knew his face was familiar, he was the actor who flirted with Una O'Connor in "The Adventures of Robin Hood" and was a nice addition to the film, a shame that he died in a car crash a few years later (sadly enough, even Buckley prematurely died in an accident). Finally, speaking of Cheetah, she's more and more present and is obviously the third wheel of the relationships' dynamics like Paulie in the "Rocky" franchise, though Cheetah was probably better-mannered.

That exhaustive description leaves us with Johnny Weissmuller who's as athletic and at the top of his game for what's perhaps the less demanding role for a top athlete; and yet within his limited range of facial expressions and vocabulary (he made some progresses and so did Jane) he's perfect. And the plot, while not exactly revolutionary, is a solid vehicle to the usual characterization of both Tarzan and Jane as the king (and queen) of the jungle... with an exception this time: they have built their castle. They don't live in a cave anymore but in a sort of Flintstones-like treehouse where all the furniture and necessary equipment are available. It's cute in an urbane way, but the way it's all mundanely treated destroys all the values Tarzan proudly stood for: the adaptation not the triumph over nature, the raw and animal manhood conquering the heart of a bourgeois woman who realizes the futility of the Western comfort. Obviously, Jane did to Tarzan what victories did to Rocky... he got civilized... you can tell he doesn't feel comfortable, less than Cheetah anyway who had already made her marks.

And speaking for myself, I had the uncomfortable feeling that the film was distancing itself too much from the original material and it wouldn't get any better. There were still a few reminiscences of the glowing romance between Tarzan and Jane, a magnificent kiss where Tarzan approaches his face and the camera zooms on Jane who, in a state of ecstatic self-abandonment, drops a lotus flowers on a lake. A moment like this makes the film worthy of its predecessor and it was so perfect that the film didn't even need another swimming session.

Another aspect that didn't change either was the usual colonial racism displayed against the Natives and the way their deaths never carry any emotional resonance. I'm waiting for the "Tarzan" film where an African would play a more substantial role. It's true that the villains in the film (so far) are greedy explorers, but this time there's a difference since the standards of life that Jane escaped from in the first, and rejected in the second (the gifts she was offered) have been exported into Tarzan's life, which is a concession from the ape man's part. I can understand that one of the Hays Code' requirements was to establish that the Western civilization is a good, for lack of a better word, but the new house turns it into a joke.

Another more serious "joke" is the misguided and disturbing moment where a lioness is shot because Rita, Jane's cousin cuddled one of her cubs, maybe it was self-defense but the mother was also reacting from instinct. It's very indicative of the attitude of a film wasn't exactly made with the idea that these images would chock in fifty years, just like Tintin's infamous adventures in Congo. And I guess within that naivety, only the romance between Tarzan and Jane emerges as the only reason to enjoy the series, that and a few thrills and comedic effect.

On that level, the ending is perfect and Cheetah's scream is a clever nod to the audience, not to mention one of the best parts of the film.

Tarzan Escapes was released on VHS in the UK by Warner Brothers as part of a box set which also includes Tarzan Finds a Son and Tarzan and His Mate. I enjoyed this one.

Janes cousins, Eric and Rita arrive in the jungle to look for Jane to tell her she has inherited a lot of money. They arrive with Captain Fry, who plans to kidnap Tarzan and have him as part of his freak show. He does manage to get him into a cage but with the help of some of his elephant friends and Cheetah, he escapes and towards the end, gets his revenge when he makes Fry go back into a cave they just went through where there are hungry lizards and Fry is killed.

As always, Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan are excellent as Tarzan and Jane.

Tarzan Escapes is a must for any Tarzan fan. Great fun.

Rating: 3 and a half stars out of 5.