As Novas Aventuras de Tarzan

Or mad, and a bit interesting, take your pick. Herman Brix/Bruce Bennett is a good, athletic Tarzan, rather oddly at home in Africa, Latin America and England, equally comfortable in a loincloth or jungle fatigues, and even (in the final episode) fancy dress. His Tarzan cry is especially memorable, sounding as if he has just trapped his testicles in his desk drawer.

Unlike many serials, the plot develops in nearly linear fashion rather than repeatedly cycling round, and the Guatemalan locations are fascinating and well-used. The animals that Tarzan fights look less like pyjama cases than usual. There is a lot of evidence of cutting and rewriting, so it would be a stretch to say that it all made sense.

Some of the major characters disappear after Chapter Four for no obvious reason, only to reappear in the final summing up (the serial certainly improves when the cast is slimmed down; they are not missed). George, the comedy relief, degenerates from someone capable of machine-gunning dozens of natives to death early on, into a babbling cretin in the later episodes. He is literally unable to pick up a valuable clue without dropping it into the nearest river, or to walk in a straight line without falling into a cunning trap. And to cap it all, the final scene takes place at a party where everyone is dressed as a Tyrolean gypsy - why?

Exceptionally dumb, even for a movie serial. They went to Guatemala to "film" this. Much ado about nothing.

Of all the classic Tarzans that I have seen in cinema until 1984 (of which I only think I am missing a few, such as the blonde Denny Miller) Bruce Bennett (or Herman Brix, his real name) was my favorite. He did not have a great participation as "the king of the jungle", apart from the serial "The New Adventures of Tarzan", but, in addition to the fact that this version was closer to the creation of Edgar Rice Burroughs, who served as co-producer, Bennett was a handsome Tarzan, with a more serious face, a lonely and unglamorous hero, mistreated by the jungle, who I think I only perceived in Jock Mahoney and Christophe Lambert in 1984, when I stopped watching films with Burroughs' character.

I saw an edited version of the serial running 75 minutes and it seemed like a more than adequate adventure, with a less show business and more dramatic approach, and that leaves you wanting to see more, perhaps the entire serial. Other sources indicate 70 minutes. This version has not been restored. There is also a 59-minute British dubbed version that was aired on American television since the early 1950s, with 10 minutes of additional stock footage of the African flora and fauna. That material was later removed and the original was issued on VHS.

If you find a copy, see it, it's a well-represented Tarzan film.

Herman Brix is Tarzan, aka Lord Greystoke, splitting his time between England and Africa. While in Africa he is asked to go to Guatemala to help look for an idol. As close to Edgar Rice Burroughs idea of the character as we are likely to see, Burroughs produced, this a bit different then the Tarzan of the movies we are used to, Tarzan is intelligent and speaks in full sentences. He is still a man of action. To be certain the independent nature of the serial and its budgetary limitations make this a little rough at times, but at the same time the story and its dangers are as real as they come. I know that some people have complained that how Tarzan gets out of things isn't always spectacular (he expands his chest to help get ropes off of himself), but its probably closer to reality then most serials would dare. Worth a look to how Tarzan of the pages really should look on screen.

I bought this Tarzan serial 16 years ago, it was time for me to discover Herman Brix, quite handsome, expressive in the efforts with sharp glances when observing danger. He's the real Greystoke, speaking English, it's not surprising as it was produced by Burroughs Tarzan Enterprises Inc., the original author. The print I saw was absolutely not restored, it didn't matter, I was hypnotised by charismatic Herman Brix, fighting wildly against dozens of natives and lions and panthers. Shot in Guatemala, in jungle and seaside, there are strong violent scenes like this awsome shooting with machine gun against natives (did you see it, Sam?). Maybe a better director than cinematographer Edward Kull would have improved direction. The only bad surprise is Tarzan's scream, it seems in the middle he's been hit with a hammer, finally finishing singing a yodel, but it's the yell used in a previous Tarzan radio serial from 1932. Last bad surprise on the DVD extras, I didn't find the Vincent Sherman interview.