Great Adventure FIlm
Tarzan the Ape Man is the first film of the most popular strain of the Tarzan series. The story is quite familiar now, so it seems trite and dull. However, this film is strangely entertaining although everyone knows what will happen in the film. Girl (Maureen O'Sullivan) goes along with her father on a trek to find the famed elephant graveyard and stumbles upon a man who lives in the wild like an ape (Johnny Weissmuller). The two are quite attracted to each other.

Johnny Weissmuller is not an incredibly attractive man although he is Olympically trained and very fit. He has incredible chemistry with the baby-faced Maureen O'Sullivan; all of their scenes are sexually charged which makes this film really good. The story is primally sexual but incredibly romantic at the same time.

This film was shot with soft lighting which only accentuates the beauty of the wild. Some footage of real natives was used and real animals were filmed for many of the scenes. This film looks realistic which only draws its audience in more.

You might not expect much from a Tarzan film, but you really should; you might be surprised at how well it captures your imagination.

THIS MOVIE STINKS!!!!
If you don't mind a movie being hiddiously over-acted and unrealistic, than go ahead and watch it. First of all, the sets are cheesy and are clearly not in Africa. The African bearers, rather than being depicted as essentil to a safari, play the same role as the guys in the red shirts on Star Trek: namley, get killed. They're always handy when someone needs to be strangled by a gorilla, fall off the cliff, or get eaten by a crocidile.

Maureen O'sullivan(I'm not sure I spelled that right) is such a ham that I almost cried watching this movie, and almost every one of her sentences was punctuated with the word "darling"

The Pygmies are really just dwarves (real Pygmies are well proportioned).

Jane spent way too much time hanging around with Tarzan, slowing down the story significantly.

Lions don't attack their prey one at a time in broad daylight. They also don't live in the jungle, but rather on the savannah. Zebra are also found on the plains, not in the rain forest.

The gorilla costume was just stupid, and the Swahili poorly pronounced.

The elephants were Sri Lankan, not African, with obviously fake tusks and ears.

The very idea that Tarzan speaks a human-sounding launguage that the animals can understand is preposterous. The vine-swinging scenes were done by a trapeez artist.

Yet all these atrocious problems with this low-budget film do make it entertaining and funny to watch.

A true classic! Let's hope for a DVD soon!
Olympic Swimming Champion Johnny Weissmuller portrays probably the most "classic" Tarzan to date, in this wonderful 1932 film that, despite its age, is incredibly entertaining even now! The lovely and modern Jane Parker has come to Africa to spend time with her father, James Parker, a trader who is preoccupied with the idea of finding a legendary elephant graveyard and the ivory riches it would hold. Along with James' partner, Harry, who has his heart set on winning Jane, the father and daughter embark on an expedition into the African Jungle to search for the sacred place. Within the jungle, they encounter natives that give them the impression that they are on the right track. However, they also encounter something rather strange, a wild man raised by chimpanzees! The wild man immediately kidnaps the lovely Jane, and in time they grow quite attached to each other. Tarzan is completely fascinated with this female that looks so much better than an ape-girl, and Jane is in complete bliss to have found a hunky brute who is obsessed with her and understands nothing she says. But their romance is interrupted when Jane, Harry, and her father are taken prisoner by Pygmies, and it's up to Tarzan to save them, with a little help from his best friend Cheetah, the chimp. Tarzan, the Ape Man is full of classic adventure, danger, humor, and fun, like only a 1930's classic can provide. The film gets a bit violent and racy for its era, and there are definitely some surprising moments. It's amusing to see how, in some scenes, the actors pretend to interact with natives that are really just stock footage running on a screen behind them. It's also fascinating to see dwarfs in black make-up, pretending to be pygmies, and live-elephants with fake ears to make them appear African. There are several funny things to point out in this movie. I watched this the other night on cable with my dad, who saw the film in the theater in his youth, and was amused to hear him say several times, somewhat embarrassed, "They fooled us all with that when we were kids!"

Superb
For a 1930's movie I was very impressed. They just don't make them like they used to. My 6 yr old loved it and wants the rest of the Tarzan movies. It was quite graphic for the era. Good action for kids

The paramount Tarzan was Johnny Weissmuller
Weissmuller was the best of the loincloth-clad men of bravery, action and courage. This particular film is a testament to that. The engaging script has Tarzan jumping into action in an emotionally charged performance. This is one of the best Tarzan action and adventure tales. The villains once again meet their match, but its tough going. It contains discriminating effects and exquisite photography unusual from the other films in the series. Weissmuller was always the consummate professional gives one of his better performances here. Good jungle atmosphere created by brilliant set design makes a big difference from the others.