Tarzan the Ape Man: A strange trip into the jungle

Is it worth the time?

Honestly, you probably only want to watch this if you’re a fan of old-school jungle adventures or if you just really like staring at 1930s film grain. If you’re looking for a tight, logical plot, keep walking. This movie is a fever dream of stage-bound Africa and guys in cheap gorilla suits.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) through its definitive frames.

It’s definitely not for anyone who hates old, slow-paced dialogue or dated attitudes. But for some, it’s a weird, charming artifact of another era.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) through its definitive frames.

The jungle is… very clearly a soundstage

The first thing that hits you is how much of this was filmed in a warehouse. You can practically see the painted backdrops shivering whenever someone walks past them too fast. It’s honestly kind of impressive how they convinced people this was deep, dangerous Africa.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) through its definitive frames.

Then there’s Johnny Weissmuller. He spends half the movie just staring blankly and making those iconic yodeling noises. It’s funny, sure, but he actually manages to make the 'ape man' feel like a real creature, mostly because he doesn’t have to do much talking.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) through its definitive frames.

Wait, what about the plot?

The whole elephant graveyard thing is just an excuse to get everyone moving. It feels like a precursor to the energy you’d find in something like Road to Rio, just with way more spears and way fewer laughs. The pacing is all over the place, and honestly, I stopped caring about the ivory trade about twenty minutes in.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) through its definitive frames.

There is this one scene where they are just wandering around and it feels like it lasts for an eternity. My attention started drifting toward the weird, fuzzy edges of the frame. Did someone forget to focus the lens? Who knows.

• The gorilla suits look like they were made from old bath mats.
• Jane seems weirdly okay with being kidnapped by a semi-naked guy who can't speak English.
• The sound quality is exactly what you expect from 1932.
• Maureen O'Sullivan is doing a lot of heavy lifting here, acting terrified of stuff that clearly isn't there.

It’s definitely not as polished as Stage Fright, but it’s got this weird, primal energy that’s hard to look away from. It’s not trying to be high art, and that’s probably why it stays watchable. 🌴

If you have an hour to kill and don't mind feeling like you're watching a play put on by people who have never actually seen a real forest, give it a shot. Just don't think about the logistics too hard.