Last month’s Tarzan book covers post reminded me that I still had never seen a Weissmuller Tarzan movie, so I jumped right into the series to correct that as soon as I could. And while I still haven’t watched them all, so far the clear standout has been Tarzan and his Mate, a direct sequel to the first (Tarzan the Ape Man).
First off, these movies are somehow even MORE racist than the books, which, is a low bar to fail to clear. Porters are whipped, left to die, and treated in every callous way possible. Even worse, the white guys are OBVIOUSLY the villains in these films, but by the end their string of crimes against humanity (and animals) is usually brushed off as mere colonial overexuberance. Even for early 30s Hollywood, it all feels like a lot. However, Tarzan has no time for their bullshit, and by treating them disdainfully, it is almost gives the viewer an anchor of “hey, this is all kind of insane right?” even if their comeuppance is never what it should be.
It also helps that this movie takes place in a weird African dreamscape where a bunch of gorillas attack with boulders from a clifftop five minutes in, 30 foot alligators prowl every river, and elephant herds (with big fake ears as all they had were Asian elephants) answer Tarzan’s signature yodel to help fight the lion summoning tribe that is threatening Jane. And through it all, Tarzan moves, fighting, fucking, and killing every man, woman and animal in the jungle (largely in that order).
I’m not even exaggerating about that, Tarzan FUCKS in this movie, including a hilarious scene where the evil white dudes are scamming on Jane until Tarzan swings down, sniffs her new perfume and then immediately carries her off in one of the more explicitly stated scenes of “these two are 100% going to fuck,” that exists in classic Hollywood. The pre-code eroticism is all over the first two movies, with Tarzan and his Mate even including a lengthy full nude swimming scene in the world’s deepest river.
At the end of the day though, these movies are about the jungle adventures of a tree swinging badass, and Tarzan and his Mate probably has the most action (and the highest animal body count) of the whole series. Lions, rhinos, alligators, and many more die to Tarzan’s signature hunting knife in one over the top set piece after another. And just when you think it can’t get any more over the top, you have the ending giant elephant vs lion fight, which, even though it’s mostly matte shots, comes off great.
There really aren’t many movies out there that can evoke quite the same atmosphere as these Weissmuller Tarzan films, and Tarzan and his Mate is that rare sequel that’s even better than the first. Just, for the love of God, don’t try to watch this with your kids!
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