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14 out of 14 people found the following review useful: Misleading Title To Entertaining Film, 2 March 2006 Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States
Let me say two things right off the "bat:"1 - This is one of the better Tarzan films; 2 - The title is a misnomer. Tarzan doesn't get trapped anywhere to escape from until the last 20 minuets and he isn't in a cage long enough to warrant that title.This film also is noted for it being chopped down a bit at the last minute. Apparently, a scene or two was a little too scary for preview audiences (giant bats in a swamp, for instance) so they edited it out at the last minute. They didn't re-shoot the material to make the transition smooth, so there are a few holes in the story's last 15 minutes. But it's nothing major and doesn't detract from the interesting adventure.Slowly browsing through the recently-released "Tarzan Collection" DVD pack has made me appreciate these films all over again. They were really great entertainment. There were very few, if any, boring lulls in these films and some of the African wildlife footage is still amazing to this day!Tarzan Escapes is considered one of the best in the series, even if some parts were cut. It's very entertaining with the typical mix of adventure, humor, good guys vs. bad guys, romance and the like. In this film, elephants are the heroes, coming to the defense of Tarzan (Johnny Weissmuller).; the humor is provided by a member of the safari team ; Jane (Maureen O'Sullivan) doesn't appear the first half hour and the action ends with some great film-noir like photography in a swamp (minus the bats). Along the way are an assortment of wild animals and birds, always interesting to view. It's a fast-moving 89 minutes.
9 out of 9 people found the following review useful: Tarzan's Claim to Jane, 11 June 2005 Author: lugonian from Kissimmee, Florida
TARZAN ESCAPES (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1936), directed by Richard Thorpe, based on the characters created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, reunites Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan in their third outing as Tarzan and Jane. While this ranks as one of the finer films in the series, it's best known today mostly for an intense scene that doesn't exist in the finished product. Following the controversial TARZAN AND HIS MATE (1934) with such notables as Jane's skimpy two-piece outfit along with her long shot skinny dipping alongside Tarzan, TARZAN ESCAPES does have its moments of controversy such as some graphic violence, with much of it trimmed, hence the Production Code that had recently gone into effect.The story starts off with plot development and character introduction involving Rita and Eric (Benita Hume and William Henry) who hire Captain Fry (John Buckler, whose physical appearance resembles that of Basil Rathbone) to lead them to the Mulia Escarpment and locate their cousin, Jane Parker, living somewhere in the jungles of Africa. During their expedition, which consists of Herbert Henry Rawlins, better known as Jiggs (Herbert Mundin), and Bomba, (Darby Jones), Fry's native boy, the Parkers do find Jane (O'Sullivan), taking residence in a tree house with Tarzan (Weissmuller), her mate. After a happy reunion, Rita informs Jane of a large inheritance and must return to England in order to claim it. Learning that they have financed the expedition with their last savings, and being torn between her loyalty to her family and Tarzan, Jane agrees to go on the condition that she's spend an entire day with Tarzan before departing, with the indication that Tarzan understands that she will be return after signing the documents to have the couple rightfully claim the money. In the meantime, Fry, who reveals himself as a conniving villain, convinces Tarzan that Jane is never coming back and succeeds into tricking Tarzan into a specialty built metal cage where he attempts to take the jungle man back to civilization where Fry attempts to make money by showcasing him as a circus attraction.TARZAN ESCAPES has Tarzan doing just as the title indicates. After he is caged, and desperate in reclaiming Jane, he manages to break out with the help of his elephant friends, and avenge himself on the evil Fry. As mentioned earlier, the most celebrated scene missing from the final print is the one where Tarzan fights off devil bats and hostile pygmies in a haze-shrouded swamp. According to one of the "Tarzan" documentaries featuring O'Sullivan reminiscing about how the terrifying devil bat scene took nearly a week to complete, only to be deleted following a preview by which audiences found too intense. Although much of the movie had been toned down through edits and revisions, which explains why it was in production for nearly two years, the finished product of TARZAN ESCAPES can still be considered graphic for its time anyway, especially in what results with certain characters, especially Captain Fry, making this possibly the last "adult oriented" Tarzan adventure. Herbert Mundin as Jiggs, along with Tarzan's pet chimp, Cheetah, set the tone in breaking away from the seriousness in obtaining moments of amusement, such as Jiggs attempting to swing from tree to tree on Tarzan's vine with not much success. This became the last in the series to provide Jane with her operatic distress call as well as her leaping from the tree into the arms of Tarzan like a professional acrobat.As much as Johnny Weissmuller can be criticized for his bad acting at times, and doing nothing more than being Tarzan of the movies, belting out his jungle yells for example, he's more articulate than in the previous two films, with his speech consisting of mono syllables that would remain through the duration of the Tarzan/Weissmuller series, he convincingly shows the emotional impact and tender side to his character, especially the thought of losing Jane. In a rare instance used in the series, Tarzan's fight in him is gone and at this point doesn't care what happens to him as he lets himself get captured by hunters. He shows his true love for Jane in allowing her return to England, especially through those sentimental moments as the couple spend their last day together at their own private Garden of Eden swimming and resting themselves alongside the lake. This tender scene usually got the ax whenever this 90 minute movie played on a 90 minute time shot on commercial television, which could be shown that way without spoiling the continuity so to have longer ad time. Regardless of difficulties in getting this movie completed, this third MGM installment is certainly no disappointment. TARZAN ESCAPES, along with other Tarzan adventures produced by MGM, were distributed on video cassette in the early 1990s, and presented, with the exception of TARZAN THE APE MAN (1932), to have a successful run on American Movie Classics from 1997 to 2000, before premiering on Turner Classic Movies in June 2004 along with its distribution on DVD about the same time.(***) Next chapter: TARZAN FINDS A SON (1939).
5 out of 5 people found the following review useful: The one that got away, 12 March 2001 Author: Sarah from Glasgow, UK
Tarzan Escapes is OK, though not a patch on its predecessors, Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) and Tarzan and His Mate (1934). Most interestingly, it was originally shot as Tarzan Returns in 1935, but this film was completely remade, largely because it 'lacked a central plot menace'. Paradoxically, what was cut from Tarzan Returns was its biggest 'plot menace' - a Giant Vampire Bat sequence, set in a swamp, which would have been great! Tarzan Escapes retains the swamp sequence but with giant lizards only and no bats. I've seen stills and production drawings of the prop bats and they were wonderful creations (as ridiculously large as the crocs were in these movies), with flashing red eyes... What a shame that we'll never get to see this version!
3 out of 3 people found the following review useful: less formula in enjoyable entry, 25 August 2008 Author: HelloTexas11 from United States
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
A strange entry in the MGM series, 'Tarzan Escapes' eschews a predictable plot and at times wants to be a serious melodrama about Tarzan and Jane's relationship. Well, as serious as any such plot could be, anyway. The film reportedly was re-shot extensively because of excessive gore, and there are hints of such in the released version, both in the way certain natives are killed and in a cave where large, deadly lizards dwell. Perhaps all of this and more contribute to the weird way the film progresses, alternating between the aforementioned Tarzan/Jane soap opera and much jungle violence. There is also excessive comic relief provided by Herbert Mundin. Over the course of the series, particularly the episodes with Johnny Weismuller and Maureen O'Sullivan, it's made clear time and again that Tarzan and Jane are madly in love. One can certainly see why the Apeman is ape over Jane, but why on earth Jane feels the same for him is never adequately explained. No matter how many times she tries to explain it, it just doesn't make sense that a beautiful, sophisticated English woman should prefer living in a tree, barefoot and wearing a skimpy animal skin, with a monkey and a guy who has a vocabulary of about twenty words. It is hinted at, sometimes pretty heavy-handedly, that the jungle love they share beats a one-night stand in London any day, so maybe that's it. In any event, their unbreakable if inexplicable bond is tested in 'Tarzan Escapes,' when Jane agrees to return to England briefly with her two cousins to deal with some legal matters regarding a will. Tarzan doesn't take it well at all; he's convinced she's dumping him for good and will never return. He mopes around the jungle while Cheetah tries to cheer him up. Meanwhile, Captain Fry (John Buckler), leader of the safari, has plans to kidnap Tarzan and take him back to England as a circus attraction. Yeah, right. Give up that crazy dream. Fry eventually runs afoul of a dangerous tribe; Tarzan comes to the rescue and saves them all but realizing Fry's treachery, forces him back into a cave where those killer lizards reside, and that's the end of Fry. Though things were not nearly as standardized as they would be in later MGM films, we see the beginnings of recurring ideas and situations, such as the elaborate treehouse and its Flintstones-style amenities, like the elephant-operated elevator. (Why Tarzan needs an elevator when he can just run up the tree ten times as fast is another good question. It must be for Jane.) The production still bears the creakiness of early 30's film-making, despite an impressive use of varied sets and locales; there was a very noticeable change starting with the next film in the series. From then on, the MGM polish became unmistakable and would remain for the rest of the run. 'Tarzan Escapes', perhaps because of its extensive reworking, stands apart from other entries in the series and taken on its own terms, is very much worth seeing.
4 out of 5 people found the following review useful: Attempted kidnapping in the jungle, 3 August 2005 Author: Chris Gaskin from Derby, England
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.
2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: Enjoyable entry in the Tarzan series, 20 November 2008 Author: James Christian from United States
If I was to summarize my feelings about "Tarzan Escapes" in one sentence, this is what I would write: I *loved* the first two Tarzan films, and I *like* the third film."Tarzan Escapes" isn't a bad film, but it's clear that the writers had used up a lot of their imagination on the first two installments. The basic premise is that Jane's cousins Rita and Eric go into the jungle to find Jane. Once again, they head to the Mutia Escarpment (the elephant graveyard), and they commission Captain Fry, along with his comedic friend Rawlins, to lead them there.The first half of this film is basically kiddie fare. The Rawlins character attempts (but never quite succeeds) at providing comic relief, and the animal scenes are less perilous and more comedic. However, about halfway through the movie, a sudden twist occurs, and the story takes on a much more serious tone. It's not too strong for kids, so they should still enjoy it all. And adults, if they can overlook the bad comedy in the first half, should find the overall film very satisfying.Tarzan has broadened his vocabulary a bit since the first two films, and his and and Jane's relationship is still sparkling. Cheeta has more of a role in this movie, and they've spiffed up their jungle décor considerably. (Only the castaways on Gilligan's Island have a more deluxe setup without electricity.)Several of the animal scenes are lifted from "Tarzan and His Mate", so some of the excitement and freshness are lost. But there is still plenty to get excited about. I did notice that the sound quality is much improved. (I had to watch parts of the first two films with subtitles just to understand what they were saying. The sound is much clearer in the third movie.)Overall, it's a rousing adventure film. It's nice to say hi to our jungle friends once again, and there are enough new elements to be more than just a rehash of the previous stories.
2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: One of the better Tarzan adventures., 3 May 2000 Author: Michael O'Keefe from Muskogee OK
Jane's cousins come to the jungle to help her claim her share of an inheritance. The cousins played by Benita Hume and William Henry, hire Captain Fry, an evil white trapper, to guide them to Tarzan and Jane. His motive is to capture Tarzan and take him back to civilization as a caged exhibit.Johnny Weissmuller, the most popular Tarzan, manages to escape and come to the rescue of the others that are being held captive. Equally popular as Jane is Maureen O'Sullivan. There is some romantic quality provided by Weismuller and O'Sullivan that makes them the best team of jungle mates. The bad Captain Fry is played by John Buckler and his bumbling side kick is played by Herbert Mundin.
3 out of 4 people found the following review useful: Tarzan Escapes/Tarzan Finds A Son!, 10 October 2004 Author: MARIO GAUCI (marrod@melita.com) from Naxxar, Malta
My second Tarzan double-feature slot and the cracks are beginning to show! That said, TARZAN ESCAPES (1936; ***) is much better than online reviews would have you believe: true, there is ample stock footage on display here but it also boasts a strong plot line and cast (featuring Benita Hume, future wife of Ronald Colman and later George Sanders, as well as MGM staple Herbert Mundin and James Whale favorite E.E. Clive, not to mention the villainous John Buckler who comes to a particularly sticky end in this one) to even things out. By now, Weissmuller and O' Sullivan have grown considerably in their respective parts but the influence of the Hays' Office (established while the film was in production, resulting in extensive re-shoots before it could be classified for exhibition!) is also very much in evidence: Tarzan and Jane's behavior (to say nothing of the latter's 'wardrobe') is rather chaste this time around, and even the violence is there mainly by virtue of recycled scenes from the two previous entries in the series!!TARZAN FINDS A SON! (1939; **1/2), though certainly briskly-paced and fairly enjoyable in itself, is where things really start to degenerate and a sense of deja'-vu hangs over the proceedings like a cloud; not that this factor is an isolated case in franchises of this period – consider, for instance, the noticeable leap in quality from the ornate SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939) to a strictly programmer-level THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN (1942)… To make matters worse (though, I guess, this can be pinned down to personal opinion), we have here the addition of another jungle 'initiate' in the figure of Boy who emulates Tarzan in his every move, down to that grating yodel! Besides, his getting into endless predictable scrapes throughout, forcing Tarzan's nick-of-time intervention and queuing in further stock footage from the earlier films (now looking pretty rough-hewn alongside the lavish budgets MGM could afford by the end of the decade!), does the picture no favors at all in the story department!! Logic, too, is casually thrown out the window: the film opens with a plane crash-landing (i.e. before reaching its intended destination), yet when a search party is set in motion (5 years after the fact, conveniently allowing Boy to grow up and become attached to the Tarzans!), its members (invariably harboring an agenda of their own) go directly to the supposedly forbidden/secret part of the jungle where the Lord Of The Apes has set up residence…sheesh!! Once again, the familiar cast-list adds to the fun, though it has to be said that Ian Hunter (usually playing the reliable type) makes for an unconvincing villain in this one.
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: Not great, but still fun., 28 April 2009 Author: BA_Harrison from Hampshire, England
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 Weismuller 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 Weismuller'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 Weismuller and O'Sullivan, some funny antics from Cheetah the Chimp (he 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.
Dull, boring and only comes to lie in the last half hour, 8 November 2009 Author: dbborroughs from Glen Cove, New York
Using tons of stock footage, not only from Trader Horn but also the first two films in the series (for example the alligator fight was used last time out) this is one of the weakest films in the MGM series. Its a huge let down after the classic Tarzan and His Mate which is possibly the best film in the series.The plot has Jane's cousins coming into the jungle to tell her that she has inherited a fortune if she'll come back to claim it. They are kind of in the bind since the relative that left her the money cut them out of the will.Hiring a great white hunter, who secretly wishes to capture Tarzan and sell him, the pair heads into the jungle where they run into the usual jungle troubles (more so because of the stock footage). After lots of talk Jane decides to go back to civilization and we get long sequences of Tarzan and Jame making kissy face. Finally into the last half hour the plot to capture Tarzan is put in motion and things at last become interesting as plans go awry and things look very grim for all concerned..Painfully dull film is clear evidence of a troubled production. the film seems to have been assembled from several different films with the first half hour playing as an almost exact repeats of the previous film. The middle third shows signs of having to stretch things out and having plot lines that ultimately went nowhere. The last third where Tarzan is captured and the party is put into peril is the point that the film finally comes to life (it also shows signs of the graphic violence that caused much of the need to re-shoot the film). To me its a great wonder how the series managed to continue on from here since this film isn't very good (except at the end).I would be hard pressed to explain it except I would have to say that it was the relationship between Weissmuller and O'Sullivan as Tarzan and Jane which kept people coming back. Its a beautifully acted pairing and really is one of the screens great couples.(I should probably also mention that this is the point that the film became less real and more fantastical with the appearance of the Tarzan tree house.) I really dislike the first hour or so of this film a great deal and find it a great waste of time and energy. If you can come in towards the end I would recommend giving the film a try. Otherwise I would just skip the whole film and move on to the next film in the series.
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