at Internet Archive
This low-key Tarzan feature relies more on the settings and the general situation than it does on the story, which is rather sketchy. It was Glenn Morris's only appearance as Tarzan, and while he certainly looks athletic enough, his lack of acting experience really shows. Some of the other aspects of the movie help out just enough to make it watchable.The story has an expedition heading to Africa to capture some zoo specimens, with Tarzan indicating a strong preference for allowing his animal friends to stay in the wild. Meanwhile, a lecherous sultan has spotted a young woman in the expedition, and would like to add her to his harem, so he has made plans accordingly. Most of the screen time, though, does not advance the story, instead focusing on a variety of vignettes, and adding a lot of footage of lions, elephants, and many other animals, including a couple of cute lion cubs. The real action consumes just a small fraction of the running time.Hedda Hopper, in a smaller role, is the liveliest of the cast members, and she has a few good moments with George Barbier, as the aunt and uncle of the heroine. As the heroine, Eleanor Holm is also pretty inexperienced, but she does have a solid screen presence. Morris's flat portrayal of Tarzan means that Holm has to try to carry a number of their scenes.This is watchable as very light viewing, as long as you're prepared not to be too critical and don't mind a rather slow pace, but it doesn't have enough strengths to be any more than that.
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