Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan's Greatest Adventure

source: Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan's Greatest Adventure

Tarzan's Greatest Adventure

After years of dismal adventures in the studio backlots, this time they took Tarzan to Africa to act in a Western. This little gem has everything the Budd Boetticher - Randolph Scott great Westerns had, only in a somewhat different location. The bad guys disguise themselves as blacks in order to raid a settlement for explosives - exactly like many a bandit would put on paint to look like an Indian in Western movies. Even Gordon Scott's Tarzan becomes a Westerner bent on avenging innocent deaths: like Randolph Scott, he does not speak too much, but lets his actions speak for themselves. I love the old Weissmuller pictures, too - but apart from them, this movie and its follow-up, "Tarzan the Magnificent", are among the best Tarzan movies ever made. Economically directed (John Guillermin), superbly photographed (Edward Scaife, Nicolas Roeg), neatly acted (Anthony Quayle, Sean Connery). Don't expect Cheetahs or cheap laughs: expect for a tight, action-packed revenge Western set in Africa.

I saw this as a little kid at the local theater. All I had seen of Tarzan was the Johnny Weissmuller movies. OK. But not that good. Then came "Tarzan's Greatest Adventure." Boy were they right. Start to finish a very good movie. It did not insult your intelligence as other Tarzan movies did and, trust me, I saw them all. Tough, gritty, sweaty. Gordon Scott speaks in complete sentences. Anthony Quayle, always a polished first-class A-lister, gives a great performance as the bad guy Slade who spends time making a wire noose. You know sooner or later it will be around Tarzan's neck. A young Sean Connery gives a taste of what is to come for 007 fans as the cockey, carousing bad guy. Keep your eye on the locket as it provides the best shot of the movie. They made this movie for adults. But this little kid loved it, too.

This movie is a no nonsense, realistic action film, bolstered by a capable cast, a believable story and colorful location shooting. Gordon Scott showed here that he had some acting talent as well as the good physique. The rest of the actors in general, and Anthony Quayle in particular, are quality professionals whose performances keep things interesting. Unlike earlier films in the Tarzan genre, they actually went to Africa to shoot this one and the difference really shows. These items, along with generally good production values, fairly tight direction, and beautiful color photography move this film well above the norm. Definitely a welcome departure from earlier Tarzan films. Highly recommended.

I always thought that 'Tarzan's Greatest Adventure' was the first Tarzan film made for the grown ups! Filmed on location, widescreen and Technicolor and decent production values, it's a great stand alone adventure film, with Scott as an articulate King of the jungle leading a top notch cast including the young pre James Bond Sean Connery putting in a good turn as one of the villains! No Jane, Cheetah's left in the tree house, so Tarzan can get on with it! And the result is one of, if not the most thrilling Tarzan film of them all! Don't get me wrong, I loved Johnny, Lex, Bruce Bennett and Buster Crabbe, but this is the film that takes the genre to a whole new level!

This is easily the best Tarzan movie ever made. Four British villains raid a settlement to obtain explosives for use in a diamond mine. In doing so they kill two men, so Tarzan sets off on pursuit of them. George Scott is a perfectly cast as the title character. Both handsome and masculine in equal amounts. Anthony Quayle is the main villain of the movie Slade and he is aided by a pre Bond Sean Connery as O'Bannion in one of his first decent roles. The stock footage, which plagues so many Tarzan movies by sticking out like a sore thumb is evident here, but it's not as distracting. We get to see Cheetah, but it's only briefly and instead of Jane we get two very attractive women Sara Shane and Scilla Gabel. The action scenes are well executed and over all it's a well directed movie.