Tarzan and His Mate

It has quite a stromng plot too .Neal Hamilton and Paul Cavenaugh play two adventurers searching for the elephants graveyard and the fortune in ivory that would accrue from its discovery.The journey up the jungle is fraught with peril especially attacks from a tribe of cannibals and on arrival at Tarzan's lair they find him unwilling to lead them to the graveyard.

The latter part of the movie is about the conflict between the hunters and Tarzan and is lively and excitingly put together with a rousing climax as the party are besieged by a savage tribe and a pack of lions.

It is technically primitive by today's standards but still has power and pace .There are lots of fights with reptiles and animals , much swinging from the trees and even an early ecological message .

Enjoyable and made just before the series descended into the formulaic and routine


The very best of the Weismuller-Sullivan Tarzan movies   April 2, 2003
Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

All things considered "Tarzan and His Mate" is probably the most entertaining Tarzan film in cinematic history. Of course, one of the things that we are considering here is the celebrated nude swim by Jane (Maureen O'Sullivan's stunt double as I understand it). Between Jane's skimpy jungle outfit and the clear sexual relationship she enjoys with Tarzan, this film bears the burden as much as any other for bringing the Hays Office into being. Ironically, today we would find Tarzan and Jane's version of jungle love to be relatively tame and it would be all the animals that were hurt making this film that would upset people.

This 1934 film is a sequel to Johnny Weismuller's first effort as the lord of the jungle in 1932's "Tarzan the Ape Man." A hunting expedition is moving through the African jungle, searching for the legendary burial ground of the elephants in the Mutia Escarpment. Explorer Harry Holt (Neil Hamilton) is serving as the guide for his friend, the British adventurer Marlin Arlington (Paul Cavanaugh). Arlington is after the ivory, but Holt wants to win back Jane and take her away from the jungle back to civilization.

Ultimately, what makes "Tarzan and His Mate" so interesting is that the film is more about Jane and her reasons for living in the jungle. This allows Jane to comment on the troubles of civilization, but her bigger argument is that she loves Tarzan and she knows he would never survive in the civilized world. Even the beautiful gown and phonograph music the visitors bring to her cannot tempt Jane, especially when Tarzan carries her away to spend the night in the trees (Note: Tarzan calls Jane his wife the next morning, suggesting they were married in between the two films; the couple were definitely married in the Edgar Rice Burroughs novels, but that, along with Tarzan's ability to speak English, French and several other languages fluently, was obviously jettisoned for these films).

The latter part of the film returns to the search for the elephant's graveyard during which Arlington goes out of his way to show the downside of "civilized" behavior. This is where the film becomes a more traditional Tarzan adventure as Jane has to be rescued from a variety of jungle animals and human predators. It is interesting to see how much raw violence there is in this film, mainly because it is directed mostly against animals rather than humans, therefore it ends up being more "realistic" than what we would expect. But ultimately "Tarzan and His Mate" stands out because the love story between Tarzan and Jane is much stronger now that they are a happy couple than when he was courting her the first time around.


A must see Tarzan movie! So funny, I almost wet my pants...   January 19, 1999
3 out of 7 found this review helpful

This was unlike any Tarzan movie I can remember. Some of the scenes with Jane were rather risque' for its time. She and Tarzan take what looks like a nude swim after he rips off her clothes and practically throws her into the water. At one point they are seen going to bed for the night in their treehouse and it looks like Tarzan has Jane under his arm like a blow up doll! Don't miss the action when manly Tarzan fights off hungry crocodiles-the scene is just so fake and hilarious that you can't help but laugh. There are just too many scenes of similar unbelievable action that it seems more like a comedy than an adventure movie. Watch it with a friend so that you don't miss any of the swinging action!


this is more like it!   January 18, 2004
colin christian (fort lauderdale, FL USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

let me cut to the quick... easily the best tarzan movie ever made,the first fifteen minutes delivers as much fabulous over the top violence as you could wish for,arrows in the face,and giant crazy rock throwing gorillas are two highlights,naked Jane and an awesome rubber croc....if this movie was remade today,uncut,it would recieve an R rating,no problem. all in all top notch entertainment....where is the DVD?


Great Love Story   November 14, 2004
Erin Bickler
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I just happened to sit down one evening and watch this film on Turner Classic Movies. The second it was over, I went online and ordered it from Amazon.com. I found that there's a great sexiness about these two living amidst a jungle with no one around them but themselves. It's a very well told love story about two people who help define "soul mate." I recommend this film to anyone who enjoys a little romance.