Overview: Edgar Rice Burroughs’ hero has thrilled movie audiences since the days of the silent screen. Tarzan of the Apes (1918), with the brawny Elmo Lincoln in the title role, introduced the character to movie audiences and told the traditional tale of how the orphaned heir to the Greystoke fortune became lord of the jungle.

Lincoln was so impressive that he returned in Adventures of Tarzan (1921), this time to rescue his beloved Jane from the clutches of the evil Queen La.

By 1935, the public was still fascinated by the nobleman who had been raised by apes, now played by Herman Brix (AKA Bruce Bennet) in The New Adventures of Tarzan.

Brix, a star shot-putter at the 1928 Olympics, needed all of his muscle to portray Tarzan in this tale of missing jewels, and explosives powerful enough to destroy the world. Here is your chance to sit back and enjoy a Tarzan trilogy guaranteed to leave you spellbound!

Blu-ray Verdict: Reared by a childless ape, the orphaned heir of the Greystoke’s becomes one of the apes. Then Dr Porter organizes a rescue expedition, and his beautiful daughter Jane catches his attention. Has Tarzan of the Apes found the perfect mate?

Tarzan of the Apes (1918): As noted, Edgar Rice Burrough’s 1912 novel about hereditary and how an abandoned baby adapts to the wild African environment was first brought to the screen in January 1918’s Tarzan of the Apes. Pegged as the most faithful film of the novelist’s debut book, Tarzan, played by actor Elmo Lincoln, is the first of a great many Tarzan’s to come upon the silver screen.

The film follows Burrough’s events described in the first half of his book, introducing the characters and events leading up to a young infant’s upbringing by the apes in the African jungle. The boy, played by Gordon Griffith, one the earliest child actors in silent movies, is raised by his adoptive ape mother, before Lincoln takes over as the adult Tarzan.

Jane, his future partner, comes upon the scene as part of an expedition investigating the disappearance of Lord and Lady Greystoke, who births the boy before she and her husband die. The film reveals the love relationship of Tarzan and Jane in the deepest of terms.

A simply wondrous film for its time, some perceptive viewers will notice the large amount of Spanish Moss growing on the trees in the film Tarzan of the Apes. The moss, rarely found in Africa but abundant in Louisiana, serves as a lush backdrop where filming took place near Morgan City.

When Jane is abducted by Arab slave traders, Tarzan comes to her rescue, only to see her kidnapped again by Queen La of Opar. To save Jane, Tarzan must battle both the queen’s minions and William Clayton, who seeks Tarzan’s family title.

Adventures of Tarzan (1921): For all intense and purposes, this sequel has been AWOL for many years now, but thanks for The Film Detective it is back, and lovingly restored to all its former glory.

Mostly regarded as a long-lost classic, Elmo Lincoln’s performance as Tarzan may not be as theatrical as his debut was, but he is on top for throughout, nonetheless.

That said, this time his is most definitely hampered by a really weird, mind-boggling costume (which had been somewhat retouched for the poster so that it didn’t look half as ridiculous!).

The other players all play their parts well, the camera work spot on, especially for the now-infamous Tarzan vs. The Lion fight! Interestingly enough, that very scene where Tarzan fights and kills the lion was a real one! The lion became annoyed at having its tail pulled and attacked Lincoln, who was forced to fight for his life and managed to kill the animal after stabbing it several times. The scene was left in the film!

You just cannot make this stuff up! Anyway, moving on admittedly still colorized by a nature of-its-day green-tinted hue, this long-lost masterpiece is still a massive joy to watch.

Tarzan goes to Guatemala to find his lost friend, D’Arnot. On the way he helps Major Matling search Mayan ruins for hidden jewels and an idol containing the formula for a powerful explosive.

The New Adventures of Tarzan (1935): In this third, and final film (which was also serialized), the original plot line bring us a more intelligent Tarzan; showcasing a man who is clearly an intelligent aristocrat of the books and who actually now lives at a manor in England (but returns to the jungles when needed).

He speaks in complete sentences and interacts with other characters on an intellectual level. His chimp sidekick is even named from the books, Nkima. Not short on action, this film/serial has suspense and drama to satisfy the both the serialist and Tarzan fans rather nicely.

Here we can clearly see that Brix is in perfect shape for the role and we get to see enough flexed muscles and six-pack abs to prove it! For my money, of all the early Tarzan’s, Brix has one of the most perfect and realistic builds.

And, of course, his yell is quite interesting. I can’t describe it other than as a man who stubbed his toe, and is trying to stifle an obscenity! Anyway, as with the other two in this box-set, this one is most certainly worth watching and is also chock full of exotic scenery (having shot on location in Guatemala). These are all Full Screen Presentations (1.33:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

All-new commentary tracks by award-winning journalist/historian, Ed Hulse
Law of the Jungle: The Cinematic Adventures of Herman Brix, featuring an interview with actor and athlete, Herman Brix.
Drawn to the Jungle: The Early History of Tarzan in Comics, featuring an all-new interview with author/filmmaker, Donald F. Glut
Swinging into Action: The Early Adventures of Tarzan on Film, featuring exclusive interviews with author/film historian C. Courtney Joyner, producer/film historian Bruce Scivally and literary historian, Richard Heft
Full-color booklet with new essays by authors Jennifer Churchill and Don Stradley.