Tarzan, the Ape Man (1981)

Regisseur:

John Derek

Drehbuchautoren:

Tom Rowe (screenplay) and
Edgar Rice Burroughs (characters)

Premierendatum:

24. September 1981 (Bundesrepublik Deutschland)

Genre:

Action | Abenteuer

Werbezeile:

Unlike any other "Tarzan" you've ever seen!

Plot:

The Tarzan story from Jane's point of view. Jane Parker visits her father in Africa where she joins him on an expedition...

Plot Keywords:

Body Paint | Female Nudity | Orangutan | Tarzan | Gorilla

Filmpreise:

1 win & 5 nominations

Nutzerkommentare:

A legendarily bad film

Besetzung

Bo Derek	...	Jane Parker
Richard Harris	...	James Parker
John Phillip Law	...	Harry Holt
Miles O'Keeffe	...	Tarzan
Akushula Selayah	...	Africa
Steve Strong	...	Ivory King
Maxime Philoe	...	Riano
Leonard Bailey	...	Feathers
Wilfrid Hyde-White	...	Club Member
Laurie Main	...	Club Member
Harold Ayer	...	Club Member

Alternativ:

Tarzan, Herr der Affen (Bundesrepublik Deutschland) [de]
Tarzan, Herr des Urwalds (Bundesrepublik Deutschland) [de]

Länge:

107 Min

Produktionsland:

USA

Sprache:

Englisch

Farbe:

Farbe (Metrocolor)

Seitenverhältnis:

1.85 : 1

Tonverfahren:

Mono

Altersfreigabe:

Iceland:L | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Finland:K-12 (cut) (1981) | Australia:M | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Norway:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12

Drehorte:

Seychelles

Firma:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Dies und das:

Lee Canalito, originally cast as Tarzan, was replaced by Miles O'Keeffe at the last minute.

Pannen:

Faktische Fehler: There are no wild Ourang-utans in Africa.

Dialogzitate:

[It's night. We hear Tarzan yelling]
Parker: Oh, shut up, you boring son of a bitch!

Bezüge zu anderen Titeln:

Ausschnittsweise enthalten in The Great British Sunday (2008) (TV)

A legendarily bad film

So, just how bad is the 1981 version of Tarzan the Ape Man? Everybody knows that it has a reputation as one of the very worst movies ever made, so when you sit down to watch it, you know it's going to be rubbish. The main element of fun is experiencing just how bad it really is. Can it really surpass Plan 9 From Outer Space? Is it as idiotic as Astro Zombies? Is it as boring as The Bible....in the Beginning? Is it as unitentionally funny as The Swarm? The answer is.... yes! This movie really is right down there with the worst twenty or so films ever made.

The story focuses more on Jane (the beautiful but talentless Bo Derek), who arrives in Africa to reunite with her tyrannical, boozy, abusive father (Richard Harris). During a jungle expedition, she goes missing and is rescued by ape man Tarzan (Miles O'Keefe), only to fall in love with him.

O'Keefe is unquestionably the worst Tarzan ever, and Derek is probably the worst Jane. Richard Harris's performance is energetic and entertaining, but why he bothered to put in such a lively performance is anybody's guess. It's certainly a wasted effort.

The backdrop is nicely photographed, but then again anyone can design a nice postcard. The characters moving around in front of the scenery are so banal and idiotic that the film fails on every level. The worst moment of all is the dreary slow-motion snake wrestling sequence. Bo Derek strips off regularly, and she looks stunning, but after seeing her tits five or six times, you start to get fed up even with that.

Miss this movie at all costs. Unless you want to compile a list of the worst films ever.... if that's your aim, then this is a must!