''Tarzan of the Apes'' is a
1918 American
action
Action may refer to:
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video game
Film
* Action film, a genre of film
* ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford
* ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
/
adventure
An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...
silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...
directed by
Scott Sidney
Scott Sidney (1872 – 20 July 1928), born Harry Wilbur Siggins, was an American film director. He directed 117 films between 1913 and 1927.
He died in London, England, United Kingdom.
Selected filmography
Director
* ''The Adventures of ...
starring
Elmo Lincoln
Elmo Lincoln (born Otto Elmo Linkenhelt; February 6, 1889June 27, 1952) was an American stage and film actor whose career in motion pictures spanned the silent and sound eras. He performed in over 100 screen productions between 1913 and 1952 an ...
,
Enid Markey
Enid Markey (February 22, 1894 – November 15, 1981) was an American theatre, film, radio, and television actress, whose career spanned over 50 years, extending from the early 1900s to the late 1960s. In movies, she was the first performer ...
,
George B. French
George B. French (April 14, 1883 – June 9, 1961) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 90 films between the mid-1910s and early 1940s.
Selected filmography
* '' Wanted: A Leading Lady'' (1915)
* ''Tarzan of the Apes'' (191 ...
and
Gordon Griffith
Gordon S. Griffith (July 4, 1907 – October 12, 1958) was an American assistant director, film producer, and one of the first child actors in the American movie industry. Griffith worked in the film industry for five decades, acting in ov ...
.
It was the first
Tarzan
Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...
film ever made and is based on
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American author, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best-known for creating the characters Tarzan and John Carter, he ...
' original 1912 novel ''
Tarzan of the Apes
''Tarzan of the Apes'' is a 1912 story by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, and the first in the Tarzan series. It was first serialized in the pulp magazine '' The All-Story'' beginning October 1912 before being released
as a novel in June ...
''. The film adapts only the first part of the novel, the remainder becoming the basis for the sequel, ''
The Romance of Tarzan
''The Romance of Tarzan'' is a 1918 American silent action adventure film directed by Wilfred Lucas starring Elmo Lincoln, Enid Markey, Thomas Jefferson, and Cleo Madison. The movie was the second Tarzan movie ever made, and is based on Edgar R ...
''. The film is considered the most faithful to the novel of all the film adaptations. Its most notable plot change is the introduction of the character Binns and his role in bringing the Porters to Africa; the novel brought them there through the improbable coincidence of a second mutiny.
The role of Tarzan was given to
Gordon Griffith
Gordon S. Griffith (July 4, 1907 – October 12, 1958) was an American assistant director, film producer, and one of the first child actors in the American movie industry. Griffith worked in the film industry for five decades, acting in ov ...
, one of the best child actors of the time, and to
Elmo Lincoln
Elmo Lincoln (born Otto Elmo Linkenhelt; February 6, 1889June 27, 1952) was an American stage and film actor whose career in motion pictures spanned the silent and sound eras. He performed in over 100 screen productions between 1913 and 1952 an ...
, an actor who specialized in "strong man" roles.
Enid Markey
Enid Markey (February 22, 1894 – November 15, 1981) was an American theatre, film, radio, and television actress, whose career spanned over 50 years, extending from the early 1900s to the late 1960s. In movies, she was the first performer ...
was the first Jane. Especially for Griffith and Lincoln the film represented a huge personal success, which gave them the opportunity to shoot other important films and guaranteed their presence in three sequels: ''
The Romance of Tarzan
''The Romance of Tarzan'' is a 1918 American silent action adventure film directed by Wilfred Lucas starring Elmo Lincoln, Enid Markey, Thomas Jefferson, and Cleo Madison. The movie was the second Tarzan movie ever made, and is based on Edgar R ...
'' (1918), ''
The Son of Tarzan
''The Son of Tarzan'' is a novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the fourth in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. It was written between January 21 and May 11, 1915, and first published in the magazine ' ...
'' (1920), and ''
The Adventures of Tarzan
''The Adventures of Tarzan'' (1921) is a 15 chapter movie serial which features the third and final appearance of Elmo Lincoln as Tarzan. The serial was produced by Louis Weiss, written by Robert F. Hill and Lillian Valentine (partially b ...
'' (1921).
Plot
![Tarzan of the Apes 1918](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Tarzan_of_the_Apes_1918.jpg)
John and Alice Clayton, Lord and Lady Greystoke (
True Boardman
William True Boardman (April 21, 1882 – September 28, 1918) was an American film actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1911 and 1919 before falling victim to the 1918 flu pandemic.
Biography
True Boardman wa ...
and
Kathleen Kirkham
Kathleen Kirkham Woodruff (April 15, 1895 – November 7, 1961) was an American actress on stage and in silent films.
Career
Kathleen Kirkham was born on April 15, 1895 to Mrs. L.B. Kirkham, who was a stage actress prior to her marriage.
Kirkh ...
), are passengers on the ''Fuwalda'', a ship bound for Africa. When the vessel is taken over by mutineers the sailor Binns (
George B. French
George B. French (April 14, 1883 – June 9, 1961) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 90 films between the mid-1910s and early 1940s.
Selected filmography
* '' Wanted: A Leading Lady'' (1915)
* ''Tarzan of the Apes'' (191 ...
) saves them from being murdered, but they are marooned on the tropical coast. After their deaths their infant son is adopted by
Kala
Kala or Kalah may refer to:
Religion Hinduism
*Kāla, a Sanskrit word meaning ''time''
*Kāla, a Hindu deity of time, destiny, death and destruction closely related to Yama and Shiva.
*Kalā, a Sanskrit word meaning ''performing arts''
* Kala Bo, ...
, an ape, who raises him as her own. The young Tarzan (
Gordon Griffith
Gordon S. Griffith (July 4, 1907 – October 12, 1958) was an American assistant director, film producer, and one of the first child actors in the American movie industry. Griffith worked in the film industry for five decades, acting in ov ...
) grows to maturity among the apes, becoming their king. Binns, returning to find the Claytons after ten years’ captivity among the Arabs, discovers the ape man and travels to England to report his survival to his family. An expedition led by scientist Professor Porter (Thomas Jefferson) is launched to investigate. Meanwhile, Kala has been killed by a native, who is killed in turn by the now-adult Tarzan (
Elmo Lincoln
Elmo Lincoln (born Otto Elmo Linkenhelt; February 6, 1889June 27, 1952) was an American stage and film actor whose career in motion pictures spanned the silent and sound eras. He performed in over 100 screen productions between 1913 and 1952 an ...
). The villagers kidnap Porter's daughter
Jane
Jane may refer to:
* Jane (given name), a feminine given name
* Jane (surname), related to the given name
Film and television
* ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd
* ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...
(
Enid Markey
Enid Markey (February 22, 1894 – November 15, 1981) was an American theatre, film, radio, and television actress, whose career spanned over 50 years, extending from the early 1900s to the late 1960s. In movies, she was the first performer ...
); Tarzan rescues and romances her, and she comes to accept his love.
Cast
Production
Burroughs sold the film rights to William Parson for $5,000 plus
stock
In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a company ...
worth $50,000 plus 10% of the gross, in a period when film rights were normally sold only for $100 to $500, with rights eventually reverting to Burroughs.
''Tarzan of the Apes'' was filmed in 1917 in
Morgan City, Louisiana
Morgan City is a small city in St. Mary and lower St. Martin parishes in the U.S. State of Louisiana. The population was 12,404 at the 2010 census. Known for being “right in the middle of everywhere”, Morgan City is located 68 miles (109&nb ...
, utilizing Louisiana swamps as a stand-in for the African jungle.
A large portion of Griffith's role as young Tarzan is played in the nude, making ''Tarzan of the Apes'' one of the first films to feature a named actor in a
nude scene
In film, nudity may be either graphic or suggestive, such as when a person appears to be naked but is covered by a sheet. Since the birth of film, depictions of any form of sexuality have been controversial, and in the case of most nude scene ...
. Most shots featuring Griffith in the nude are framed to hide his genitals, with the exception of one shot in which his penis is briefly visible. The film also includes brief scenes of
female toplessness.
Reception
Like many American films of the time, ''Tarzan of the Apes'' was subject to cuts by
city and state film censorship boards. For showing in Chicago, its Board of Censors cut: "in Reel 1, the captain shooting man and his falling, two scenes of men with captain being shot and falling, striking man on head, Reel 3, scene of boy being frightened by lion and jumping up showing his sex, woman standing over kettle showing breasts, Reel 5, first two scenes of maid on man's lap in closet, three choking scenes, Reel 7, two closeups of Negro leering at woman and four scenes where he carries her off."
References
External links
*
ERBzine.com Silver Screen: ''Tarzan of the Apes''*
*
{{Scott Sidney
1918 films
1910s action adventure films
American action adventure films
American black-and-white films
American silent feature films
Articles containing video clips
Films based on American novels
Films directed by Scott Sidney
Films shot in Louisiana
First National Pictures films
Surviving American silent films
Tarzan films
Censored films
1910s American films
Silent adventure films