Tarzan and the Great River

1967 "America's Hero"
5.3| 1h28m| G| en
Details

Tarzan is summoned to Brazil by an old friend to stop an evil tribal cult from destroying native villages and enslaving the survivors. The Lord of the Jungle is accompanied on his quest by a pretty blonde doctor, a boy and a grizzled sea captain.

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Reviews

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic
Usamah Harvey The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.
Abegail Noëlle While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.
Edgar Soberon Torchia Infamous Tarzan movie because of accident suffered by Mike Henry: he was bitten on the chin by Dinky, the chimpanzee playing Cheetah, which was "destroyed" for its action. But it is not as bad as I had been told. It is a welcome and nice, wide-screen change of setting in the Amazonian jungle, where the Ape Man goes after diamond-greedy Rafer Johnson and his bunch of painted mercenaries, all belonging to the ancient Jaguar cult. But as Henry's hair and make-up are in place most of the running time, the plot that could have been resolved in 70 minutes was "spiced" with footage and more footage (quite often scratched) of wild animals, vast views of the jungle, monkey's humor, the Amazon river, more animals, and a never-ending duel between ex-linebacker Henry and decathlon champ Johnson. But in the end the movie is colorful and bearable nonetheless.
wes-connors In Brazil, nasty native Rafer Johnson (as Barcuna) is attacking peaceful tribes and luring survivors into slavery. A widening circle of death and destruction threatens the entire free world. Naturally, the world's secret agent of the jungles, muscular Mike Henry (as Tarzan), is called into action. Donning his action-ready loincloth, Mr. Henry picks up old friends "Cheeta" the chimp and "Baron" the lion. Henry and his pet sidekicks join Captain Jan Murray (as Sam Bishop) and orphaned native boy Manuel Padilla Jr. (as Pepe) on their small boat. Next to join is beautiful blonde doctor Diana Millay (as Ann Philips), who wants to inoculate natives against disease. The three guests offer more characterization than was usual for the "Tarzan" movies...The trigger-happy Tarzan from the last film is gone; he remembers the name of his pet chimpanzee and notes its increased size. The cinematography is good, the dubbing and sound are not - we have a cartoon-like quality. There are some rough transitions and plot concerns - the diamond hunt is cast adrift - but "Tarzan and the Great River" is a good entry in the series. It is interesting and educational to see how the lion "Barron" leaves to hunt for food, in a small segment. The supporting cast is good enough for a series of their own - Murray, Millay and Manuel could have sailed on that boat for weekly TV adventures, without Tarzan. Their appeal was available, separately; at the time, Murray was doing some episodic television, Millay was showing some wicked versatility on "Dark Shadows", and Manuel was a regular on the "Tarzan" TV series starring Ron Ely.***** Tarzan and the Great River (9/13/67) Robert Day ~ Mike Henry, Jan Murray, Diana Millay, Manuel Padilla Jr.
dinky-4 Proof that the "Tarzan" character works best in an African setting, circa 1890s to 1930s, can be found in this mildly enjoyable but undeniably juvenile movie. It tries to "update" and "re-imagine" Tarzan by sending him on a jetliner to Brazil where he arrives wearing a suit and tie. This immediately raises questions. Where does he buy his suits? How does he pay for them? Does he have on a loincloth underneath or does he prefer Jockey-brand briefs?Tarzan soon dons his customary garb and goes off on an adventure where he's involved in the usual vine-swinging, lion-wrestling, blonde-rescuing, villain-bashing, and giving out that Tarzan yell. Much of this action is padded out with wildlife footage which carelessly confuses African with South American zoology. What limits this "Tarzan" is not the character's built-in incongruity but rather the kiddie-matinee nonsense which reverses past efforts to make this series more appealing to adults. Thus we have the cloyingly-cute kid, the chimp shenanigans, the corny dialog, the stereotyped cast members, etc.On the plus side is tall, dark, handsome Mike Henry -- perhaps the only Tarzan with hair on his pecs. Though visually he's almost ideal, with a body by Michelangelo, he has a flat personality and only a minimum of acting ability, but these faults tend to fade away whenever he swings into action.
kell31 It is some years since I saw this film but I still remember it vividly.I rate it much higher than all the other Tarzan films from the late forties to the present day.Mike Henry is adequate as Tarzan and Manuel Padilla Jr. is very natural in his role(he was later to play a similar role as Jai in the "Tarzan" television series of the sixties.)The supporting cast are fine too and the scenery is magnificent.Best of all however is the casting of Diana Millay as Ann.Combining beauty and brains this talented actress makes the lovely doctor she plays one of the most memorable heroines in any "Tarzan" film.