Jane's cousins come to Africa looking to take her back to England. They enlist the help of a big game hunter who, like every hunter in the Tarzan series, is evil. None of this goes over well with Tarzan. Third entry in MGM's Tarzan series is less impressive than the first two but still entertaining in its own right. Maureen O'Sullivan's charm and playful chemistry with Johnny Weissmuller is the best part of the movie. Actually, it's probably the best part of the entire series to me.As other reviewers have discussed, this one was meddled with by the studio, who deemed the original cut too violent after poor screenings. Unfortunately, we'll probably never know how good that version was. The biggest cut we know of is the much-talked about climax involving giant bats. It sounds pretty cool and I hope someday a copy of that cut exists so we can see it. Still, even with the cuts, the climax of this film is still exciting. It's an enjoyable film, even if it doesn't hold up well compared to the two that preceded it. Weissmuller and O'Sullivan are terrific. The rest of the cast is pretty good, too, with Herbert Mundin a standout. I can't imagine any fan of the series not liking this one, even if the spectre of "what might have been" hangs over it. Too bad about those bats, though.

This was the first Weissmuller Tarzan film I ever saw, back in the 1970's in the days of UHF TV, and while I enjoyed it then, I enjoy it more now, being able to see a less-redacted version via DVD. As an adult, I appreciate the clever and at times powerful script by Cyril Hume (who wrote 'Forbidden Planet,' the most perfect scifi film of all time) and I also appreciate the often artful camera work...the fleeting view of Tarzan as he first approaches the safari's camp, as well as the swimming scenes stand out in particular.As every other IMDb review points out, a few very grisly scenes were cut before theatrical release, and so there are a couple abrupt jumps in the story. Also, there is some usage of fast motion (to simulate more aggressive fighting), stock footage, and some of the comedy relief is also clumsy. And of course, the depiction of Africans is racist. These are the flaws in this picture, and are typical of the era. I forgive them since the overall experience of this picture is enjoyable and interesting.This is likely the most violent of the MGM Tarzan films, and certainly depicts Our Hero dispatching justice in a very cold, yet understandable, fashion. At the same time, this film has some of the most emotional and heart-rending moments of the series, and there is something vaguely messianic in the way Tarzan, believing himself betrayed by one he loves, willingly enters the cage, later to descend physically down a violently rocky slope into unconsciousness, only to re-emerge into the world commanding an army of avenging elephants.Weissmuller has all the moves down here, and utters mono-syllabic sentences with the strength of a conqueror or the vulnerability of three year old child, depending upon the needs of the script. There is a moment of genius when Tarzan says 'Secret?' to Jane...it's as if he is simultaneously asking for the definition of the word and asking Jane why in heaven's name she is keeping a secret from him. While Weissmuller was never a Lawrence Olivier, Lawrence Olivier never could have played Tarzan, so there you go.Besides fun and adventure, this film contains several extended commentaries on human behavior, on relationships, and on moral values. O'Sullivan gives her usual magnificent performance and there is suitable Tarzanic stage business throughout. Lovers of old adventure and fantasy films, as well as lovers of the Tarzan series, are likely to enjoy and appreciate this film.

"Tarzan Escapes" is both a beautiful love story and great jungle adventure—I couldn't ask for nothing else since this movie even gives us the violence. This time we see Tarzan battling a crocodile, cutting it with his knife, the blood flowing in the river water. There are some recycled scenes that seem lifted from the first film such as a rescue consisting of a great elephant stampede, Cheetah the orangutan fleeing a lion, and Tarzan having to save Jane and her cousins from a savage native tribe.What is unique about this one is the unwavering affection between Tarzan and Jane, their devotion to each other is touching and sweet. What is super cool, if totally unrealistic, is the architectural dynamo that is Tarzan and Jane's treehouse! They even have an elevator (made out of wood) with a rope that is pulled by an elephant's nose which allows people to be lifted up to the treehouse, not to mention, Tarzan has developed a water system and bridge that connects two treehouses. Oh, and Jane now can swing from vines, and her costume is an amazing patchwork of fabrics which cover all the bits, showing off her stunning figure and legs. She also has these amazing curly locks as if Jane had her own cosmetologist on standby in the jungle somewhere. Tarzan still wears the loincloth, bellows the familiar iconic yell, and remains language-impaired (but is getting better the longer he spends with Jane).I think the best scene could be a POV shot as Tarzan draws closer to Jane (she looks adoringly right at us, to the camera, with director Thorpe also quickly showing Tarzan's face before he accepts her open arms), a flower in her hand released into the water next to her, obviously implying that the two are about to make love. There's this awesome scene where two elephants help Tarzan escape from a steel cage by bending the bars with their snouts! The villain of this particular Tarzan movie is "great white hunter" Captain Fry (John Buckler, who would die in a car accident drowning the same year), who sees a profit in exploiting Tarzan's gifts with animals in England, making a potential alliance with a heathen tribe, which goes awry.Maureen O'Sullivan, a sophisticated and gentle little beauty, has some marvelous scenes where she faces splitting from Tarzan, the very notion of such a separation anguishing, but important in her mind because to sign a "piece of paper" (she was willed a fortune but doesn't really have an interest in wealth because of her happiness in the uncivilized world with Tarzan) would provide her cousins Rita (Benita Hume) and Eric (William Henry) with a comfortable income and living. Herbert Mundin is Fry's bumbling, cowardly right hand man, Rawlins, completely utilized as a comic foil for not only Tarzan, but is the victim of monkey laughter as one orangutan gets the giggles when he attempts to swing on a vine. Tragic consequences for Rawlins when he discovers the sneaky, underhanded Fry's nefarious scheme; Fry, you just know, will get his comeuppance. There's this atmospheric swamp Tarzan will lead Jane and company through in order to escape the savage natives who fear the "ju-ju" of such a scary place with iguanas lurking about. I would LOVE to see the original film before "Tarzan Escapes" was reshot (the crew and some cast members replaced) which has gained a notoriety for having been too graphically violent. That said, I found much to enjoy with this Tarzan adventure. The kid in me just eats this up. Some might find this a bit campy (considering Cheetah's antics and Rawlins' goofy bumpkin) and its romance story a bit sappy, but I really adore the casting of Weissmuller and O'Sullivan as Tarzan and Jane; their genuine chemistry I find irresistible. I thought Buckler was very good as the treacherous Fry because he seems like a trustworthy gentleman (you do see glimpses of a dark side like when he whips some of his African slaves), only to show his true greedy self which backfires on him; his fate is particularly disturbing as Tarzan will not allow him to follow them to safety. Seeing Tarzan and Jane grappling with the idea of being apart is really kind of gut-wrenching!

Let me say two things right off the "bat:"1 - This is one of the better Tarzan films; 2 - The title is a misnomer. Tarzan doesn't get trapped anywhere to escape from until the last 20 minuets and he isn't in a cage long enough to warrant that title.This film also is noted for it being chopped down a bit at the last minute. Apparently, a scene or two was a little too scary for preview audiences (giant bats in a swamp, for instance) so they edited it out at the last minute. They didn't re-shoot the material to make the transition smooth, so there are a few holes in the story's last 15 minutes. But it's nothing major and doesn't detract from the interesting adventure.Slowly browsing through the recently-released "Tarzan Collection" DVD pack has made me appreciate these films all over again. They were really great entertainment. There were very few, if any, boring lulls in these films and some of the African wildlife footage is still amazing to this day!Tarzan Escapes is considered one of the best in the series, even if some parts were cut. It's very entertaining with the typical mix of adventure, humor, good guys vs. bad guys, romance and the like. In this film, elephants are the heroes, coming to the defense of Tarzan (Johnny Weissmuller).; the humor is provided by a member of the safari team ; Jane (Maureen O'Sullivan) doesn't appear the first half hour and the action ends with some great film-noir like photography in a swamp (minus the bats). Along the way are an assortment of wild animals and birds, always interesting to view. It's a fast-moving 89 minutes.