Film Masters
The jungle drums are pounding once more—The New Adventures of Tarzan (1935) has swung onto Blu-ray, freshly restored in HD by Film Masters as part of their Archive Collection.
This isn’t the monosyllabic, vine-swinging Tarzan of MGM’s Hollywood machine—this is the real deal. A Tarzan who speaks, strategizes, and embodies the literary vision Edgar Rice Burroughs intended.
Produced by Burroughs-Tarzan Enterprises and co-directed by Edward A. Kull and Wilbur McGaugh, this 12-chapter serial was a direct challenge to the prevailing image of Tarzan as a grunting jungle brute.
Here, he’s a multilingual aristocrat as comfortable in a London drawing room as he is wrestling wild beasts in the jungle. And who better to bring him to life than Olympic athlete Herman Brix (later Bruce Bennett)?
Handpicked by Burroughs himself, Brix delivers a Tarzan that’s powerful, intelligent, and refreshingly faithful to the books.
The plot is pure pulp adventure.
When Tarzan’s friend, Captain D’Arnot, vanishes after a plane crash, the ape-man joins an expedition to Guatemala led by Major Martling (Frank Baker) in search of the legendary Green Goddess, an ancient Mayan idol rumored to hold both priceless jewels and a world-altering explosive formula. Also in pursuit is Ula Vale (Ula Holt), determined to honor her late fiancé’s research, while the ruthless P.B. Raglan (Ashton Dearholt, alias Don Castello) and his cronies will stop at nothing to claim the treasure for themselves.
Spanning 257 minutes, the serial delivers all the classic thrills: Tarzan battling a lion, dodging booby traps, surviving a storm-tossed sea chase, and taking on treacherous foes. The final chapter doesn’t disappoint—villains meet their just deserts, secrets are safeguarded, and Tarzan returns to Greystoke Manor, mission accomplished.
But let’s not kid ourselves—this is a 1930s serial, and it comes with its share of bumps and bruises. The pacing drags in places, jungle treks meander, and the dialogue occasionally lands with a thud. An excised subplot involving Ula as Operator No. 17 leaves behind a head-scratching chapter title, a ghost of what might have been. The on-location Guatemalan shoot lends rare authenticity to the visuals, but choppy editing and a lackluster musical score blunt some of the impact.
Yet, at its core, The New Adventures of Tarzan captures Burroughs’ spirit—his love for exotic locales, high-stakes treasure hunts, and a hero who is both brute force and brilliant mind. Brix is the beating heart of this adaptation, performing his own stunts with an athleticism no stunt double could match. He swings through the trees, snaps ropes with sheer strength, and even wrestles a live lion (Melvin Koontz’s big cat, for those keeping score). His Tarzan yell? A quirky, high-pitched warble—not exactly Weissmuller’s iconic bellow, but it adds charm.
The supporting cast, however, is a mixed bag. Ula Holt’s Ula Vale has potential as a strong, independent character, but the script and her stiff performance reduce her to a standard-issue damsel. Frank Baker’s Major Martling is serviceable, while Ashton Dearholt’s Raglan revels in mustache-twirling villainy. Unfortunately, comic-relief character George (Lewis Sargent) leans into dated, cringeworthy humor, and the portrayal of indigenous characters reflects unfortunate stereotypes of the era.
The serial itself was Burroughs’ act of defiance.
Frustrated by MGM’s dumbing down of his creation, he co-founded Burroughs-Tarzan Enterprises to restore Tarzan’s literary identity. Details like the inclusion of Nkima, Tarzan’s monkey sidekick from the books (not the Hollywood-invented Cheeta), and the presence of D’Arnot, a key literary ally, make this a truer adaptation.
But while it aligns with Tarzan of the Apes (1912) and The Return of Tarzan (1913), it lacks their narrative depth and mythic grandeur. Legal entanglements with MGM kept the serial out of U.S. theaters, ensuring its fate as a little-seen oddity rather than a genre-defining classic.
Film Detective’s Blu-ray release offers a commendable restoration—though not a pristine one. The jungle backdrops look richer, but the on-location sound remains rough, a persistent reminder of the production’s limitations.
For die-hard Burroughs fans and vintage serial enthusiasts, The New Adventures of Tarzan is an essential, if imperfect, rediscovery. It’s a rugged, sometimes clunky, but undeniably earnest attempt to bring Tarzan back to his roots. Casual viewers may struggle with its creaky pacing, but for those willing to embrace its quirks, it’s a fascinating, long-lost piece of cinematic jungle lore. Film Detective’s release is the best way to experience this overlooked chapter in Tarzan’s legacy—warts and all.
The jungle drums are pounding once more—The New Adventures of Tarzan (1935) has swung onto Blu-ray, freshly restored in HD by Film Masters as part of their Archive Collection. This isn’t the monosyllabic, vine-swinging Tarzan of MGM’s Hollywood machine—this is the real deal. A Tarzan who speaks, strategizes, and embodies the literary vision Edgar Rice Burroughs intended.
Produced by Burroughs-Tarzan Enterprises and co-directed by Edward A. Kull and Wilbur McGaugh, this 12-chapter serial was a direct challenge to the prevailing image of Tarzan as a grunting jungle brute. Here, he’s a multilingual aristocrat as comfortable in a London drawing room as he is wrestling wild beasts in the jungle. And who better to bring him to life than Olympic athlete Herman Brix (later Bruce Bennett)? Handpicked by Burroughs himself, Brix delivers a Tarzan that’s powerful, intelligent, and refreshingly faithful to the books.
The plot is pure pulp adventure. When Tarzan’s friend, Captain D’Arnot, vanishes after a plane crash, the ape-man joins an expedition to Guatemala led by Major Martling (Frank Baker) in search of the legendary Green Goddess, an ancient Mayan idol rumored to hold both priceless jewels and a world-altering explosive formula. Also in pursuit is Ula Vale (Ula Holt), determined to honor her late fiancé’s research, while the ruthless P.B. Raglan (Ashton Dearholt, alias Don Castello) and his cronies will stop at nothing to claim the treasure for themselves.
Spanning 257 minutes, the serial delivers all the classic thrills: Tarzan battling a lion, dodging booby traps, surviving a storm-tossed sea chase, and taking on treacherous foes. The final chapter doesn’t disappoint—villains meet their just deserts, secrets are safeguarded, and Tarzan returns to Greystoke Manor, mission accomplished.
But let’s not kid ourselves—this is a 1930s serial, and it comes with its share of bumps and bruises. The pacing drags in places, jungle treks meander, and the dialogue occasionally lands with a thud. An excised subplot involving Ula as Operator No. 17 leaves behind a head-scratching chapter title, a ghost of what might have been. The on-location Guatemalan shoot lends rare authenticity to the visuals, but choppy editing and a lackluster musical score blunt some of the impact.
Yet, at its core, The New Adventures of Tarzan captures Burroughs’ spirit—his love for exotic locales, high-stakes treasure hunts, and a hero who is both brute force and brilliant mind. Brix is the beating heart of this adaptation, performing his own stunts with an athleticism no stunt double could match. He swings through the trees, snaps ropes with sheer strength, and even wrestles a live lion (Melvin Koontz’s big cat, for those keeping score). His Tarzan yell? A quirky, high-pitched warble—not exactly Weissmuller’s iconic bellow, but it adds charm.
The supporting cast, however, is a mixed bag. Ula Holt’s Ula Vale has potential as a strong, independent character, but the script and her stiff performance reduce her to a standard-issue damsel. Frank Baker’s Major Martling is serviceable, while Ashton Dearholt’s Raglan revels in mustache-twirling villainy. Unfortunately, comic-relief character George (Lewis Sargent) leans into dated, cringeworthy humor, and the portrayal of indigenous characters reflects unfortunate stereotypes of the era.
The serial itself was Burroughs’ act of defiance.
Frustrated by MGM’s dumbing down of his creation, he co-founded Burroughs-Tarzan Enterprises to restore Tarzan’s literary identity. Details like the inclusion of Nkima, Tarzan’s monkey sidekick from the books (not the Hollywood-invented Cheeta), and the presence of D’Arnot, a key literary ally, make this a truer adaptation. But while it aligns with Tarzan of the Apes (1912) and The Return of Tarzan (1913), it lacks their narrative depth and mythic grandeur. Legal entanglements with MGM kept the serial out of U.S. theaters, ensuring its fate as a little-seen oddity rather than a genre-defining classic.
Film Detective’s Blu-ray release offers a commendable restoration—though not a pristine one. The jungle backdrops look richer, but the on-location sound remains rough, a persistent reminder of the production’s limitations.
For die-hard Burroughs fans and vintage serial enthusiasts, The New Adventures of Tarzan is an essential, if imperfect, rediscovery. It’s a rugged, sometimes clunky, but undeniably earnest attempt to bring Tarzan back to his roots. Casual viewers may struggle with its creaky pacing, but for those willing to embrace its quirks, it’s a fascinating, long-lost piece of cinematic jungle lore. Film Detective’s release is the best way to experience this overlooked chapter in Tarzan’s legacy—warts and all.
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