Tarzan of the Apes
by Edgar Rice Burroughsliterary work· published 1912
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Tarzan of the Apes is a 1912 novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, and the first in the Tarzan series. The story was first printed in the pulp magazine The All-Story in October 1912 before being released as a novel in June 1914. The story follows the title character Tarzan's adventures, from his childhood being raised by apes in the jungle to his eventual encounters with other humans and Western society. So popular was the character that Burroughs continued the series into the 1940s with two dozen sequels. Scholars have noted several important themes in the novel: the impact of heredity on behavior; racial superiority; civilization, especially as Tarzan struggles with his identity as a human; sexuality; and escapism.
Adaptations (7)
Tarzan of the Apes has been adapted into 7 films, from 1918 to 1999. The most recent is Tarzan (1999).
Tarzan of the Apes1918 · film · 73 min · dir. Scott Sidney · IMDb ↗IMDb5.886%A female ape takes to mothering the orphaned boy (Tarzan) and raises him over the course of many years until a rescue mission is finally launched and the search party combs the jungle for the long-time missing Lord Greystoke. But then, one of the search members, Jane Porter, gets separated from the group and comes face to face with fearsome wild animals. Tarzan saves her from harm just in the knick of time and love begins to blossom.
The Romance of Tarzan1918 · film · 70 min · dir. Wilfred Lucas · IMDb ↗IMDb6.6Tarzan and Jane are to sail for England. They are attacked by natives and Tarzan is believed to have been killed. The Greystoke relatives return to England, the Porters (Jane's family) goes to their ranch near San Francisco. Tarzan shows up in a tuxedo and rescues Jane from outlaws...
Tarzan the Ape Man1932 · film · 100 min · dir. W.S. Van Dyke · IMDb ↗IMDb6.988%James Parker and Harry Holt are on an expedition in Africa in search of the elephant burial grounds that will provide enough ivory to make them rich. Parker's beautiful daughter Jane arrives unexpectedly to join them. Jane is terrified when Tarzan and his ape friends abduct her, but when she returns to her father's expedition she has second thoughts about leaving Tarzan.
Tarzan, the Ape Man1981 · film · 115 min · dir. John Derek · IMDb ↗The Tarzan story from Jane's point of view. Jane Parker visits her father in Africa where she joins him on an expedition. A couple of brief encounters with Tarzan establish a (sexual) bond between her and Tarzan. When the expedition is captured by savages, Tarzan comes to the rescue.
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes1984 · film · 143 min · dir. Hugh Hudson · IMDb ↗A shipping disaster in the 19th Century has stranded a man and woman in the wilds of Africa. The lady is pregnant, and gives birth to a son in their tree house. Soon after, a family of apes stumble across the house and in the ensuing panic, both parents are killed. A female ape takes the tiny boy as a replacement for her own dead infant, and raises him as her son. Twenty years later, Captain Phillippe D'Arnot discovers the man who thinks he is an ape. Evidence in the tree house leads him to believe that he is the direct descendant of the Earl of Greystoke, and thus takes it upon himself to return the man to civilization.
Tarzan1999 · film · 88 min · dir. Chris Buck, Kevin Lima · IMDb ↗Tarzan was a small orphan who was raised by an ape named Kala since he was a child. He believed that this was his family, but on an expedition Jane Porter is rescued by Tarzan. He then finds out that he's human. Now Tarzan must make the decision as to which family he should belong to...
