Tarzan of the Apes (1918)

The plot follows the novel more closely than does any other Tarzan movie. John and Alice Clayton take ship for Africa. Mutineers maroon them. After his parents die the newborn Tarzan is ... See full summary »

Director:

Scott Sidney

Writers:

Edgar Rice Burroughs (novel), Fred Miller,

Stars:

Elmo Lincoln, Enid Markey, True Boardman

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Elmo Lincoln	...	Tarzan
Enid Markey	...	Jane Porter
True Boardman	...	John Clayton - Lord Greystoke
Kathleen Kirkham	...	Alice Clayton - Lady Greystoke
George B. French	...	Binns - a Sailor
Gordon Griffith	...	Tarzan - Younger
Colin Kenny	...	Greystoke's Nephew
Thomas Jefferson	...	Professor Porter
Bessie Toner	...	Bar Maid
Jack Wilson	...	Captain of the Fuwalda
Louis Morrison	...	Innkeeper
Eugene Pallette
Fred L. Wilson

Storyline

The plot follows the novel more closely than does any other Tarzan movie. John and Alice Clayton take ship for Africa. Mutineers maroon them. After his parents die the newborn Tarzan is taken by a great Ape, Kala. Later the boy finds his father's knife and uses it to become King of Apes. Binns, the sailor who saved the Claytons and who has been held by Arab slavers for ten years, finds the young Tarzan and then heads for England to notify his kin. A scientist arrives to check out Binns' story. Tarzan, now a man, kills the native who killed Kala; when their chief is killed the black villagers appease Tarzan with gifts and prayers. The scientist's daughter Jane is carried off by a native, rescued by Tarzan (who has burnt the native village), aggressively loved by him ("Tarzan is a man, and men do not force the love of women"), and at last accepts him with open arms.

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Plot Keywords:

tarzan | ape | knife | gift | child nudity | 

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Taglines:

The most startling and unforgettable story ever written

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Genres:

Action | Adventure

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Details

Country:

USA

Release Date:

27 January 1918 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tarzan bei den Affen

Filming Locations:

Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$1,000,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

National Film Corporation of America

Technical Specs

Runtime:

73 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Edgar Rice Burroughs sold the film rights for "Tarzan of the Apes" to the National Film Corporation on June 6, 1916. He received a record $5,000 cash advance on royalties, $50,000 in company stock and 5% of gross receipts.

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Connections

Followed by Tarzan the Mighty (1928)

User Reviews

Crude but faithful to the story

This original silent version of the Lord of the Apes is perhaps the truest screen representation of the way Tarzan is envisioned in the books by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It is seems very crude but really isn't. It follows the first story (in as much as it can in the limited time of the feature) very closely. Elmo Lincoln, while no Adonis, is very adequate in the role. He's not Johnny Weissmuller...but then Johnny didn't really look all too much like Tarzan should have either.