Tarzan of the Apes (1918) Is the Pick of the Week

Author Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan first appeared in the October 1912 issue of the pulp magazine, The All-Story. The son of British royalty, John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke was an infant when his family was marooned in Africa and he became an orphan when his parents died. He was adopted by a tribe of apes, whose leader killed his father, and “Tarzan” is his ape-name. The character would become one of the best-known literary characters of all time with adventures appearing in various mediums over the decades.

Tarzan’s first appearance in movies is the silent film Tarzan of the Apes (1918) starring Elmo Lincoln as the title character. A search party for the missing Greystoke comes to Africa and discovers Tarzan seeking revenge for the murder of Kala, the ape who raised him. This Film Masters release actually presents a double feature because it also includes the silent film, The Adventures of Tarzan (1921), which is presents the third and final appearance of Elmo Lincoln as Tarzan.

As a fan of the character who has not seen these films, I am very curious to view them so that’s why Tarzan of the Apes is my Pick of the Week.

Also out this week that looks interesting:

50s SCI-FI – 4 Film Collection: As the title indicates, Warner Archive Collection has brought together a quartet science-fiction films from the decade. They are Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, Them!, and World Without End.

Errol Flynn – 6 Film Collection: Also from the Warner Archive Collection, comes three swashbuckling adventures (The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Sea Hawk, and Adventures of Don Juan) and three other action/war pictures: (Santa Fe Trail, Edge of Darkness, and Objective, Burma).

Salvador: From Shout Factory, Oliver Stone’s directorial debut debuts on 4K UHD. It tells the story of photojournalist Richard Boyle, who tries to rescue his girlfriend and her children while covering the Salvadoran Civil War between the FMLN and the the civil-military Revolutionary Government Junta, who had deposed President Carlos Humberto Romero, and was supported by the U.S. government.

The Two Jakes: While no one would expect it to be as good as Chinatown, but with its screenwriter Robert Towne and star Jack Nicholson returning, plus the latter taking on the role of director, another mystery involving private detective Jake Gittes sounds like it has potential. Available from KL Studio Classics on remastered Blu-ray and 4K UHD.