Tarzan of the Apes (film)
| Tarzan of the Apes | |
|---|---|
Theatrical poster
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| Directed by | Scott Sidney |
| Produced by | William Parsons |
| Written by | Fred Miller and Lois Weber (adaptation) |
| Based on |
Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs |
| Starring |
Elmo Lincoln Enid Markey George B. French Gordon Griffith |
| Cinematography | Enrique Juan Vallejo |
| Edited by | Isadore Bernstein |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | First National |
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Release date
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January 27, 1918 (Broadway, New York) |
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Running time
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Originally: 120+ min, Available: 61 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
| Box office | $1,500,000 |
Tarzan of the Apes is a 1918 American action/adventure silent film directed by Scott Sidney starring Elmo Lincoln, Enid Markey, George B. French and Gordon Griffith. It was the first Tarzan movie ever made and is based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' original novel Tarzan of the Apes. The movie adapts only the first part of the novel, the remainder becoming the basis for the sequel, The Romance of Tarzan. The film is considered the most faithful to the novel of all the film adaptations. Its most notable plot change is the introduction of the character Binns and his role in bringing the Porters to Africa; the novel brought them there through the improbable coincidence of a second mutiny.
John and Alice Clayton, Lord and Lady Greystoke (True Boardman and Kathleen Kirkham), are passengers on the Fuwalda, a ship bound for Africa. When the vessel is taken over by mutineers the sailor Binns (George B. French) saves them from being murdered, but they are marooned on the tropical coast. After their deaths their infant son is adopted by Kala, an ape, who raises him as her own. The young Tarzan (Gordon Griffith) grows to maturity among the apes, becoming their king. Binns, returning to find the Claytons after ten years’ captivity among the Arabs, discovers the ape man and travels to England to report his survival to his family. An expedition led by scientist Professor Porter (Thomas Jefferson) is launched to investigate. Meanwhile, Kala has been killed by a native, who is killed in turn by the now-adult Tarzan (Elmo Lincoln). The villagers kidnap Porter’s daughter Jane (Enid Markey); Tarzan rescues and romances her, and she comes to accept his love.
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