Tarzans neueste Abenteuer - 2. Das Geheimnis der grünen Göttin (1938) Online

This was a truly dreadful film. Although it was allegedly set in Guatemala, one of the first shots was of a rhino, followed by lions, and giraffes at a watering hole. Bruce Bennett did not have the physique to carry off the role of Tarzan, which did make it more believable when he kept getting knocked unconscious. His yell reminded me more of a fire siren going off. The plot set up the obligatory crocodile wrestling match, and then did not follow through. About the only redeeming feature was Ula, the Jane substitute. She was a strong, independent character who participated and didn't just faint at the first sign of danger. Spoiler space





At several points, she was the one who rescued Tarzan, rather than the other way around.

"Tarzan and the Green Goddess" is a reasonable condensed version of a longer serial, providing watchable light entertainment. It has a number of rough edges as a result of this format, with a sometimes choppy pace, and other stretches where the action gets somewhat repetitive. But there is enough going on to hold your attention, and Herman Brix (as he was then billed) is solid enough in the lead role.

As Tarzan, Brix (whom a lot of us always think of as Bruce Bennett) cannot come up to Johnny Weismuller's performance in the role, but he does give the character some life. Both Brix's approach and the story also bring out the other side of the character's nature, beyond his rugged jungle life.

The story focuses on a Central American artifact and a secret code that goes with it, with the plot mostly a series of confrontations with the bad guys. As others have pointed out, there is some unintentional humor added through the footage of African animals in a story that is supposed to be set in Guatemala.

An interesting aspect of this feature is that here the heroine (played by Ula Holt) is presented as more of an equal to Tarzan than usual. Overall, things fit together well enough to make it work all right as light viewing.

Talk about recycling! As a Zorro fanatic, I have watched a couple of the old serials that used to show in movie theaters. You had to come back every Saturday to see the next part of the story. The original 12-part serial, The New Adventures of Tarzan, was re-edited into two movies, this being one of them.

The most interesting thing about this movie is the star, Bruce Bennett, or as he was known then, Herman Brix. Brix was given this role after losing out on a previous film, Tarzan the Ape Man, which cast an unknown BVD underwear model, Johnny Weissmuller. A shoulder injury prevented Brix from getting this role. The rest is, as they say, history. Weissmuller went on to be the greatest Tarzan of all time, and Brix had to eventually drop out of acting, take acting lessons and change his name before returning.

This is the second of two feature-length films re-edited from the original 12-chapter serial titled "The New Adventures of Tarzan" (1935). Neither film is technically edited well, but they do tell individual stories. Muscularly handsome Herman Brix, later known professionally as Bruce Bennett, is an appropriately athletic Tarzan. Our hero is much more cultured than he appears in the MGM Johnny Weissmuller films; he has discovered his noble British identity, and occasionally returns to the jungle for new adventures.

This "sequel" begins with the group attending a costume party (dressed as gypsies) at Tarzan's estate.

Previously, "Tarzan" and his friends concluded their search for an ancient relic known as "The Green Goddess" (among other things). Herein, we learn how this relic was then stolen, by dastardly Don Castello (as Raglan). He had been interested in the relic from the previous feature - for nefarious reasons, of course; the statue came with a secret formula (worth millions). "Don Castello" is a pseudonym for the serial's producer, Ashton Dearholt. Lewis Sargent (as George) has the most notable supporting role.

*** Tarzan and the Green Goddess (2/27/38) Edward Kull ~ Bruce Bennett, Ula Holt, Ashton Dearholt, Lewis Sargent

This is the kind of movie I usually delight in making fun of, but I'll hold back a bit in deference to one of my three childhood fictional heroes (the others - Superman and The Lone Ranger). I'm sure the film makers tried hard to put together a serious picture, but the result was somewhat dubious. The best I can say is that it's better than ANY of the Jungle Jim adventures made over a decade later, but certainly below the standard of the Johnny Weissmuller 'Tarzan' films, though I haven't seen one of those recently. I also have to add that I've just learned, after the fact, that this was cobbled together from an earlier serialized version, which would explain a serious jump cut where Tarzan escapes from an unconscious state, tied to a tree in the jungle, only to find himself about to be accosted by an alligator (or crocodile, I can always go back to check for sure).

You know, you'd think Tarzan would get it after the first two times he got that part of his anatomy under the loin cloth kicked, but no, he does it again at Mantique, jumping into a crowd of villains in an attempt to secure the 'green goddess'. No credit for learning by your mistakes. And by the way, what kind of Tarzan yell was that? Chalk another one up for Weissmuller.

The version of the film I just watched was part of a one hundred! movie DVD compilation from Mill Creek Entertainment, that must have taken seriously some of the other reviewer comments on this board, because I didn't see any African animals like giraffes or rhinos. Not that they were missed, but I was certainly expecting wildlife that didn't honor geographic integrity, common for the era. But wait, there was that lion in the Dead City that should have made mincemeat out of the jungle hero, but guess what? - not a scratch on him!

And let's not allow Major Martling (Frank Baker) off the hook so easily either. Why did he commission that 'mysterious ship' at Mantique to make the getaway with the idol? It was pretty much confirmed by all concerned that the lone vessel appeared about the time bad guy Raglan (Ashton Dearholt/Don Castello) arrived in Mantique.

Oh well, I tried. I'm still wondering why the warning about the combination of characters relating to the explosives code was written in English. But as for Herman Brix who portrayed Tarzan - quite the superb physique, perhaps the most natural build of any of the movie Tarzans. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the heroine, Una Vale (Una Holt), who kept me guessing with all those costume changes - well done!

Tarzan and the Green Goddess (1938)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

In 1935 a serial called THE NEW ADVENTURES OF TARZAN was released in 12-chapters but then the producers got cheap and wanted to make some extra cash so they released a feature version of it. Then, three years later, the producers decided to re-edit some more footage and throw this thing out as the second feature taken from that serial. What we basically have here is the second portion of the serial as Tarzan (Herman Brix) travels to various locations trying to track down the Green Goddess and destroy the evil ones doing harm to get it. That's pretty much all the story you need to know or better said it's pretty much the only story I could come up with. It's always hard to judge these features that were trimmed down from serial simply because you're missing so much footage. You certainly can't judge the original serial from just these features. With that said, this here was pretty hard to get through for a number of reasons but the biggest is that it simply never makes any sense. It's clear that this production was trying to stay close to the source material as Tarzan is well spoken and is even able to dress nice. These touches are so fast that you really don't get to know this "other" Tarzan as it doesn't take long for him to be in the loin clothe and swinging around on vines. The performances are all rather bland and the added running time doesn't help. Fans of cheap "C" movies might get a kick out of this but it's probably best looking for the uncut serial.

I got this movie in a box of Weismuller movies and this movie did feel so awfully compared to the MGM movies of Weismuller. The story starts somewhere in the middle (the beginning being the New adventures of Tarzan)about a statue of a goddess, hence the title. It takes place in Central America, and some of the nature shots seem borrowed from other continents. Bruce Bennet looks very Tarzan, but his acting is terrible, Weismuller is oscarmaterial compared to this man. The action scenes in this movie looks bad, the big fight in the beginning of the movie looks so stupid and silly that it takes the need to watch any further away. But I like punishment and occasionally am surprised on the end. It did not happen. As a movie it is awful and I am not sure that the serial is that good either.

This movie has none of the fun a good Tarzan movie should have. It leaves his viewer bewildered which is not good. My advise ignore this "movie" unless you are a Tarzan fan, then you have to watch it I guess.

I couldn't believe that rhinos, wildebeests, chimps and giraffes had invaded Guatemala. Couldn't they get South American stock footage! The other silly thing was Tarzan's yell...aaaaaahmazeeeee or something like that; it sounded more like Ma Kettle calling the kids to supper. I did like Herman Brix/Bruce Bennett as Tarzan but his loin cloth had belt loops and a belt. He was wearing pants in one scene so that may explain it. He definitely resurrected his career later with some really good roles like "Treasure of the Sierra Madre", etc. The acting was equal to the Weissmuller films, meaning pretty good but I think it was the producer and director who were at fault here. Watch the battle scene where the natives (wearing pants & shirts) carry swords but don't use them. I guess for its time and for kids it was an OK film, but nobody can "hold a candle" to the Weissmuller Tarzan films!

Nothing in this cheap Thirties flick makes much sense. Endless footage of jungle wildlife, leaping for dear life in the shadow of an intruding chopper, makes up about half of the running time, the plot is in threads, and characters are weakly written throughout. Allegedly Rice Burroughs chose Bruce Bennett for his first own Tarzan, quick-witted and astute rather than brawny and dumb. Certainly, this guy knows where Guatemala is situated, and he knows his French as well, Lord Greystoke indeed, and Bennett is not half bad. He is magnificent from the purely physical sense, he throws a great punch and he is genuinely playful with the chimps. Again, nothing makes much sense here, and the violence of this movie is staggering, really hardcore. It works rather well though, choreography is elaborate, and I was having a jolly good time with what is, admittedly, a rather poor B-flick.

I'll take this movie to comment on as my platform for the Tarzan yell. There is still none better than Weissmuller's to this day. I've only started to watch Tarzan the Tiger, with Frank Merrill, quite possibly the best physical Tarzan there was by the way, and his Tarzan yell was "YAAAA! YAAAA!!! YAAAA!!!!" It pales in comparison in imagination to Herman Brix' yell, but Herman Brix yell is none too pleasing. "AAAAaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH MAAAAAAANNNNGGGAAAAAAANNNNEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!" While quite amusing, it's too long and therefore loses its significance. In the Weissmuller films, it's used to call man or beast, or signify that Tarzan may be in trouble. More accurately in Herman Brix' films, it's used as the victorious cry of the bull ape after a successful conquest, as it should be used. But it shouldn't be a pronounced cry, but rather a savage, eerie, unsettling cry that most would loath to associate with a human.

Executive producer: Edgar Rice Burroughs. A Burroughs-Tarzan Enterprises Production. Not copyrighted. No recorded New York opening. U.S. release through Principal Productions: 3 June 1938. U.K. release through Associated British Film Distributors. 72 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: After recovering the idol called the Green Goddess from the Dead City, Tarzan and his friends begin the arduous trek back to civilization. After many adventures, they finally reach Greystoke Manor where it seems certain Tarzan will soon wed Ula Vale.

NOTES: Number 14 of the 46-picture "Tarzan" series.

COMMENT: A cutdown of the last half of the twelve-chapter serial, The New Adventures of Tarzan (1935), which goes some way towards explaining the film's jerky continuity (which is occasionally awkwardly bridged by inter-titles, though there still remain some odd gaps in the narrative).

Kull's direction is nothing special and no great strains are placed on the acting skills of the cast. Mr Bennett's performance is more physical than mental, Miss Holt is reasonably attractive, and Mr Sargent contributes a bit of slapstick fun. The other players are no more than serviceable. Behind-the-camera personnel likewise rate as slightly behind the Hollywood norm.

Still, for all its technical shortcomings, this Tarzan is a lively movie with plenty of pace and action filmed against real backgrounds in Gautemala (sometimes ill-matched with obvious African stock footage). If the Boys' Own story seems somewhat juvenile and the characterizations never more than rudimentary, it must be remembered that the film was produced by none other than Edgar Rice Burroughs himself in an attempt to show his public exactly how Tarzan should be portrayed on the screen.

Bruce Bennett's Tarzan is no illiterate ape man, but a well-spoken, literate daredevil, actively championing the causes of world peace and justice. True, physically, he's almost superhuman in his ability to survive various perils virtually unscathed, but this cliffhanger excitement is part and parcel of Burroughs' books. And here it all comes to grand action finale on board a storm-tossed sailing ship. That episode alone is worth the price of admission.

Tarzan holds a gypsy-themed party at his Greystoke estate after returning from an expedition. He gets an old Gypsy fortune teller to narrate the story of his latest adventure. Along with Major Martling, Tarzan tried to retrieve the Green Goddess, an ancient Mayan relic that is being used as an idol by a small clan of worshippers in the Dead City in Guatemala. An unscrupulous explorer has stolen the statue in the hope that he can use an ancient secret formula hidden in it to manufacture a super-explosive that has the potential to change warfare forever. Tarzan & his companions get into various situations in order to stop the formula from getting into the wrong hands.

Tarzan and the Green Goddess was a feature-length (at only 72 minutes long) reedit of some episodes of the old serial The New Adventures of Tarzan. It featured a good performance by Bruce Bennett, who plays Tarzan in a rather unique fashion – this is the only time on film that you see a Tarzan who speaks English articulately & appears to be well-educated (although his Tarzan yell sounds like a stoned coyote). As far as the rest of the feature is concerned, the original serial was far better. It omits the spectacular theft of the idol & instead has plenty of cheap theatrics & cheaper action scenes. Although the scene where Tarzan faces off with a lion was slightly exciting, the rest of the film was one-dimensional & the idea of the hero going to all the trouble to obtain the secret formula only to have his female companion burn it in the end was kind of stupid. The worst aspect was the villain, played by Ashton Dearholt, who made a pathetic & often-put-upon villain.

OK, I knew going into this viewing that "Tarzan and the Green Goddess" was another compilation of the series that was also used for the earlier film, "The New Adventures of Tarzan." I expected—and, sure enough noticed—that this film might be a bit choppy; after all, serials are known to end each chapter with a cliffhanger that is somewhat different in the opening of the subsequent episode where the hero/heroine escapes the certain calamity. I have no problem understanding that would make the conversion into a full movie a bit out of sync. But . . . I do not like it when the "escape" part is totally missing!

An earlier reviewer noted that the movie version she viewed began with Tarzan at a garden party reminiscing about this trip to Guatemala with its accompanying adventure. That "party" opening was not in the copy I viewed; although the ending did contain that garden party scene (where the characters were dressed in gypsy costumes?). The version I watched began with a voice-over reading of an on-screen card where the narrator was saying: "Guatemala, a strange and beautiful country many thousands of miles away, a country with lofty, snow-crested mountains, mighty rivers and deep lakes, quaint little villages and picturesque natives. This is Guatemala on the surface, what a tourist might see if a tourist could ever get there...."

So now that I am aware of the different versions that exist of this film, I am certain my copy—which came from TCM—is missing at least two segments. But . . . as I was telling my wife when we watched this, it looked like Tarzan and his companions would all drown with the ship that appeared would sink in a massive storm. Then, suddenly, they are all at the garden party, smiling and wrapping up the story (in those gypsy costumes?), apparently back in England! What happened with the ship?

Oh, well . . . what can I say? It IS a Tarzan movie, after all. And we still have 22 more to view since we decided to revisit all the old Tarzan films in chronological order by their release dates. (Some folks just have strange ways to spend their advanced years. We figure these would make the time drag on—thereby making us feel as if we're living that much longer.)

Onward to "Tarzan Escapes," 1938!

Watching these two films culled from this location-shot epic back-to-back may be the best way to enjoy this serial. The editing of the individual chapters is better than in, say, the Flash Gordon serials, which are best seen in their original format. There is no Queen Kia-Kia here to foster laughs as in the first feature, but there is a batty high-priest character to carry the unintentional comedy load. In all, if you watch these two features together, you may find the experience to be enjoyable. These do not measure up to the MGM features, but they are an OK time-waster that do feature some fascinating location photography. There are also some hair-raising stunts in both features that look pretty authentically done.

Given the choice I'd watch the full serial The New Adventures of Tarzan, but some one not having five hours to do so may want to try this condensed version of part of the serial. The story concerns Tarzan and a trip to Guatemala where he hunts for the statue of The Green Goddess which has hidden in it a secret formula. This is not the Tarzan of the MGM and later films, this is the Tarzan of its creator Edgar Rice Burroughs where he is an English lord who speaks in full sentences. The film suffers from its independent origins, the stories of its making are legendary since it was made on location which caused no end of trouble. It also duffers from the problem most features condensed from serials have which is odd mixes of idleness and action and an often rushed sense of story. Its not bad but its not great either with the pacing of the serial completely screwed up. As I said at the top watch the full serial if you can, though if you want a taste give this a try.

I have seen a ton of Tarzan films recently--most of them the classic Johnny Weissmuller films. So, when I watched "Tarzan and the Green Goddess" the difference between this film and the rest was obvious. Not only was this a bad movie, but it was a pretty dumb one. Now I am not saying that the other Tarzan films were perfect...it's just that "Tarzan and the Green Goddess" is about as far from perfect as you can get!!! Below are a small number of the seriously screwed up things about this film:

1. Tarzan is in Guatemala. Freakin' Central American GUATEMALA!! 'Nuff said!

2. Despite being in Guatemala, you see stock footage of mountain lions and lots of African animals!

3. Despite being raised in the jungle by apes, this Tarzan is nearly as well-spoken, mannerly and polite as John Gielgud! Apparently this Tarzan went to charm school and was raised by English apes!

4. The story was original a 12-part serial. However, some geniuses decided to chop it apart and create an all-new movie from these parts. As a result, the story is often incomprehensible and dumb. Perhaps part of what they cut out were the 10 years or more Tarzan spent in charm school.

The bottom line is that this is a bargain basement Tarzan--and the writers seemed to have complete contempt for the material and the audience. See it at your own peril.

Oh, and at one point in the film they talk about the Mayan ruins at Quirigua. This is a real place and I have visited there myself--it's pretty cool. However, I saw no evidence of any Mayan explosive devices like they had in the film--and, by the way, it IS a Mayan ruin, not Aztec (which they called it in the movie).

UPDATE: Apparently this film and "The New Adventures of Tarzan" were pieced together using portions of the SAME movie serial. Both are pretty bad--but at least the picture quality and sound in "Tarzan and the Green Goddess" were a bit better. Also, for more on these films and how they relate to the MGM series, check out the Wikipedia page for the movies.

It's a trial to sit through this travesty. First, Bruce Bennett is not Tarzan. Johnny Weissmuller is Tarzan. True, Bruce Bennett, like Wiessmuller, was an Olympic Champion, but Bennett is merely bland and well spoken, while Weismuller is majestically stupid and has poetry.

This takes place deep in the jungles of Guatamala, so deep that the hand of man has never set foot there, and which some will be surprised to find teeming with African animals like giraffes. The country is primitive. The natives of Guatamala worship a stone idol that is sought by rival teams of explorers. Why? Because hidden inside the idol is an ancient Mayan recipe for a salad dressing which was dreamed up by a chef in San Francisco's Palace Hotel in 1923.

Spoiler Alert:

1 avocado, peeled and pitted; 1 cup mayonnaise; 5 anchovy fillets, rinsed and chopped; 2 tablespoons chopped green onion

1 tablespoon lemon juice; 1 clove garlic, chopped; salt and pepper to taste

In a blender combine the avocado, mayonnaise, anchovies, green onion, lemon juice, garlic, and salt and pepper. Process until smooth, then chill for 24 hours before serving

The first words out of this well-groomed Tarzan's mouth are: "Good-bye, old man."

"Tarzan and his band of intrepid followers" must get this secret recipe back to Livingston, whom I thought long dead, before an "unscrupulous band of crooks" can get their hands on it and become "a menace to the whole world."

I frankly don't know whether they made it not. I got so hungry that I shut the movie off and made a chef's salad. But, looking at the shape the world is in today, threatened from all sides, my bet is that they didn't get to Livingston and that the formula fell into those unscrupulous hands.