Tarzan the Ape Man

James Parker and Harry Holt lead an expedition into the African jungle, hoping to locate a fabled elephant burial ground whose ivory would make them wealthy. Parker's daughter Jane arrives unexpectedly to join the party, drawing the attention of Harry. The group's plans are disrupted by Tarzan, a man raised among apes, who carries Jane off into the trees. Frightened at first, she gradually comes to trust him and even teaches him his first words of English. When Tarzan brings her back to her father and her suitor, the reunion is interrupted by an attack from a pygmy tribe, and Tarzan rushes to their aid.

The film was directed by W.S. Van Dyke and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1932. It followed his 1929 feature The Pagan and came before The Thin Man and Manhattan Melodrama in 1934, among the eight later titles listed in his filmography. Johnny Weissmüller plays Tarzan, with Maureen O'Sullivan as Jane Parker, Neil Hamilton as Harry Holt and C. Aubrey Smith as James Parker. The screenplay was written by Ivor Novello and Cyril Hume.

Reaction to the film has been generally favourable over the years. On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.9 out of 10 from roughly 8,900 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 6.6 from 236 votes. A smaller pool of critics' reviews gives it 7.9 out of 10, placing professional appraisal above the broader audience scores.