What makes it different from others?

Brilliant and touching

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

A direct sequel to 1932's "Tarzan the Ape Man", "Tarzan and his Mate" finds Tarzan and skimpily-attired Jane living-in-sin in the Jungle Lord's idyllic African paradise. Troubles arise when hapless Harry Holt (a failed bidder for Jane's attentions in the previous film) returns with his lascivious and unscrupulous partner Martin Arlington (Paul Cavanagh) intending to harvest the ivory from the sacred 'elephant's grave yard'. Harry also hopes to entice Jane to leave the jungle with fine Parisian clothing, but Jane, although happy to preen in the fine gown and sheer stockings, prefers her thigh-baring breechclout and halter-top (and the free and happy life they represent). Spurned, Harry and Martin return to their search for the ivory only to be stopped by Tarzan, who considers the hidden, bone-filled valley sacrosanct, leading to a series of climatic showdowns between the 'civilised' and the 'primitive', with Jane literally and figuratively stuck in the middle. Like its predecessor, "Tarzan and his Mate" is remarkably adult film (considering the source material). In part responsible for the increased enforcement of the 1930 Motion Picture Production Code (aka the 'Hays code'), the film includes Martin watching Jane undress in silhouette, several bare-breasted native women, the infamous swimming scene where a completely naked* Josephine McKim (O'Sullivan's swimming stunt double) performs a sensual underwater 'ballet' with Weissmuller, and frequent shots of a ruffled and very satisfied looking (but unmarried) Jane waking up beside her jungle paramour after some treetop tryst. The film is also quite harsh and grim at times, with competing ivory hunters found tortured to death, an elephant deliberately mortally wounded to help in the search for the grave yard and, most egregiously, Martin's execution of one of the African porters for refusing to continue the expedition (with little opprobrium from Harry, who observes that the whip would have done as well). Overall, the film is extremely well made for time and topic. The shots depicting the elephant's graveyard are excellent (both sad and surreal), Weissmuller and O'Sullivan have a great rapport, and, as with the previous movie in the nascent franchise, both the animal 'acting' (especially Cheeta) and the interactions between the human actors and their jungle co-stars are outstanding. Even the 'fake' animals (some of the immediately-threatening lions, crocodiles, hippos, and 'great-apes') are effective and reasonably realistic. Needless-to-say, the movie is a product of its times. Much criticism has been written about the issues of race and gender in Burroughs' books (and the subsequent film versions) and some people may find the depiction of African natives off-putting, but never-the-less, "Tarzan and his Mate" remains a well-made, imaginative, and entertaining example of a vintage Hollywood 'jungle adventure'. *in some releases, see trivia section

It's interesting how movies slumped after the censors got their out of joint noses involved. Our Puritan foundation really diminished a lot of film for many years (in some ways, it's still happening today). Like "Bride of Frankenstein" surpassing the original, "Tarzan and His Mate" is superior to the first Weissmuller film. Maureen O'Sullivan is incredible to look at, but has all the feistiness and self esteem to hold her own with the big guy. But most importantly, the producers and writers asked themselves what a true depiction of these two, living in the jungle, should be like. They went for the rawness. In addition to the recognition of the sexuality in this film, it is filled with well crafted adventures and close calls. Efforts are still being made by the Westerners to try to reclaim the beautiful young woman. These movies were much more fundamental than the silly stuff that came later, as professional body builders and football players got into the mix. When filmmakers had to work with less, they often had to resort to creativity and imagination.

Sequels don't generally come out better than the originals, but this was an early exception to that rule. I watched "Tarzan The Ape Man" several years ago, and I can't say that I was blown away by it. I wouldn't really say that I was blown away by Tarzan And His Mate, either, but I will say that in almost every way this was the superior movie. The title is a useful enough lead in to the movie, which does spend a great deal of time depicting the domestic bliss between Tarzan and Jane. They have a happy life in the African jungle, greeting each other at the start of every day with the words "Good morning. I love you." These five words do seem to be the most words that Tarzan is able to string together, mind you, so in some ways Jane is a more central character in driving the story forward because she can interact much more easily with the other characters, who are basically two Englishmen who appear in the desert with a dual purpose: to loot an elephant graveyard of ivory to make money and, for Harry (an old flame of Jane's from her days in London) to steal her back to civilization.The movie is dated in some ways. I found the racial stereotyping to be less offensive than in the original (although still present) and the special effects are primitive (but, hey, it was made in 1934, so that's understandable.) It does, however, contain a lot of film of animals (lions and leopards and rhinoceroses and gorillas and chimps and crocodiles, etc., etc.) and you can really never go wrong with animals. Generally speaking, although the movie was shot in California, I thought they did a pretty good job of making the sets look authentic, and they even introduced an original element in giving Jane her own version of the famous Tarzan yell.As far as the story was concerned, it had the two elements I mentioned earlier. The search for ivory in the elephant graveyard is the engine the propels this forward, although I really didn't find it all that interesting. There were some exciting moments, mind you, as the party encountered hostile natives, but to me it just wasn't the central part of the movie; it seemed extraneous. What really mattered was the relationship between Tarzan and Jane. The roles were played again by Johnny Weismuller and Maureen O'Sullivan respectively. The movie really does portray a delightful relationship between the two. They clearly love each other, and Weismuller and O'Sullivan have a very good chemistry with each other; their relationship is natural and believable. Like the first movie, there's a lot of skin shown. O'Sullivan is quite beautiful, and there's an extended underwater swimming scene where Jane is actually nude (although in this case the American swimmer Josephine McKim doubled for her - as I understand it not so much because O'Sullivan didn't want to swim in the nude but because she couldn't hold her breath underwater long enough to do the scene.) There's a lot of sexual innuendo between the two, and my understanding is that this film was one which caused the infamous Hays Code to start being strictly enforced. Neil Hamilton (who I know better as Commissioner Gordon from the 1960's Batman TV series) and Martin Arlington played the other main characters.I can't claim to be a big fan of any Tarzan movie that's ever been released. The whole concept just isn't really my cup of tea - but this one is pretty good. (6/10)

Tarzan And His Mate was the second of MGM's Tarzan series and we find Maureen O'Sullivan settled down to jungle bliss with Johnny Weissmuller without benefit of clergy. In the first film Tarzan The Ape Man, Jane after her father died decided to stay with Tarzan and her guide and suitor Neil Hamilton went back to civilization.Now Hamilton is back with a partner, wolfish Paul Cavanaugh who is in business with Hamilton to discover the elephant's graveyard, that legendary place where the elephants go to die and there's tons of ivory to be picked up. That's a lot of piano keys. He's hoping to enlist Tarzan's help with Jane's help.As it involves old friends she gets Tarzan to agree. Hamilton still likes her, but keeps a distance. Not Cavanaugh who is acting in the best Snidely Whiplash tradition. This is the only Tarzan film I remember where Tarzan's domestic bliss is threatened.Lots of Trader Horn stock footage is used and effectively. Best scenes involve Tarzan taking on a rhino and the final climax where O'Sullivan, Cavanaugh, and Hamilton are all threatened by lions being sicced on them by a hostile tribe. Nicely done if a bit way out.Tarzan And His Mate also features the famous nude swim scene with Weissmuller and O'Sullivan. When the Code came in this scene was edited out, but fortunately restored for these less puritanical times. Definitely one of the better Tarzan features.