Tarzan the Magnificent (1960)

This well made adventure yarn is full of action and excitement from beginning to end, making it a real treat to watch. Yes, all of the genre staples are in there, like Tarzan swinging from vine to vine repeatedly (although his famous "jungle call" is noticeably missing), but this film also has a real plot too, and complex multi-layered characters with it - something generally missing in films aimed at a juvenile audience like this one, where they usually just don't bother with having real people and instead cardboard cut-outs.The lively script invokes good performances from the seasoned cast of performers, who bring real depth to their roles. Even the villains are not totally bad, just devoted to another cause. John Carradine steals his scenes with his hammy performance of the chief baddie, yet Jock Mahoney is the real villain of the piece, and he does the sneering bit exceptionally well. Strangely enough Mahoney would take up the gauntlet of the Tarzan role after Scott, which is strange considering his lean appearance here. Lionel Jeffries is once again very good in a kind of comedic/tragic role, as a born loser. Yet Scott dominates the film with his muscular physique and imposing manner, portraying Tarzan as a tough, serious, yet good-hearted man. There is little warmth or friendliness in his Tarzan, as he is a man more suited to getting the job done. Yet his natural charisma shines through, as it did in MACISTE AGAINST THE VAMPIRE, just one of the many entertaining peplum movies he made in Italy in later years.Alexandra Stewart is the pretty, blonde-haired damsel in distress, and isn't required to act much. Betta St. John, who appeared in a number of adventure/horror pictures around this period, is the unlikeable female lead who goes off with the baddie and gets eaten by a lion for her sins - that'll teach her. This scene is just one of a number of surprisingly brutal moments, another occurs when a doctor is shot in cold-blood - and for no reason - by one of the brothers.Most of the film consists of a journey through the jungle. The locations are varied, with our characters travelling through heavy undergrowth, wasteland, native villages, and waterfalls. Some of this film was shot on location in Africa so the scenery is very picturesque and nice to look at, especially one moment of back projection showing our heroes gazing out over a valley which is quite convincing. It's a fast-moving story, and one which is packed with action. There are a number of gun and arrow battles, fist fights, even some quicksand thrown in for good measure. The film may seem naïve and predictable to a modern audience (who couldn't guess that the unattached black character was going to get killed?) but the sense of adventure and fun it has makes it impossible to enjoy. The ending consists of a protracted battle between Tarzan and the remaining villain, and is quite exciting. Altogether this is a well-made, well-paced adventure yarn to be relished by fans of an era long since gone.

As the last "Tarzan" movie starring Gordon Scott for producer Sy Weintraub, British director Robert Day's "Tarzan the Magnificent" with Jock Mahoney and John Carradine qualifies as one of the better series entries. Day helmed it after John Guillerman had made what is generally regarded as the best Tarzan outing, "Tarzan's Great Adventure," which co-starred a pre-James Bond Sean Connery. Later, Day called the shots on "Tarzan's Three Challenges" (1963) with Jock Mahoney, and "Tarzan and the Valley of Gold" (1966) as well as "Tarzan and the Great River" (1967) both with former football player Mike Henry. In this off-beat, unusual adventure, Tarzan tangles with bloodthirsty bank robbers who display few qualms about cold-blooded homicide. You know that you're watching a different kind of Tarzan tale when the action opens with a bank robbery and one of the hoods wields a submachine gun. This "Tarzan" explores dark themes and thrusts the characters into gritty predicaments. Moreover, Day and co-scenarist Berne Giler eschew the typical comic relief that earlier "Tarzan" films had featured. Tarzan entrusts Cheetah in the custody of a friend while he undertakes a dangerous mission. Not only have those amusing primate antics of Cheetah been eliminated, but also Tarzan doesn't cut loose with his distinctive yell. One source contends that Weintraub felt the trademark holler had been lampooned too often to have any atmospheric value. Nevertheless, juveniles will enjoy this out-of-doors escapade, but "Tarzan the Magnificent" is geared more to grown-ups with its psychological tensions and hardships. Tarzan captures a notorious felon who has murdered one of his friends. The authorities had posted a $5000 reward on the villain's head when a British policeman named Wyntors invaded the criminals' campsite and took the treacherous Coy Banton (Jock Mahoney) at knife point as a hostage. Unfortunately, Coy kills Wyntors before the policeman can get him out of the jungle. A resourceful Tarzan intervenes with his bow and arrows, kills one of Coy's brothers Ethan (Ron MacDonnell), and then decides to escort a handcuffed Banton through miles of jungle to Kairobi. You see, Tarzan knew Wyntors and plans to hand over the bounty money to Wyntors' widow. Meanwhile, Abel Banton (legendary horror icon John Carradine) and his two remaining sons, Johnny (Gary Cockrell of "Lolita") and Martin (Al Mulock of "Tarzan's Great Adventure"), threaten to kill anybody who helps Tarzan. These threats scare everybody off and it puts Tarzan in a kind of "High Noon" situation. The Bantons make intimidating foes. Indeed, Johnny shoots a doctor for not furnishing them with information about Tarzan's plans for Coy. Furthermore, Abel shoots the captain of a riverboat, force the passengers off and burn the boat. The passengers walk into town along the river. When they learn that Tarzan is escorting the villainous Coy, they decide to string along with him despite the natural hardship that traveling through the jungle means. This is a good, no-nonsense survival of the fittest epic lensed on location in Africa. There is far more psychological depth in this "Tarzan" than you typically see.

Other reviewers have ably discussed where this movie fits in within the corpus of Tarzan movies and have pinpointed the epic fistfight battle of Jock Mahoney and Gordon Scott.Before Scott's Tarzan character tangled with Mahoney as Coy Banton, however, there is a scene where the youngest of the Banton family attempts to take on Tarzan and defeat him.The Banton family is a bunch of robbers and killers and, as they follow Tarzan who is conducting Coy Banton to the authorities, accompanied by the survivors of a steamboat accident, there are opportunities to attack this group and rescue Coy.Johnny, supposedly in his early twenties, played by then newcomer Gary Cockrell, whose career seemingly fizzled out in the 1970s, is making a daring attempt to go after this group without the support of his father or older brother and perhaps molest one of the women.Johnny comes across one of the women and chases her to a pool or stream some distance from the village where they have stopped. Johnny proceeds to grope and attack her, when Tarzan shows up as a result of her screams.At first, Johnny goes for his rifle and the two tussle. The rifle is thrown away and Johnny, his shirt now in shreds, is pushed on to the ground. He stands and goes for his knife. His muscular, lean, sinewy chest is revealed and he seems a plausible opponent for Tarzan at the moment. But the knife fight does not last for long. Johnny wants his rifle, thinking only that will save him. When he at last spots and holds it, the fight is maneuvered into the nearby water and the rifle's barrel is now pointing under Johnny's chin. The rifle goes off in the scuffle and Johnny is killed. He falls back, the shreds of his shirt parted on each side so that his chest is fully revealed as he floats upon the water.Tarzan smashes the rifle, for he knows that Johnny's death will invite more trouble from the rest of the Banton gang. Johnny's youthful, daring gamble has failed. The youngest of the Bantons is now dead.

This is 'real action, adventure' (the way it was meant to be) !!! Gordon Scott WAS Tarzan (no one has approached his characterization of this 'mythic figure'). Once again, we see an actor with 'a background' (i.e. 'life experience'); bringing it to the big screen (see Steve Mcqueen,Charles Bronson, Lee Marvin, etc...). No 'method acting' here - just solid performance. A must see for action/adventure fan's !!! Mr. Scott was a military policeman, judo expert, laborer; among other things ! This sort of acting is fast disappearing (as more 'emotional' actors/directors appear). Gordon Scott did not 'leave' this role - the producers of this 'genre' felt a more 'kinder/gentler' (see 'civilized'), Tarzan was needed (oh, brother !!!). Mr. Scott went to Europe to make 'sword and sandal' epics (Hercules, Machiste, Goliath, etc..). What a pity he wasn't given more A-list roles. He was quite the man !!!