The New Adventures of Tarzan (DVD)

A mysterious, jewel-covered statue called "The Green Goddess" is as dangerous as it is valuable. It contains an ancient formula for a powerful super-explosive that, in unscrupulous hands, could destroy the world. The idol is hidden deep in the jungles of Guatemala and two explorers, courageous Major Martling and the beautiful Ula Vale, set out to find it. Joining them on the sea voyage to the jungle is the handsome and strong Lord Greystoke, on a mission to find his friend d'Arnot, whose plane has crashed in the remote region. Greystoke is none other than the legendary king of the jungle himself - Tarzan. Hostile natives and the evil machinations of Raglon, a ruthless mercenary who wants the idol for his own sinister purpose, threaten the safety of the explorers and the very life of the mighty Tarzan as he valiantly attempts to retrieve the idol and save his companions.

The New Adventures Of Tarzan is an exciting, rarely seen serial that helped set the stage for a long run of feature films based on the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. This serial remains especially significant in the genre as one of the closest cinematic renditions of Burroughs's true vision of the character. Dissatisfied with previous film treatments of the Tarzan character, Burroughs created his own film production company to make this serial. The film was later edited into a 75 minute feature, but the tough competition of major studios like MGM during the era severely limited Burroughs' distribution capabilities. Although he never became as identified with the Tarzan character as Johnny Weissmuller, actor Herman Brix felt this and similar roles stereotyped him. He later changed his name to Bruce Bennet and went on to star with Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce and Bette Davis in A Stolen Life.

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