Tarzan and the Golden Lion

This early "Tarzan" film was considered a goner until a copy was discovered in France, in the 1990s. From then, it seems to have had a minimal "restoration" of English subtitles. Presently, it's readily availably, but has been treated shabbily. One DVD issue credits a new musical soundtrack, but runs the film as a literal silent. Released in 1927, "Tarzan and the Golden Lion" was a late period "silent" film which likely had a synchronized effects soundtrack. Silent film may have been wordless, but they were never silent.

This one's plot was based on an actual Edgar Rice Burroughs story, and seemed to be one of several films to have had Mr. Burroughs' involvement, on some level. In this case, Mr. Burroughs approved the casting of James Pierce (as Tarzan). Mr. Pierce married Burroughs' daughter, and turned down the Gary Cooper role in "Wings" (1927) for this role - before casting aspersions, realize the role in "Wings" was, at the time, extremely minor. Unfortunately, Pierce was overly made-up, and made to wear a costume which looked better covering up the weighty Elmo Lincoln, who previously played "Tarzan of the Apes" (1918).

The plot should be familiar to jungle watchers, but this "Tarzan" might be unfamiliar to viewers of the later Johnny Weissmuller films released by MGM (and others). Herein, Pierce (as Lord Greystoke) has begun his life as a English nobleman, and made Dorothy Dunbar (as Lady "Jane" Greystoke) the mistress of his woody estate - but, he returns to the swinging jungle life. "The Golden Lion" of the title is Pierce's loyal feline companion, which gives the film an edginess not present in others. The production values are fairly high, too, for this sort of thing. Watch out for a face-painted Boris Karloff as the main nasty native African man.

***** Tarzan and the Golden Lion (3/20/27) J.P. McGowan ~ James Pierce, Edna Murphy, Harold Goodwin, Boris Karloff