Tarzan and Jane Regained... Sort of (1964)

Tarzan and Jane Regained... Sort of Poster

Shot during Warhol's cross-county trip to Los Angeles during his second exhibition at the Ferus - the same trip during which he filmed the footage for Elvis at Ferus. Locations included Hollywood, Malibu, Venice, Pasadena, Topanga Canyon, the Santa Monica pier and the Beverly Hills Hotel.

Film Overview
"Tarzan and Jane Regained ... Sort of" is a non-traditional, experimental, and lively 1964 film developed by the famous pop-art purveyor, Andy Warhol. The motion picture repurposes aspects of the traditional jungle couple, Tarzan and Jane, positioning them in a contemporary setting. The film features Taylor Mead as Tarzan and Naomi Levine as Jane. This progressive piece is considered one of Warhol's earliest story silents and is substantially more lively than his later, more stoic works.

Plot Synopsis
The film plot is, as mentioned from the onset, a well-meaning however loose parody. It is quite unstructured and filled with humor. The narrative starts with Tarzan (Taylor Mead) getting a telegram in New York City, calling him back to the jungle. Jane (Naomi Levine), has actually been supposedly kidnapped, acting as a pretext for his return. Warhol avoids conventional direct storytelling, choosing to concentrate on spontaneous and relatively regular moments that identify 1960s NY bohemian lifestyle.

The movie provides a host of unusual scenes that vacillate between both the surreal and ordinary. There are poolside parties, celebrity-endorsed bullfights, and even sequences of Tarzan roaming around the American landscapes. The character of Tarzan is an affable and bumbling nature lover, using a plain contrast to the stoic and physical prowess often related to the character in standard cinema.

Style and Theatrical Presentation
Warhol's creative impact permeates the movie, with its cinematic style drawing greatly from his signature pop-art values. The movie accepts a low-budget aesthetic, with non-professional actors, portable electronic camera work, and raw modifying methods. It likewise stimulates the spirit of New York's underground art scene, offering glances of personalities like Dennis Hopper and others who were prominent figures throughout that period.

Important Reception
"Tarzan and Jane Regained ... Sort of" can be stated to be emblematic of Warhol's early cinematic vision. It is especially noted for its use of satire and hyperbolic parody, subverting the preexisting narrative and expectations of the Tarzan tale. However, being a speculative and avant-garde movie, it attracted combined reviews.

Conclusion
"Tarzan and Jane Regained ... Sort of" is not a common mainstream movie. It is rebellious and in lots of methods anti-establishment, reflecting Warhol's thematic fascination with celebrity culture, banality, and high vs low art. Warhol's version of Tarzan and Jane is a departure from the traditional representation in literature and past movies. Rather, it determines the story through an unique lens that shows the pop art motion's irreverence towards standard standards of material and kind. Aiming to provoke thoughts about the nature of movie, art and the progressively commercialized American culture, it became an integral part of Warhol's advanced body of work.

Top Cast

  • Taylor Mead (small)
    Taylor Mead
    Tarzan
  • Naomi Levine (small)
    Naomi Levine
    Jane
  • James Bridges (small)
    James Bridges
    Lord of the Forest
  • Brooke Hayward (small)
    Brooke Hayward
  • Dennis Hopper (small)
    Dennis Hopper
    Tarzan (Double)
  • Irving Blum
  • Claes Oldenburg
  • Patty Oldenburg
  • Andy Warhol (small)
    Andy Warhol