ZAN, KING OF THE JUNGLE (1969)

 

PHENOMENALITY: *uncanny*
MYTHICITY: *poor*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *adventure*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTIONS: *sociological*

I don't want to suggest that ZAN KING OF THE JUNGLE is, on the whole, anything but a largely dull Tarzan knock-off, sometimes billed as TARZAN AND THE GOLDEN GROTTO in whatever markets its producers thought they could escape scrutiny by the Burroughs estate. However, sad to say, I have seen many worse Tarzan knock-offs, not least the recently reviewed ZAMBO LORD OF THE JUNGLE.

The writers-- one of whom was Umberto Lenzi-- at least made an attempt to swipe from the better Tarzan movies. Zan (Steve Hawkes) is first seen riding an elephant to the rescue of an white Amazon female (Kitty Swan), about to be burned at the stake by a tribe of Black Africans for no stated offense. Zan rescues the female and takes her back to her tribe, all of whom are also white characters (no men at all in sight). They inhabit the titular grotto, whose walls are filthy with gold, and some of them think Tarzan can't be trusted with their location. Much as the Weismuller Tarzan did in TARZAN AND THE AMAZONS, the jungle lord promises to protect the gynocentric culture from exploitation.

A couple of white reprobates-- practically interchangeable as characters-- have heard rumors of the golden grotto, and they attempt to get the Black tribesmen to help them find it. One tribesman, decked out in modern garments, does better than that: he ambushes Zan with his rifle. The jungle-lord falls in the river and the bad guys presume him dead. (This may be the first/only time a Black native manages to take out a white jungle-guy with a gun.)

Zan floats down the river and is succored by an old gold-hunter. When Zan recovers, it's suggested that he may have lost his memory, for he seeks to help the old fellow by giving him directions to the Amazons' golden grotto, and even giving the prospector some of the nuggets. The prospector goes into a local town to celebrate, the reprobates find out, and force from the old guy the location of the grotto. With various Black bearers in tow, the villains attack the Amazon tribe, and though the girls put up a decent fight, most of them are slaughtered, except for the girl Zan rescued at the opening. She doesn't do much of anything but since she appears in the movie's only sequel, she had to be kept around to be Zan's jungle mate.

While all the slaughter is going on, and the reprobates start mining the gold, the daughter of the prospector comes looking for him, and engages a raffish guide to help her. This subplot, and the eventual romance of the girl and her guide, are a big waste of time, particularly since nothing they do affects the outcome-- the old prospector getting killed, and Zan belatedly coming to knock off the evil white guys.

There aren't many fight-scenes-- as is often the case, nature photography serves to burn up a lot of time-- but there's one interesting moment. When Zan enters the grotto, four Black tribal guys lasso each of his limbs with ropes and try to drag the jungle-lord down. Zan outmuscles them all like a peplum hero and they head for the hills. Steve Hawkes has been called cinema's worst Tarzan, but frankly, everyone is so blah in this movie that his bad acting doesn't stand out for me.