If the actual "Blue Film Tarzan" is nearly impossible to find (most were discarded, destroyed, or reside in archival vaults like the Kinsey Institute), what can the modern cinephile watch to capture that same sweaty, vintage, jungle-coded energy? Below are recommendations for classic, cult, and exploitation films that walk the fine line between legitimate cinema and the salacious spirit of that lost genre.
Before the strict implementation of the Hays Code in 1934, Hollywood enjoyed a "Pre-Code" era where filmmakers pushed the envelope. This is the era most closely associated with the "Blue Film" spirit of the Tarzan franchise. Video Blue Film Tarzan X
Before the Hays Code strangled Hollywood, there was Tarzan and His Mate . This is the most erotic mainstream Tarzan film ever made. Watch the sequence where Maureen O’Sullivan’s Jane swims nude with Tarzan (using a body double, but the suggestion is electric). The chemistry between Weissmuller and O’Sullivan is palpable. The famous "elephant graveyard" scene is drenched in colonial dread and primal sensuality. This is the "art" that the blue films tried to cheaply copy. Seek out the pre-code version—the later cuts neutered it. If the actual "Blue Film Tarzan" is nearly