One of my favorite things about Pre-code movies is how freaking erotic they are. Tarzan the Ape Man is most definitely no exception. How could it? When it featured the lovely Maureen O'Sullivan as Jane and the amazingly sexy Johnny Weismuller as Tarzan.
During my favorite sequence, Jane has been frolicking with Tarzan over tree tops and vines. However we have had no truly obvious inkling of them having actual sexual intercourse. We know Jane wants it, given that she barely refuses to be kidnapped by the ape man and we know Tarzan must be tired of fooling around with hairier mammals.
As Tarzan takes a dip in a pond, Jane looks from the outside begging him not to drag her in.
Why? She doesn't want to get wet. Yes, wet, literally and take that in any other way you want. Remember the context...Hollywood was naughty back then.
Jane fails.
Tarzan pulls her into the water and her look of delight is simply a joy to watch.
Neither of them can wait to get out of the water and head over to their cave though, which leads to my favorite shot in the entire movie...
We see how Jane has completely surrendered to lust and desire. She relaxes watching her reflection on the pond, completely drenched and hopefully quite satisfied. O'Sullivan's performance in this movie has an amount of horniness that only rivals Kim Hunter in A Streetcar Named Desire and Anne Baxter, well, in anything she starred in.
Gotta love the fact that the art direction in this particular moment is so freaking sexual. We have the leopard skin, the smoothness of the water and Jane is lying on something that might as well be a giant penis.
And when Tarzan finally returns, Jane is surely ready for more.
Would you blame her?
This post is part of Nat's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series.
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