Johnny Weissmuller's swan song as Tarzan, the Ape Man. Looking winded and overweight, it's almost painful seeing Weissmuller running, diving, and climbing rocky terrain--he no longer has the grace of an athletic jungle man, and close-ups of his grizzled face reveal both an actor's rebellion and perhaps a bit of embarrassment. Down the river from Tarzan and Jane's abode on the African coast lies a taboo island ruled by a false god, whom the natives shower with treasures from the sea. Promised a maiden bride, the costumed ruler and his power-hungry potentate are furious when the beautiful girl selected escapes (how she fits into their pearl-trading scheme isn't made clear, nor is the fact she realizes the god Balu is a fake but her people do not). Filmed in Mexico City, the picture is padded with local atmospherics and asides (some of which, such as the breathtaking cliff-side high-dives, are truly marvelous). Dimitri Tiomkin's lush scoring and the shimmering black-and-white cinematography by Jack Draper and Gabriel Figueroa almost make the movie worth-seeing; however, Brenda Joyce is a lackluster Jane, a subplot regarding government officials is confusingly integrated, and there isn't enough humor. ** from ****