Too much about the plot just didn't add up, the writing was bad, some of the scenes were cringey and awkward,

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

After Athena (Shirley O'Hara) is stabbed with the knife, you are able to see it when she is hitting the gong.

Of the 14 Tarzan films produced by Sol Lesser, Tarzan and the Amazons is by far the most popular. The film was endlessly screened and re-screened for more than ten years on theatrical release.The reason for this popularity is firstly its cast. Although well past his prime, Weissmuller is still identified as the number one Tarzan. And here he is re-united with Jane after an absence of two films and three years. Admittedly, Brenda Joyce is not Maureen O'Sullivan, but she continued to play the role in the next four films, finishing with Tarzan's Magic Fire in which Weissmuller himself had been replaced by Lex Barker. Miss Joyce has a pleasant enough personality to make the horseplay and romance with the chunky, laconic Weissmuller believable. Sheffield is also skillful and credible as Boy. And then there is Cheta, up to her usual tricks and clever shenanigans. To round off these pleasant principals, a mildly unpleasant assortment of scientists and villains headed by Henry Stephenson of all people, Barton MacLane (no-nonsense, black-hearted), J.J. Kerrigan (a welcome touch of mildly amusing, even sympathetic, comic relief) and Steve Geray (also along for comic relief, but he is miscast and the effect is a trifle strained).The second item of appeal is the story itself. Of all the Tarzan plots, those featuring forbidden cities have undoubtedly the most appeal. And here we have not only a hidden city, complete with a mysterious altar and idol, but a city staffed entirely by women (and 99% nubile ladies at that! though care is taken to keep all costumes well within the borders of a "G" certificate). Although lensed on a limited budget with some obvious short-cuts in art direction and special effects, enough of the matriarchal city is up there on the screen to dazzle our eyes and senses. And as if this plot element was not exciting enough, Tarzan performs all his customary feats of swimming, swinging and fighting. That poor old rubber alligator is pressed into service once more, plus some familiar lion and panther stock shots. But there's a great deal that's exciting and original too: Cheta playing with dynamite, Tarzan bridging a tree-trunk across a gigantic chasm, Jane felled by a tree in a storm, the villains turning on Athena and themselves being picked off one by one, until the final duo meet their just end in quick-sand. The dialogue of course is the usual sometimes corny mélange: "Boy think too much - forget to laugh!" But in the skilled mouths of players like these (excepting Mr Weissmuller himself), who cares? The direction is pacy, polished, the photography skilful and attractive (even at times visually exciting: the first entry into Palmeria, the silhouettes outlined on top of the cliff), and the music both pleasant and appropriate. Production values are impressive.

In the last two Tarzan films, the last one for MGM and the first one for RKO, the character of Jane was written out by having her go to the United Kingdom as a patriotic gesture for the war. Tarzan himself dealt with the Nazis in his usual manner in these last two films himself, Tarzan Triumphs and Tarzan's Desert Mystery. Jane is now played by Brenda Joyce as Tarzan and his family are fully reunited now. She's bought some friends along headed by Henry Stephenson who is fascinated by a bracelet that Cheetah found for Jane. It speaks of an ancient legend of an Amazon tribe and a lost city. Of course Tarzan knows all about it and he's been keeping the Amazons a secret. There ain't nothing in the jungle that he doesn't know about. And in Tarzan And The Amazons the usual common theme of all Tarzan films comes true. Outsiders only mean trouble, especially if they come from civilization.Stephenson is a cultured scientist, but the rest of his crew have their own ideas. Folks like Barton MacLane, Lionel Royce, Don Douglas, J.M. Kerrigan, and Steven Geray see visions of untold riches. I think you can figure the rest of this story out.Tarzan And The Amazons features Maria Ouspenskaya as the ancient Queen of the Amazons who exacts hard punishment for those who violate the sanctity of the Amazons, She's always good even in some really terrible films. This like so many other Hollywood films with an African setting give us a pulp fiction view of that continent. It was only in the Fifties with King Solomon's Mines and The African Queen that we started getting a realistic view of Africa. Still Tarzan And The Amazons is entertaining enough in a pulp fiction sort of way.

Let me start by saying that I'm not very familiar with the TARZAN-films of the 30's, 40's and 50's, or actually: not with Tarzan at all. This film, only being the second I've watched recently is not a very good one. Classic story(Tarzan swings from tree to tree, rescuing people from wild animals and bad guys), cardboard scenery and not a very impressive Tarzan too.This is in fact the biggest flaw of this film. I've seen Gordon Scott play Tarzan in the much better TARZAN'S GREATEST ADVENTURE and thought former swimming champion Weissmuller was the greatest Tarzan of all. I don't know if Johnny Weismuller always looked like he does here, but I can say that he doesn't look like a champion at all. There's no greatness in his performance at all, nor does he look like an athlete. I heard that he got tired after a few films more and decided to stop playing Tarzan, and this seems to be the case here already. One of the few good things about this film is Cheetah. What a great job of the animal trainers here! Great fun to watch, when Cheetah is on screen This, together with the fact that the film isn't very long(which is good, because there really isn't much story too), is the only thing why one should see this minor Tarzan-episode. 5/10