Yeah the idea of "bad animals" vs. "good animals" is silly. As are many things in the series. Many of the views in regard to race, gender roles and indeed animal treatment are quite insulting. That being said, I think a lot of the appeal of these Tarzan films is their straightforwardness. So many things about the character and his world are dated and morally deplorable and I find it a bit refreshing that crocodiles, lizards and lions are portrayed as the devils of nature. There is so much exoticism in these films. They aren't about correctly depicting foreign cultures and wild life, they are about making the natives seem stranger and the beasts seem wilder. The exoticism is derived from this hightened drama. The films are in many ways quite dated but they have an innocent charm stemming from a desire to tell an exciting story - and if they occasionally (to say the least) make some absurdly anachronistic choices, I can live with it, as the objective was never to insult or harm, but only to entertain.
What I do find appaling is when the films occasionally use animals that clearly in real life have not been treated well. There is at one point a really shabby looking lion making an appearance and THAT completely takes me out of the experience.
Who's the black private dick that's a sex machine to all the chicks? Shaft!
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