Tarzan bricht die Ketten

The hunter Vargo (Raymond Burr) comes to Dagar, joining forces with the trader Lyra (Monique Van Dooren) and announcing he wants to obtain a big haul of ivory. To round up the elephants needed, Vargo captures the men of Lacopo tribe to force them work for him. The Lacopo women flee to Tarzan and appeal for help. Tarzan goes and breaks into Vargo's compound and frees the Lacopo men.

Vargo then decides he wants to enlist Tarzan to herd the elephants. When Tarzan refuses, Vargo and his men set out to capture Jane. In doing so, they set the treehut on fire. With Jane presumed killed in the fire, Tarzan is made a prisoner until he agrees to cooperate.

Worst Tarzan? No way! That title goes to the Bo Derek one or Christopher Lambert one- Tarzan and the She-Devil is a standard Tarzan with an old trope of evil ivory poachers, but such a nasty business is quite relevant today. And talking about nasty - Raymond Burr adds some edge as the main heavy, bringing an earthy sense of danger to the proceedings. Monique Van Dooren plays the She-Devil, but she just a supporting character and isn't as evil as Vargo, and brings Jane to Tarzan when he learns from Fidel that Vargo intends to double cross them. Nice to see Tom Conway as Fidel, who is a little nervous about this operation and Vargo.

It's a slightly sluggishly-paced, but it's decent enough with a good finale where Vargo gets a crushing reception. There's a nice shot of a big cat and a python wrestling. Cheetah is amusing as ever with his antics, though he shows a caring side to Tarzan while he's heartbroken over Jane- he think she's dead but she isn't.