Several movie versions of the Burroughs' novel were directed. The first ones were silent: Tarzan of the Apes and The Romance of Tarzan (both directed in 1918). Elmo Lincoln played Tarzan in both films. They were based on the first and second parts of the novel.

The story follows Tarzan's adventures, from his childhood being raised by apes in the jungle, to his eventual encounters with other humans and Western society. So popular was the character that Burroughs continued the series into the 1940s with two dozen sequels. Scholars have noted several important themes in the novel: the impact of heredity on behavior; racial superiority; civilization, especially as Tarzan struggles with his identity as a human.

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