I recently watched a couple of Harryhausen's and the Korda THIEF OF BAGHDAD, and looking at the photos on this thread reminded me that the sense of the outdoors, of air and light, is crucial to these movies. It may seem like a minor point, but after watching these movies as a kid, I always ran outside and to the woods near where we lived. These movies didn't just depict adventures, they INSPIRED me to want to go out and have adventures.

I know I sound like an old crank, but I see the modern equivalents--the Mummy movies, the Lucas prequels, and various fantasy flicks (with the important exception of the very outdoorsy LORD OF THE RINGS movies), and I want to go outside, too, because these films feel so artificial and claustrophobic--I need air, and sunlight, not to augment my experience, but to help wash it out.