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jamesenstein31 wrote:

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As many of you know, I am partial to list compiling and have published several on my blog and elsewhere. I made many on classic horror, including my "best of the decade" lists for the horror film. Horror is my forte, but I love all cinema and have always had a special place for the adventure and action film genre. However, it's also one of the broadest and toughest to define, which is why I have yet to work on a list. Action/Adventure does not just cover the genre of it's namesake, but also the Western, War and Gangster genres among many others. Most contemporary Science Fiction films are nothing more than action films.

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Well, to both gain ideas and to provoke conversation, let's discuss what ARE the best in the genre. Here's a few of my nominees thus far:

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK

TARZAN THE APE MAN(1932)/TARZAN AND HIS MATE(1934)

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Your list brings up part of the problem, some of the films you listed also have paranormal elements. The Tarzan films have a hard-wired central premise involving the paranormal. All the theatrical Indiana Jones films involved magic and/or extraterrestrials.

Admittedly, the Jones films feature paranormal elements that conventional viewers below the Mason-Dixon line or the Heartland would not find too odd (except for the second and fourth films) as a concept, if not in application. In contrast to the magic one finds in, for example, the Conan films (which largely derives from more esoteric concepts such as Atlantis), the magic in Indiana Jones comes from Levantine tradition.

http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/topic/37195
http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/forum/getrefs/id/728063/type/0

You may note that it bothered me that one had "classic monsters" but less clearly "classic adventure heroes", although Jeff Rovin did publish a book on the latter concept which I have posted about. I will note that Tony Thomas wrote a book called The Great Adventure Films.

The Mark of Zorro (1920) Don Juan (1926) The General (1926) Wings (1927) Treasure Island (1934) The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934) The Count of Monte Cristo (1934) Tarzan and His Mate (1934) The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935) The Call of the Wild (1935) The Crusades (1935) The Last of the Mohicans (1936) Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) The Prisoner of Zenda (1937) The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938) Gunga Din (1939) The Four Feathers (1939) Beau Geste (1939) Northwest Passage (1940) The Sea Hawk (1940) 49th Parallel (1941) The Jungle Book (1942) Henry V (1944) Scott of the Antarctic (1948) The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) Captain from Castile (1947) The Flame and the Arrow (1950) King Solomon's Mines (1950) Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951) The African Queen (1951) Ivanhoe (1952) Scaramouche (1952) The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1954) 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) The Court Jester (1956) Around the World in 80 Days (1956) War and Peace (1956) The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) The Magnificent Seven (1960) Swiss Family Robinson (1960) The Sundowners (1960) Ride the High Country (1961) El Cid (1961) Lawrence of Arabia (1962) The Great Escape (1963) Zulu (1964) The Naked Prey (1966) The Professionals (1966) The Man Who Would Be King (1975)

jamesenstein31 wrote:

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I don't see the argument, as i'm also including ACTION and all of these have a high action quotient. An adventure film can have fantastic themes, in fact, KING KONG would probably count to be on the list.

Well, to both gain ideas and to provoke conversation, let's discuss what ARE the best in the genre. Here's a few of my nominees thus far:

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK

TARZAN THE APE MAN(1932)/TARZAN AND HIS MATE(1934)

============================================================================

Your list brings up part of the problem, some of the films you listed also have paranormal elements. The Tarzan films have a hard-wired central premise involving the paranormal. All the theatrical Indiana Jones films involved magic and/or extraterrestrials.

Admittedly, the Jones films feature paranormal elements that conventional viewers below the Mason-Dixon line or the Heartland would not find too odd (except for the second and fourth films) as a concept, if not in application. In contrast to the magic one finds in, for example, the Conan films (which largely derives from more esoteric concepts such as Atlantis), the magic in Indiana Jones comes from Levantine tradition.