LibGuides: COMM 220: Introduction to Film: Action / Adventure

Classic Action & Adventure Films on DVD

What characteristics define the Action/Adventure movie? Visit the “Film Genres” page on the American Movie Classics (AMC) web site to find out!

Battleship Potemkin by Eisenstein, Sergei.
Call Number: PN 1995.75 .B377 1998
Publication Date: Produced 1925; DVD released 1998
This film re-creates the 1905 mutiny on the battleship 'Prince Potemkin,' focusing on the uprising of the crew and subsequent massacre of civilians.
Seven Samurai by Kurosawa, Akira.
Call Number: PN 1995.9 .S24 S4 2006
Publication Date: Produced 1954; DVD released 2006
This epic tells the story of a 16th-century village whose desperate inhabitants hire seven unemployed warriors to protect them from invading bandits.
Dr. No by Young, Terence.
Call Number: PR 6056 .L4 D76 2007
Publication Date: Produced 1962; DVD released 2007
In the first installment of the long-running series, James Bond (Agent 007) is sent to Jamaica to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a British secret service agent. He confronts the evil Dr. No, a scientific genius bent on destroying the U.S. space program.
Mad Max by Miller, George.
Call Number: PN 1995.9 .M66 M3 2015
Publication Date: Produced 1979; DVD released 2015
In a world after nuclear war, where gasoline is scarce, civilization is slowly fading away. After one cop's family is killed by a ruthless gang, he goes after them, seeking revenge.

Now Streaming: Films on Demand

The Universal Studios serial "Lost City of the Jungle," produced in 1946, involves a race between good guys and bad guys to discover an element that will stop the atomic bomb -- a fictional story about a very real concern for audiences who had just lived through World War II. Actor Lionel Atwill, who played the evil mastermind, died before filming of the series could be completed, so scripts for later episodes had to be rewritten to create a new character to replace him. Atwill may be best remembered for his role as the constable in Son of Frankenstein, which was later spoofed in Young Frankenstein. To see all 13 installments of Lost City of the Jungle, go to the Films on Demand database!

Genre-Related Books

"Baad Bitches" and Sassy Supermamas: Black Power Action Films by Dunn, Stephane.
Call Number: PN 1995.9 .N4 D86 2008
ISBN: 9780252075483
Publication Date: 2008
In this book, author Stephane Dunn unpacks the intersecting racial, sexual, and gender politics underlying the representations of racialized bodies, masculinities, and femininities in early-1970s Black action films, with particular focus on the representation of Black femininity. Recognizing a distinct moment in the history of African American representation in popular cinema, Dunn analyzes how it emerged from a radical political era influenced by the Black Power movement and feminism. Dunn also engages Blaxploitation's legacy in contemporary hip-hop culture, as suggested by the music's disturbing gender politics and the "baad bitch daughters" of Foxy Brown and Cleopatra Jones, rappers Foxy Brown and Lil' Kim.
The Man with the Golden Touch by McKay, Sinclair.
Call Number: PN 1995.9 .J3 M39 2010
ISBN: 9781590202982
Publication Date: 2010
This book tells the unlikely story of how Eon Productions, the owners of the Bond franchise, has kept James Bond at the top of the charts for 45 years, when originally only a few films were planned. Through 21 films featuring three Ms, two Qs, three Moneypennys, and six Bonds -- from Sean Connery's career-transforming turn in 1962's 'Dr. No' to Daniel Craig's debut in the 2006 blockbuster 'Casino Royale' -- the action superstar and perfect English gentleman spy reigns supreme.