Media Film Genre Research

1. MEDIA GENRE RESEARCH

2. ACTION/ADVENTURE
The genre action/adventure was first seen in films,
particularly in America, during the 1910’s and 1920’s in
films such as The Three Musketeers and The Thief of
Baghdad.
Other early films in this genre are The Mask of Zorro
(1920), Robin Hood (1922) and Mr Robinson Crusoe
(1932), respectively all starring Douglas Fairbanks.

3. MAIN FILMS/ACTORS/DIRECTORS
 Some of the main actors that have been frequently seen in this genre of
film include Kirk Douglas (Spartacus and the Vikings) and Charlton
Heston (Ben Hur and The Ten Commandments).
 Some of the most notable adventure films recently include the Lord of
the Rings trilogy and the Indiana Jones series.
 Main directors in this genre include Steven Spielberg and Cecil B
DeMille.

4. AWARDS
Awards in this genre include
 National film award for best exploration/adventure film
 Saturn award for best action or adventure film

5. KEY FEATURES
There are many features to an adventure film
• Fast moving plot
• A recognisable hero/heroine
• Action sequences

6. THE HISTORY OF THE
ACTION/ADVENTURE FILM
The adventure film reached its peak in the 1920s and
1930s when films like the Mask Of Zorro and Robin Hood
were regularly being made with popular film stars.
In the early days of adventure films, the main protagonist
was always male; these men were courageous and often
fighting ‘baddies’.