Action and Adventure Films

EARLY AND SILENT ACTION AND ADVENTURE

Action and adventure form a key component of early and silent cinema. At a relatively early stage of film history, elements of chase and pursuit were developed into basic narratives through innovations in editing, evident in such important cinematic reference points as The Great Train Robbery (1903) in the United States and A Daring Daylight Burglary (1903) in the United Kingdom. Both titles involve crime, some form of pursuit, and the ultimate capture of the thieves in question by the forces of law. The sensational appeal of crime and pursuit remain evident throughout the silent era. Film historians such as Richard Abel and Ben Singer have done much to map

the appeal of sensational cinema in the period, pointing out that what we now typically term "action" was framed within the silent era as a form of popular melodrama featuring scenes of peril, pursuit, villainy, and rescue, forms derived in part from spectacular theatrical traditions. These basic elements of chase and pursuit were also given comic inflection in Mack Sennett's highly successful slapstick Keystone productions, most notably through the antics of the "Keystone Kops."

As the silent cinema reached maturity in the United States, the most remarkable action star of the period was undoubtedly Douglas Fairbanks (1883–1939), who defined both the historical adventure and the action spectacle for the silent era. From his unexpected success with The Mark of Zorro (1920), a departure from the star's established association with comedy, Fairbanks appeared in a series of costly spectacles that showcased his athleticism and physical exuberance, notably Robin Hood (1922) and The Thief of Bagdad (1924). The latter, directed by Raoul Walsh, is an epic fairytale film featuring extravagant sets and breathtaking choreography. The film follows Fairbanks's Ahmed from life as a thief on the streets of Bagdad through various adventures that end in his redemption through love and heroism. Rudolph Valentino (1895–1926), Fairbanks's contemporary, was also associated with exoticized adventure in such films as The Sheik (1921) and his last film, Son of the Sheik (1926), his star persona foregrounding eroticism rather than the athleticism that was Fairbanks's trademark. However different, dance draws the two together, with The Thief of Bagdad clearly being influenced by contemporary dance styles and Valentino's being heavily associated with the ethnic eroticism of the tango. Both stars are analyzed in This Mad Masquerade by Gaylyn Studlar, who explores their images within the period's evolving and fluid discourses of American manhood. Their different images underline the centrality of the star body to action and adventure films: as a form that foregrounds the body in motion and in combat, action and adventure cinema advances a physical (frequently sexualized), imagery of heroism that veers between the poles of aggression and grace.

Though lacking the continuing cultural visibility of Valentino as star, the "serial queen" has attracted critical attention as an extremely popular site of action and spectacle in the silent era. As Singer notes, serial star Pearl White (1889–1938) was an extraordinarily popular performer, with high-grossing serials such as The Perils of Pauline (1914) demonstrating the association between intrepid action heroines, modernity and early cinema ( Melodrama and Modernity , pp. 214–216). Jennifer Bean explores such connections to the long-running serial The Hazards of Helen (1914–1917). She foregrounds the railroad and other forms of transportation as important sources of cinematic thrills within these films and as a marker of the perceived speed and unreliability of modern life. The centrality of female performers to action and adventure in the silent period, admittedly within the less prestigious form of the serial, usefully frames the critical interest in contemporary Hollywood action heroines ( Action and Adventure , pp. 21–23).

Finally, it should be noted that the silent cinema also sees the formation of a tradition of adventure filmmaking strongly associated with special effects. The fabulous sets of the Fairbanks adventures represent one such source of spectacle. Of equal significance is the appeal of landmark films such as the adaptation of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916), complete with elaborate underwater sequences, or the ground-breaking stop-motion animation detailing dinosaurs in the lavish 1925 adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World . Such laboriously produced films exploiting a variety of technical innovations indicate the early importance of spectacular scenes as a defining feature of action and adventure cinema.