Classic Adventure
Remember those moments where the main character finds himself in a difficult or precarious dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation, those thrill-a-minute extravaganzas, those rip-roaring spectacles, swashbuckling and derring-do action, cliff-hanger endings .... that was what Saturday Matinees were made of.
Below is a compilation of the 'essence' of this wonderful genre. See also 'Cliff-Hanger Serials'
The Black Shield of Falworth (1954)
6.5/10
Director: Rudolph Mate
Starring: Barbara Rush, David Farrar, Herbert Marshall, Janet Leigh, Tony Curtis
In one of his earliest and most dashing performances, a young Tony Curtis pursues his real-life bride Janet Leigh, while defending the British throne... Read more
The Black Swan (1942)
6.9/10
Director: Henry King
Starring: Laird Cregar, Maureen O'Hara, Tyrone Power, Thomas Mitchell, George Sanders, Ant...
Tyrone Power is his usual stylish and articulate self in this classic swashbuckling pirate tale adapted from Sabatini's novel. The starry cast, music... Read more
The Count of Monte Cristo (1934)
7.6/10
Director: Rowland V Lee
Starring: Louis Calhern, Robert Donat, Sidney Blackmer, Raymond Walburn, Elissa Landi
Robert Donat stars in this classic swashbuckler based on the 1844 novel by Alexandre Dumas. It tells the story of Edmond Dantes, a common seaman false... Read more
The Crimson Pirate (1952)
7.3/10
Director: Robert Siodmak
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Nick Cravat, Eva Bartok
This rip-roaring, swashbuckling adventure (among the best) stars Burt Lancaster and Nick Cravat as buccaneers in the Mediterranean. It has it all - p... Read more
The Giant of Marathon (1959)
5.1/10
Director: Jacques Tourneur
Starring: Mylene Demongeot, Steve Reeves, Daniela Rocca
Steve Reeves, cinema's most famous muscleman, stars as the real life hero of Greek history. In 'The Giant of Marathon', Reeves plays Philippides, an O... Read more
The Guns of Navarone (1961)
7.6/10
Director: J Lee Thompson
Starring: Gregory Peck, David Niven, Anthony Quinn, Stanley Baker, Anthony Quayle, Irene P...
Gregory Peck, David Niven, and Anthony Quinn star as a team of Allied military specialists recruited for a dangerous but imperative mission: to infilt... Read more
The Guns of Navarone ( Blu-ray ) (1961)
7.6/10
Director: J Lee Thompson
Starring: Anthony Quayle, Anthony Quinn, David Niven, Gregory Peck, Irene Papas, James Dar...
Gregory Peck, David Niven, and Anthony Quinn star as a team of Allied military specialists recruited for a dangerous but imperative mission: to infilt... Read more
The Hurricane (1937)
7.3/10
Director: John Ford
Starring: Dorothy Lamour, Jon Hall, Mary Astor, C Aubrey Smith, Thomas Mitchell, Raymond M...
In the colonial era, island native Terangi (Jon Hall) spends a blissful honeymoon with his bride, Marama (Dorothy Lamour). Soon after, however, their... Read more
The Invisible Women (1940)
Director: Edward Sutherland
Starring: Virginia Bruce, John Barrymore, John Howard
Eccentric Professor Gibbs, brilliant but impractical, invents an invisibility machine and advertises for a guinea pig. What he gets is Kitty Carroll,... Read more
The Last Remake of Beau Geste (1977)
6.1/10
Director: Marty Feldman
Starring: Ann-Margret , James Earl Jones, Marty Feldman, Michael York, Peter Ustinov, Ter...
Set in England and Morocco in 1906, Marty Feldman's "remake" mocks all the do-or-die extravaganzas we've known and loved as he portrays Digby, identic... Read more