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April 1994

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Subject:
From:
BRIAN TAVES <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 1 Apr 1994 11:40:11 GMT
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          Since Jeremy kindly asked others to  send  in  word  of their new
          books  after outlining his  volume  on television, and because  I
          honestly hope Screen-L can inform us  of new works, I'll join him
          in becoming red-faced with shameless self-promotion.
            The  Romance  of Adventure: The  Genre  of Historical Adventure
          Movies, by Brian Taves, University Press  of Mississippi (Studies
          in  Popular Culture Series), 267  pages, illustrated, paper  ISBN
          0-87805-598-3 $16.95, hardcover ISBN 0-87805-597-5, $37.50.
            The historical adventure movie is  one  of  the  most enduring,
          popular,   and  mythically  significant  American  film   genres.
          Nonetheless,  it  has  never  been  analyzed  in  a comprehensive
          manner. Here  the genre  is divided among five subtypes--tales of
          swashbucklers, pirates, the  sea,  the building of  empires,  and
          fortune hunters--in films as diverse as THE THREE MUSKETEERS, THE
          MARK  OF  ZORRO,  CAPTAIN  BLOOD,  THE BUCCANEER, MUTINY  ON  THE
          BOUNTY,  CAPTAIN  HORATIO HORNBLOWER, THE  CHARGE  OF  THE  LIGHT
          BRIGADE, GUNGA DIN, THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, and  THE  MAN  WHO
          WOULD BE  KING. The genre  is defined to emphasize the historical
          setting, consistent characterization, and codes  of behavior. The
          adventurer's values of patriotism, chivalry, and honor impel such
          diverse  and  often contradictory activities  as  rebellions  for
          freedom and exploration and colornization of  the  world's remote
          regions. Adventure movies  present  some  form  of  a  fight  for
          liberty in  an era long past, presented more as myth than factual
          re-creation, whether in the castles of Europe, a ship on the high
          seas,  or  in colonies extending from Africa to India. The  genre
          portrays history  as  a progression toward democratic government,
          and  may  be  read  as metaphorical depictions  of  the  American
          Revolution  and  the  fundamental tensions  in  American  history
          between freedom and authority.
          Brian Taves
          Motion Picture, Broadcasting, Recorded Sound Division
          Library of Congress
                                 Tavesmail.loc.gov

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