Films often take their viewers on grand journeys, covering spans of miles and days in just a couple hours. These great directors made this transcendence of space and time the focus of their works, creating some of the best classic adventure films.
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1. Fritz Lang
Fritz Lang was born in Austria in 1890.
According to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), he began writing basic plotlines for films in 1916 while recovering from injuries he sustained as a soldier in World War I. Eventually making his way to the United States, Lang worked with actress Thea von Harbou, whom he married in 1922. Together, they wrote the script for the most successful adventure movie he directed, "Die Niebelungen: Siegfried" (1924). Lang is credited with several other action flicks beyond this, including its sequel, "Die Nibelungen: Kriemhild’s Revenge" (1924), "Cloak and Dagger" (1946), and "Moonfleet" (1955).
2. John Ford
One of the most revered directors in the business, John Ford was a master of several genres including adventure.
A big fan of Westerns as reported by IMDb, Ford made a number of memorable entries in this subcategory of adventure. One of these films, "Stagecoach" (1939), was used repeatedly by Orson Welles as a prime example of excellent filmmaking. Perhaps his most successful Western was "The Searchers" (1956), revered as one of the greatest films that helped define the genre.
3. Stanley Kubrick
Known for making somewhat controversial, thought-provoking, and intense films, Stanley Kubrick and his pieces are some of the most recognizable in the business. Revealing his incredible dedication to his work in his debut feature "Fear and Desire" in 1953,
Kubrick served as director, cameraman, administrator, prop man, unit chauffeur, makeup artist, and lighting engineer for the film, Rolling Stone reports. "Spartacus" (1960) was his first great adventure hit, but he did not enjoy the process as he was the second director to work on the film and so did not have absolute control over its script. His vow to never give up control of any aspects of his films following this helped him produce his greatest adventure film, "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968), which lives on as a cult classic to this day.
4. George Lucas
George Lucas is undoubtedly one of the greatest minds to ever enter the film industry. Although he originally wanted to be a racecar driver,
according to Rotten Tomatoes, a bad wreck eventually forced him to pursue backup plans, and he landed on film. Best known for his involvement with the "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" series where he served as director and producer respectively, Lucas was one of the driving forces in film’s evolution from simple storytelling to grand spectacles.
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