Since the time of prehistoric man’s cave paintings to ancient Greek and Roman mythology to medieval chronicles of European Christian hegemony to the evolution of literature and theatre in the middle of the second millenium, humanity has had an all-consuming need to relate tales of adventurous deeds. Whether it be as escapist fare, cautionary fables or simple attempts at catharsis, the spirit of adventure in literature, song and theatre has carried down through the ages. From the very start of the 20^th Century, it mutated into a whole new mode of expression with the revolutionary invention of film. Join us as we follow some of the finest filmmakers, including John Huston, Fritz Lang, David Lean, Robert Siodmak, George Cukor, Howard Hawks, John Sturges, John Frankenheimer, et. al. as they spin their tall tales and yarns of derring-do. From the exotic hothouse locales of THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING, KING SOLOMON’S MINES, BHOWANI JUNCTION, BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, KING OF THE KYBER RIFLES to the high seas of DAMN THE DEFIANT, THE CRIMSON PIRATE, SON OF FURY to the historical period sagas of MOONFLEET, THE FLAME AND THE ARROW, KIM, THE BIG SKY, SUEZ to the hardboiled macho exploits of DARK OF THE SUN, THE TRAIN, THE GREAT ESCAPE and ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS, come along with us to walk a taut cinematic tightrope of thrills, suspense and spine-tingling action.

70 mm Print! LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, 1962, Sony Repertory, 216 min. The beautiful, near-godlike Peter O’Toole stars as the tortured Man Who Would Not Be King, T. E. Lawrence, who helped the Arabs revolt against European and Ottoman hegemony. Director David Lean’s epic is an absolute masterpiece – as close to perfect as a film can get. Featuring one of the finest casts in any motion picture: Omar Sharif (in his first major English-speaking role), Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, Claude Rains and Alec Guinness as Prince Faisal. Director of Photography Freddie Young’s 70mm photography is rightly considered to be a work of genius, matched by Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson’s screenplay, Maurice Jarre’s stirring score and John Box’s production design. Winner of seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. "When you’re in the desert, you look into infinity … It makes you feel terribly small, and also in a strange way, quite big." – David Lean

New 35mm Print! ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS, 1939, Sony Repertory, 121 min. One of director Howard Hawks’ most elaborate, early shaggy dog stories finds sarcastic, unsentimental Cary Grant the head of a South American air service devoted to carrying the mail over a perilous mountain range. Temporarily stranded New York showgirl Jean Arthur is blindsided by the fatalistic nonchalance that Grant and his pilots display as their comrades face death in merciless weather and fogbound mountain passes. As is usual with Hawks, there is continual, unsurpassed verbal sparring amongst all concerned, including disgraced flyer Richard Barthelmess, his wife Rita Hayworth and half-blind pilot Thomas Mitchell. "Howard Hawks had a story to tell and he has done it inspiringly well… The Grant-Arthur cynicism and unyielding romantics are kept at a high standard." – Variety"One of the sublime action films of the era…" – Lori Hoffman, Atlantic City Weekly

Restored Uncut Version! THE BIG SKY, 1952, Warner Bros., 141 min. Director Howard Hawks and screenwriter Dudley Nichols adapted A. B. Guthrie’s popular novel into one of the true masterworks of frontier adventure cinema. Trappers Kirk Douglas and Dewey Martin catch a ride on a keel boat up the Missouri River to trade with the Blackfoot Indians. Along the way, they encounter other hostile tribes as well as renegade traders (Jim Davis, et. al.) bent on pillaging their barter and scuttling their efforts. Great, unpretentious, multi-layered storytelling. Co-starring homespun Arthur Hunnicutt as philosopical mountain man, Zeb (who also narrates). Hawks cast beautiful, half-Indian Elizabeth Threatt (very convincing in her only film role) as the silent, fierce Blackfoot princess who eventually falls in love with Martin. "…sublime 1952 black-and-white masterpiece by Howard Hawks… mysterious, beautiful and even utopian…" – Jonathan Rosebaum, The Chicago Reader Preserved with funds provided by Robert Sturm, The Film Foundation and The Celeste Bartos Film Preservation Fund. NOT ON DVD

THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, 1957, Sony Repertory, 161 min. Director David Lean won the first of two Academy Awards for Best Director for this epic portrait of the clash of wills between a British POW, Col. Nicholson (Alec Guinness, who initially turned down the role) and a tradition-bound Japanese officer (silent star Sessue Hayakawa) over the building of a railway bridge in the jungle during WWII. William Holden stars as the cynically-realistic American POW who is forced to trek back into the hellish jungle to destroy the bridge with Jack Hawkins and his rag-tag team of commandos. Brilliantly adapted by Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson from Pierre Boulle’s novel, with an unforgettable score courtesy of Malcolm Arnold. "There has been a lot of argument about the film’s attitude towards war. I think it is a painfully eloquent statement on the general folly and waste of war." – David Lean

THE GREAT ESCAPE, 1963, MGM Repertory, 168 min. Dir. John Sturges. Superlative WWII adventure drama chronicling the real life, large scale prison camp escape of Allied POW’s in Germany, featuring Steve McQueen in his (literally) breakout role as Captain Virgil Hilts, "The Cooler King." Nail-biting suspense and exhilarating action are punctuated with just the right amount of raucous humor, aided by composer Elmer Bernstein’s rousing score. This is the film that helped to solidify the careers of already rising stars McQueen, James Garner, Charles Bronson and James Coburn, with excellent support from Richard Attenborough, James Donald and Donald Pleasence.

THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING, 1975, Warner Bros., 129 min. Director John Huston adapts Rudyard Kipling’s witty, exciting tall-tale into an excellent fable of the hubris of empire builders. Maverick ex-soldiers Michael Caine and Sean Connery, inspired by the centuries-old, worldwide expansion of Britain, decide they are going to journey to the far-off reaches of Kafiristan (now part of Afghanistan) to set-up their own kingdom. Miraculously, they pull it off by virtue of outlandish lies (they pass Connery off as a god), audacious imagination and sheer nerve. But their arrogance, particularly Connery’s, soon pulls the pedestal out from under them, resulting in catastrophe. One of Huston’s best later films showcases astounding use of locations and great performances including Christopher Plummer as Kipling and Saeed Jaffrey as Billy Fish. "…swashbuckling adventure, pure and simple, and in the hands of a master. It's been a long time since there's been an escapist entertainment quite this unabashed and thrilling and fun." – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times