Appreciating great popular fiction

|Classic Film Commentary|

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Directed by Steven Spielberg, Written by Lawrence Kasdan, Story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman

**** (out of 4)

Florida International University literature Professor James Hall has outlined a series of characteristics of which he believes are distinctive of excellent popular fiction, in this selection film. According to Hall, the best aspects of popular fiction are: providing fact with fiction and giving the consumer new knowledge, a privileged glimpse with insider knowledge or gossip, a happy, golden place contrasted against conflict, a universal vision presented through a supreme ordeal, religious or mythical truths, application of rigorous standards to form and style no matter the distribution type of the product, clarity and accessibility and rich, three-dimensional development.

Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) embodies several of the hallmarks outlined by Hall. The most evident of these is the universal vision presented through a supreme ordeal. Dr. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) has the opportunity to go after the mythical lost Ark of the Covenant (more on religion and myths later) but faces a seemingly endless array of enemies. With this ordeal we have the creation of a new hero of which we quickly pull for from the beginning of the film. At first we see Dr. Jones attempting to recover an ancient artifact in an exotic, foreign jungle, but he is betrayed by his guide and eventually loses the item to Belloq (Paul Freeman), a rival in search of the same artifact.

The fact that Jones is played by the affable Harrison Ford instantly makes the audience like him. The villain, Belloq, stealing from our hero makes it quite clear who is good and who is evil very early in the film. After the film’s opening scenes we learn Dr. Jones is a college professor teaching ancient archaeology to a class comprised mostly of admiring girls. Dr. Jones’ dry teaching style is anything but spectacular, but the substance of his lecture makes him an effective teacher. His teaching job brings him down to earth and we begin to think he is more ordinary than the brave explorer depicted earlier.

In Joseph Sartelle’s essay Dreams and Nightmares in the Hollywood Blockbuster the author claims that a number of critics were arguing that American culture had become fascinated by “the victim.” Sartelle illustrates this by saying since white males could not call themselves a victim because of their ethnicity and that they would have to be unfairly persecuted by a group or groups of evil-doers to be considered a victim. This is applicable to Raiders as we have Dr. Jones as the hero who his opposed by Nazis, Belloq and history itself – which says the ark may or may not even exist. Dr. Jones is a hero primarily for his skills with a whip, his ability to constantly elude Nazi and French pursuers, a resiliency in difficult situations and his success in saving Marion (Karen Allen).

The sharp contrast of good and evil, Dr. Jones versus the Nazis and Belloq, strengthens the status of the hero. Also, I don’t think it was any coincidence that the heroine’s name is Marion, which is strikingly similar to Michael Curtiz’s The Adventures of Robin Hood (1939) in which Robin Hood’s lady is Marian. Robin Hood’s athletic ability and fencings skills are comparable to Dr. Jones’ prowess with a whip and his skills in a high-speed jeep chase. From this comparison one can see that Spielberg, an avid admirer of the golden age of Hollywood, understands how to make simple heroic story both exciting and meaningful.

A group of treasure-hungry Nazis present a formidable obstacle to Dr. Jones in his quest for the ark. Nazis are easily recognized as antagonists in any film and there will never be controversy over a deserved negative depiction of them in film. In Raiders they serve as a device that strengthens our like and appreciation for Dr. Jones. After all, no one likes cruel Nazis even if they are portrayed as gullible men who frequent cafes for drinks like in Casablanca. In this way the theme of Raiders with Dr. Jones, the good, versus the Nazis and Belloq, the evil, fulfills the clarity and accessibility hallmark described by Hall.

Anyone and everyone can enjoy and understand Raiders because the popular perception of Nazis is known by most anyone. Also, those who appreciate a well-made action piece, but may not necessarily know much about World War II will at least know that Germans during the 1940’s were viewed as enemies to those who valued freedom and humanity.

Another of the hallmarks which Raiders satisfies is the presence of religious or mythical truths. Much of the film is concerned with the struggle in obtaining the lost Ark of the Covenant which scripture says Moses gave to the Israelites thousands of years ago. Historically, those who interpret scripture fundamentally really do believe there actually is an ark hidden somewhere. The myth of the lost ark is quite similar to the legend of the Holy Grail of which experts have varying opinions as to what it is and if it actually exists. In any case, the use of the ark in the story piques our curiosity and one may wonder if such an incredible historical artifact exists. In this way the religious myths in Raiders scores very high in the “cool factor.”

Raiders of the Lost Ark was made in 1981 when President Ronald Reagan’s first term began, relations with the Soviet Union were frigid and the need for blockbuster films with charismatic heroes was increasingly en vogue (Superman 2 grossed over $108 Million in 1980). More than anything, well-made blockbuster such as Raiders leaves audiences with positive feelings. It was blessed with a $20 Million budget and in true blockbuster fashion earned over $240 Million domestically in 1981. While the film contains a fair amount of special effects and adrenaline-pumping action, the real draw is the resiliency of Dr. Jones and the hope associated with his adventure. The film’s tagline advertises Indiana Jones as the ultimate hero in the ultimate adventure and it delivers on both claims. Raiders of the Lost Ark offers an intriguing story, memorable characters and enough whip-cracking action to be appreciated for years to come by those who love great cinema.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull arrives in theatres May 22, 2008: