"...the main purpose of criticism...is not to make its readers agree, nice as that is, but to make them, by whatever orthodox or unorthodox method, think." - John Simon

"The great enemy of clear language is insincerity." - George Orwell

Friday, May 16, 2008

The Quiet Moments in Raiders of the Lost Ark

BLOGGER'S NOTE: This post is part of the Indiana Jones Blog-a-thon being coordinated by Ali Arikan at Cerebral Mastication.
There’s no disputing that Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) is one of the greatest action/adventure films ever made, featuring some of the most memorable action sequences ever put on celluloid. Who can forget part-time archaeologist, part-time adventurer Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) outrunning a giant boulder at the beginning of the film? Or the exciting gun battle in a Nepalese bar? Or Indy being dragged behind a truck full of Nazis? However, the older I get, the more I appreciate the quieter moments in Raiders – the downtime between action set pieces. These scenes convey exposition and develop the characters. The credit for them working so well should be given to the film’s screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan, who also wrote the screenplays for such noteworthy films as The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Body Heat (1981), The Big Chill (1983), and many others. He’s written some of the best scripts ever committed to film and knows how to write witty dialogue and create engaging characters.

Kasdan’s ability to engage us in the obligatory exposition scene is evident early when Indy and his friend Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott) meet with two military intelligence officers about the location of an old colleague of Indy’s – Abner Ravenwood – who might have an artifact – the headpiece of the Staff of Ra – that will reveal the location of the Ark of the Covenant, which the Nazis are eager to get their hands on. Indy and Marcus give the two men a quick history lesson on the Ark and its power. Marcus concludes with the ominous line about how the city of Tanis, that reportedly housed the Ark, “was consumed by the desert in a sandstorm which lasted a whole year. Wiped clean by the wrath of God.” The way Denholm Elliott delivers this last bit is a tad spooky and is important because it lets us know of the Ark’s power, his reverence for it, and why the Nazis are so interested in it. This dialogue also gives us an indication of the kind of danger that Indy is up against.
This segues to a nice little scene right afterwards at Indy’s home between the archaeologist and Marcus. He tells Indy that the United States government wants him to find the headpiece and get the Ark. As Indy gets ready they talk about the Ark. The camera pans away from Indy packing to a worried Marcus sitting on a sofa and he reveals his apprehension about what his friend is going after: “For nearly 3,000 years man has been searching for the lost Ark. It’s not something to be taken lightly. No one knows its secrets. It’s like nothing you’ve ever gone after before.” Indy shrugs off Marcus’ warning but his words, accompanied by John Williams’ quietly unsettling score, suggest the potential danger Indy faces messing with forces greater and older than himself.
Kasdan also does a great job hinting at a rich backstory between Indy and his ex-love interest, Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen). When they are reunited at a bar she runs in Nepal, she is clearly not too thrilled to see him, giving Indy a good crack on the jaw. Marion alludes to a relationship between them that went bad. She was young and in love with him and he broke her heart. To add insult to injury, her father is dead. All Indy can do is apologize as he says, “I can only say sorry so many times,” and she has that wonderful retort, “Well say it again anyway.” Harrison Ford and Karen Allen do a great job with this dialogue, suggesting a troubled past between them. In a nice touch, Spielberg ends the scene with Indy walking out the door. He takes one last look back and his face is mostly obscured in shadow in a rather ominous way as he clearly looks uncomfortable having had to dredge up a painful part of his past.
Indy and Marion have another nice scene together after they’ve retrieved the Ark from the Nazis and are aboard the Bantu Wind, a tramp steamer that will take them to safety. Marion tends to Indy’s numerous wounds and says, “You’re not the man I knew ten years ago,” and he replies with that classic line, “It’s not the years, honey, it’s the mileage.” It starts out as a playful scene as everything Marion does to help hurts Indy’s world-weary body. In frustration she asks him to show her where it doesn’t hurt and he points to various parts of his body and in a few seconds the scene goes from playful in tone to romantic as they end up kissing. Of course, Indy falls asleep – much to Marion’s chagrin. Kasdan’s dialogue gives Spielberg’s chaste, boyhood fantasy serial adventure a slight air of sophistication in this scene as two people with a checkered past finally reconnect emotionally.
For me, Raiders is still the best film of the series. The pacing is fast but not as frenetic as today’s films. There are lulls where the audience can catch its breath and exposition is conveyed. In many respects, it is one of the best homages to the pulpy serials of the 1930s and a classic example of when all the right elements came together at just the right time. This film has aged considerably well over time and each time I see it, I still get that nostalgic twinge and still get sucked in to Indy’s adventures looking for the lost Ark.

5 comments:

  1. Brilliant post. Thanks for taking part, J.D.

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  2. Thanks! Glad to participate in your blogathon.

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  3. J.D.
    I love the early moments of Raiders at the University. I think there is a heavy sense of foreboding atmosphere present as Indy prepares to leave in pursuit of the ark. In fact, I enjoy that stuff more than the actions scenes. Nice job of pointing that out, and how adventure movies, well great ones anyway, used to make the action pieces more meaningful by surrounding them with character building scenes.

    And I've just discovered you via this blogathon so I need to update my blogroll. Good stuff here.

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  4. Great stuff. I recently re-watched Raiders with new eyes and was amazed about how sophisticated and adroit it is as a piece of film-making, in any genre. I would add to you list the beautifully written and shot scene between Indy and Belloq in the Cairo bar. ("Now you're talking nasty.")

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  5. Jonathan Lapper:

    You nailed it right on the head with the "heavy sense of foreboding atmosphere" that is definitely present as Indy gets ready to go find the Ark. And it is that vibe that draws me in every time and seemed absent from the other films (or maybe too much in TEMPLE OF DOOM).

    Thanks for the kind words and I shall add your blog to my blogroll as well.

    Andrew Wyatt:

    I agree with you re: the sophistication of RAIDERS and I think that is due in large part to Kasdan's screenplay. It's such a shame that he did not write the other two films (or the new one) as I don't think the other have nearly the same quality, in terms of writing, as RAIDERS which is probably why it is still my fave.

    Nice addition of the Indy/Belloq scene in the Cairo bar. I like that one, too... esp. the tension that builds until the kids show up and "save" Indy. I also really like the scene where Indy brings the headpiece to that expert and almost eats the date. {"Bad date.") Which also continues the dangerous vibe as you realize how close he came to death.

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