Raiders of the Lost Ark Directed by Steven Spielberg

NaDayja Solomon

CFV 123-01

29 January 2017

Response Essay 1

In Raiders of the Lost Ark, directed by Steven Spielberg, the film has a classical narrative. The film has a strong story and theme, and the film is portrayed as an action/romance. Indiana Jones was on a quest for the lost ark, and finds a fellow adventurer with natural beauty that he was attracted to.

        In act one of the film, Spielberg gives a backstory of Indiana Jones which includes an exciting first thirty-minutes because it jumps right into the action. A film that immediately jumps into action attracts people from my generation. It catches the attention and intrigues people to watch more and know what the character is searching for. It is important for Spielberg to have this backstory in the film because it give the audience a sense of the character’s personality and point of view. We can infer that he may be an adventurer or archeologist when we see him searching through the temple. They even include the antagonist in the beginning which tells us that Indiana is the protagonist.

        In act two, the film progressively slows down, and shows Indiana as a professor in a normal life, but only for a brief time. He is then shown as the adventurer that we met in the beginning. During this time, we will start to reach the climax that will get everyone out their seats, ready to know what is going to happen next. By doing this, it causes a frequency in the film because we have already seen Indiana Jones in action.

        Act three provides the resolution of the film, and the ark stored away in a warehouse. Even though Indiana didn’t get to put this into a museum, he got to experience the ark himself. The ending leaves the audience with a cliff hanger, since the location of the ark is in a mysterious, unknown place. Also, the ending leaves the audience believing that Indiana and Marion would live happily together. Spielberg knew that the cliffhanger ending would leave the audience wanting more, including information on what happens next.

     Spielberg wanted to intrigue the audience, and provide an intense message while showing the lifestyle of an adventurous man. Spielberg is known for intense, and sometimes creepy films. However, in the Indiana Jones films, he provides an action-filled film with hints of comedy and romance. The purpose of this film was to entertain while leaving the audience at the edge of their seats. Indiana was given many struggles, and even as a child he wanted to do huge things because of his passion for artifacts. Many people could be inspired by Indiana, because although people would be known to give up, Indiana pursued everything he wanted to. Indiana would especially be motivated when it meant saving someone’s life.

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