Joan Adamaitis Agerholm at 2012-09-25 14:14:06:
Here’s my attempt to break down RAIDER OF THE LOST ARK’s structure – The 10 Major Plotline Points:
ACT I:
1.) THE OPENING:
An Action-Adventure movie opens with . . . action and adventure. (Especially loved the giant bowling ball in the cave!).
The date is 1936. Indiana Jones is on a mission in the South American jungle to recover a golden idol.
We meet some of the main characters:
* Dr. Indiana Jones (“Indy”), American Archaeologist – Protagonist
* Dr. Emil Belloq, French Archaeologist – Nemesis
We learn our Protagonist’s Biggest Fear = “I HATE SNAKES” – which will become an issue later, and one which our Protagonist must directly confront.
2.) THE HOOK:
Back in America, we see:
* Indy’s Ordinary World – he’s a mild mannered University Professor of Archaeology.
We meet:
* Dr. Marcus Brody – museum curator; Mentor; friend of Indy; customer for Indy’s discoveries.
* Two federal agents from U.S. Army Intelligence. They inform Indy that the Army has just intercepted a communique from Nazi Germany. The intercept mentions something strange: “Tanis development proceeding”. The Feds ask for Professor Jones’ help.
The problem: Indy seems to have trouble holding onto things/people.
Protagonist’s Disunity:
* His want = Indy wants to recover the Ark of the Covenant (“Ark”) before the Nazis unearth it in Tanis, outside of Cairo. The visiting U.S. Army agents have stressed the military importance of the task to Indy. Dr. Brody secures the funds for the trip. As an archaeologist, Indy is tantalized with viewing the lost city of Tanis, and possibly the Lost Ark, with his own eyes.
* His need = in his past, Indy has broken the heart of Marion Ravenwood, his one true love (Attractor), and had left her behind. They reconnect when he flies to Nepal, searching for the headpiece to the staff of Ra. But the threat of losing her again, to the Nazis (first in Nepal, then later in Egypt), is very real. He needs to hold onto his soulmate.
3.) THE LOCK:
Indy surprises Marion when he strides into the bar she runs in Nepal. Indy gives her ½ of the cash towards the medallion (headpiece). But the Nazis are lurking right behind Indy, and they torch Marion’s bar. Indy and Marion barely escape. As her place burns to the ground, Marion announces to Indy: “I’m your G.D. partner!”
ACT II:
4.) DECONSTRUCTION TEST:
* Indy and Marion travel together to Cairo – representing the Hero’s New World.
* They confront significant opposition almost immediately.
* They are chased through Cairo by bad guys wielding many different weapons.
* Marion is captured.
* Indy (falsely) believes that Marion has died in the fiery truck explosion.
* Belloq vs. Indy at the café: Belloq informs Indy that the Ark is: “A transmitter. A radio for speaking with God. And it’s within my reach”.
* Indy challenges Belloq, and guns are drawn.
* Indy escapes when Sallah’s children shield him from Belloq’s henchmen.
* Indy survives a death attempt with a bowl of poisoned dates. The monkey doesn’t.
5.) THE TRANSITION:
* Trusted ally Sallah has access to Belloq’s excavation compound. He sneaks Indy in there, dressed in local Arab clothing.
* Indy locates the Map Room. Using the headpiece of Ra, positioned correctly, he plots the exact location of the Well of Souls. This is a Breakthrough: Indy now knows where the Ark is buried.
6.) RECONSTRUCTION TEST:
* Indy discovers that Marion is alive.
* Indy and Sallah locate the opening to the Well of Souls; then pry open the heavy stone lid: “But why does the floor move?”
* Indy is lowered down – and comes face-to-face with an angry king cobra. The floor is a raging sea of cobras and Egyptian asps: “Very dangerous”.
* Indy locates the Ark; has it raised to the surface by ropes.
* But once again Belloq is waiting, and takes possession of what Indy has found. The Nazis throw Marion down into the Well of Souls (in her brand new evening gown and heels).
* The Nazis seal the chamber’s entrance lid, and the snakes move in for the kill.
* Using their brains, Indy and Marion figure out how to exit the Well of Souls.
7.) ALL IS LOST:
* The Nazis are preparing to fly the Ark out. Indy and Marion try to sneak onto the plane.
* Within sight of their goal, Indy and Marion are almost killed at the improvised desert airfield. Many fights; many bullets. Tanker truck explodes. Then the airplane blows. Then the tower. In the main camp, Belloq and Nazi leaders are alerted by these explosions.
* Nazis realize that they need to get the Ark out another way – immediately. The Nazis whisk the Ark away via truck convoy to Cairo. Indy’s goal appears to be unreachable.
ACT III:
8.) ON THE OFFENSIVE:
* Indy jumps onto a horse and chases down the convoy.
*Indy leaps onto the truck and “hijacks” it. Our Protagonist digs down to reserves of inner strength: Many fistfights. Forces his way into the truck’s cab. Grapples with the driver. Then Indy throws the guy overboard. Now driving, he sideswipes the truck against the chasing motorcycle, forcing it off the road. Brushes up against trees – shedding the Nazi soldiers advancing along the roof and sides of the truck like flies. Indy gets shot in the arm. He’s thrown through the windshield, crawls underneath the truck at speed, then gets dragged behind on a rope. He pulls himself back, remounts the truck, and fights to secure it (my kind of Hero). Indy is successful – and now has control of both the truck and the Ark.
9.) FINAL STRUGGLE:
* Indy and Marion (with the Ark now in their possession) sail off to safety on Mr. Katanga’s boat. Marion wears a new, sexy silk nightgown. She tends to his wounds. They sleep together.
* But our Nemeses have one last battle left in them. They surface in a German Wolf Submarine (10 in the script / only 1 in the film), then board Mr. Katanga’s boat like pirates.
* Belloq steals back the Ark. Absconds (again) with Marion.
* Indy sneaks onto the sub. He dons a German uniform as a disguise.
* The sub pulls into an island port, then the bad guys open up the Ark to examine its contents. Beautiful spirits appear at first; then the spirits turn evil and kill everyone except Indy and Marion.
10.) DENOUEMENT:
Indy and Marion return to America with the Ark. But the two smug USGOVT. agents now change their tune and stonewall them. Even though the Ark was missing for centuries, the USGOVT. buries the Ark in their vast long term secured storage vault (from one tomb to the next). They don’t allow Indy – a brilliant expert – to research it/study it/or simply display this incredible treasure in Dr. Brody’s museum in WDC. It’s over.
But Indy’s and Marion’s heroic efforts kept the Ark from the Nazi war machine (“An army which carries the Ark in front of them would be invincible” – Dr. Brody), so their mission was a success, and they were serving their country with the world on the brink of war.
And personally important, Indy and Marion are once again a team – together as lovers. And finally, Indy now realizes the importance of this.
Indy’s want = his need = Unity.
An Action Hero having a character arc, a metamorphosis? Not all of them do (you could argue that James Bond has barely changed over 23 action movies. Sure, 007 got married at the end of “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” (1969), but that lasted for what – two scenes?).
Indiana Jones has a nice arc.
Really good screenplay.
John A