Film Review: Steven Spielberg's "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981) - Three Act Structure

Figure 1. "Raiders of the Lost Ark"

Steven Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981) is a classic tale of mystery, adventure, and heroic action, with compelling characters and beautiful scenery to boot. Starring Harrison Ford, it is an exciting tale of a thrill-seeking archeologist named Henry Jones Jr, or better known as Indy, travelling to Cairo to seek out the Ark of the Covenant before it is discovered by German soldiers.

The tale of the bespectacled hero can be related to Aristotle’s ‘Three Act Structure’, as do many other films, in regards to how the linear story is told. The three acts consist of ‘The Protasis’ (beginning), ‘The Epitasis’ (middle), and ‘The Catastrophe’ (end). Following this theory was also an author known as Syd Field. In his publication of “Screenplay” (1979), he determined that the structure would be laid out as so:

Act 1 - The Setup (Exposition). This is where the scene of the film is set, an introduction of the characters and the world that they inhabit. This first part of the film included specific markers that creates the story, them being the ‘Inciting Incident’, and ‘Plot Point 1’.

Act 2 - The Confrontation (Obstacles) This is the part of the film where the main character experiences increasingly difficult problems on their journey. This act includes the ‘Midpoint’, and ‘Plot Point 2’.

Act 3 - The Resolution (Dénouement) It is in this final part of the film where events start becoming resolved. We finally then come to the films ‘Climax’, and ‘Twist’. It is believe that this type of film structure was popular during the 1980s.

Our story begins in Act 1. The year is 1936, World War II is underway, and our determined hero, Indiana Jones, exploring a treacherous temple in order to retrieve a golden idol, but was caught and chased off by his rival, archaeologist René Belloq.

Figure 2. "Indiana Jones finds the Golden Idol"

We are then transported to Indy’s day job at a university, where he is then met with two Army Intelligence officers who inform him that the German army are in search of an Ancient Egyptian artefact, possibly in possession of his former mentor, Ravenwood, which could be a key piece in finding the Ark of the Covenant; a large chest which has lead the German army to believe it holds the key to their success in the war. The ‘Inciting Incident’ for Indiana is that he is offered a large sum of money to go and retrieve that Ark. With not a moment to lose, Indiana Jones travels to Nepal in search for Ravenwood, but only to discover that he has passed away and left the artefact in his daughter, Marion’s, possession. After an ambush from a German Commander, Indiana and Marion escape, thus leading up to ‘Plot Point 1’, where Marion then appoints herself as Jones’ partner and travels with him to Cairo, Egypt.

Figure 3. "Belloq and the German Army Commanders"

And so it is within Cairo that the story is now merging in to Act 2. The pair meet with Jones’ friend, a digger named Sallah, who informs them that the German army are on the search for the Ark’s location. Indiana Jones now needs to overcome the obstacle of finding the Ark before the German army; luckily for him though, they are off track and searching in the wrong location. But unlucky for him, Belloq and the German army have also kidnapped Marion. It is now the “Midpoint” of the film, and Indiana Jones, along with his friend Sallah, have located the Well of Souls, a snake-infested location that has hidden the Ark for all this time. Unfortunately, Jones hates snakes. But suddenly, Indiana is discovered by the enemy, and is then trapped, along with Marion, inside the tomb. With the intensity ever growing, and the fire torches quickly diminishing, they scramble together and finally find a way out, just in time to see the army loading the Ark on to a vehicle to escape. With some good old fashioned fist fights, and the destruction of a plane, “Plot Point 2” occurs with Indiana Jones racing on horseback to catch up with the vehicle holding the Ark, hijack it, and then finding means to transport it to London.

Figure 4. "The Ark of the Covenant"

As Indiana Jones and Marion sail aboard a steam boat with the Ark, the film draws ever closer to its exciting conclusion in Act 3. The false sense of security on the intimate steam boat is then disrupted when the German army capture the boat, its crew, the Ark, and Marion all in one. But Indiana Jones is nowhere to be found, as he evades the soldiers stealthily and stows away on their ship in order to discover where they are planning on taking the Ark. They travel to a distant island where Indiana attempts to rescue Marion and the Ark, only to fail and be captured himself. They are all transported to an open space in which Belloq will perform a religious ceremony to open the Ark at the “Climax” of the film. But something’s not right; the Ark is full of nothing but sand. Finally realising the danger to come, Indiana and Marion shut their eyes tight, as the “Twist” of the film develops. Spirits emerge from the Ark, wreaking havoc upon Belloq and the rest of the German army stood present, causing their deaths with lightening, fire and melting faces.

Figure 5. "Indiana and Marion in the midst of the Ark's destruction"

After the ordeal, the Ark seals itself shut, and Jones and Marion escape to then transport the Ark back to the USA, for it to be sealed up by the government deep in a warehouse full of many other crates, and possibly government secrets. The ending can be considered a “Partial Ending”, because although the story had been concluded nicely, there is always the possibility of another adventure, as is proved true with the next three sequel films.

“Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981) is a fun and fantastical adventure, possibly reflective of Spielberg’s world views at the time. Being a young man, there is no overly serious subjects explored within the film, little backstory as to how Indiana came to know his friends, bar a few quick explanations during his encounters. However, that doesn’t make the film any less enjoyable, as it brings the audience a sense of escapism from their responsibilities, even for a little while.

Illustrations:

Figure 1. "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981) [Movie Poster] At: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082971/mediaviewer/rm1612744448 (Accessed on 20.11.19)

Figure 2. "Indiana Jones finds the Golden Idol" (1981) [Movie Still] At: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082971/mediaviewer/rm35344384 (Accessed on 20.11.19)

Figure 3. "Belloq and the German Army Commanders" (1981) [Movie Still] At: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082971/mediaviewer/rm2206549248 (Accessed on 20.11.19)

Figure 4. "The Ark of the Covenant" (1981) [Movie Still] At: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082971/mediaviewer/rm3676587264 (Accessed on 20.11.19)

Figure 5. "Indiana and Marion in the midst of the Ark's destruction" (1981) [Movie Still] At:  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082971/mediaviewer/rm3380954368 (Accessed on 20.11.19)