The Greatest Action Hero since Bond

Rating: 7/10 (25 January 2011)

To "Star Wars" fans Harrison Ford is Han Solo. To serious film buffs he is the star of classy dramas like "Witness" and "The Fugitive". To everyone else he is probably best known as the creator of the greatest action hero since James Bond.
The character of Indiana Jones originated in the love of producer George Lucas and director Steven Spielberg for the film serials of the 1930s and 1940s and their desire to create a modern equivalent, set in that period but using the techniques of the eighties' blockbuster. Another influence seems to have been the superhero comic; Indy does not actually have superpowers but, like any self-respecting hero, he has two distinct identities, just as Superman had the shy young journalist Clark Kent and Batman had the millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne. In the lecture room he is Professor Henry Jones, professor of archaeology at the fictional Marshall College and a scholarly, mild-mannered, tweedy intellectual. In the field he becomes Indiana, a tough guy whose trademarks are a fedora hat, a leather jacket and a bullwhip. Despite their period setting, the films also have something in common with the Bond series; both franchises feature a tough action hero who travels round the world, often accompanied by a glamorous female companion, to prevent the destruction of civilisation as we know it by the villains. Like the Bond films, the Indiana Jones films often start with an opening action sequence which only has a very limited connection with what is to follow.
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" was the film which introduced Indy to the world, and the only episode in the series not to feature his name in the title. (By contrast, the words "James Bond" do not appear in the title of a single Bond film). The action takes place in the Egypt of 1936 (apart from the opening scene which is set in Peru). The plot is a complex one, but the basic idea is that Indy is battling a gang of Nazis who are searching for the biblical Ark of the Covenant, believing that if they can recover it they will be able to exploit its power to conquer the world. This concept- a gallant adventurer in some exotic location battling the villains for possession of an artifact with mystical powers- has served as the basis for a number of more recent adventure film, including "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and the two "Tomb Raider" films whose archaeologist heroine, Lara Croft, can be seen as a female Indy, a sort of Indiana Joan.
The film was a huge success at the box-office, and was also a hit with most of the critics, although there were a few dissenting voices, notably Pauline Kael (never a fan of the popcorn blockbuster). It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, but lost to "Chariots of Fire". Much of the credit for the film's success must go to Ford himself, who makes Indy a hugely charismatic figure- not infallible, but determined, courageous and indomitable- the sort of man everyone wants on their side in a crisis. The glamour is provided by Karen Allen as Indiana's former lover, Marion Ravenwood, who makes an attractively feisty heroine- much better than Kate Capshaw's annoying character in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom".
John Williams's musical score was a popular one, although to my mind the main march theme is a bit too similar to all the other identikit pseudo-military marches which Williams composed for other action blockbusters during this period. (Is it "Raiders"? Is it "Star Wars"? No, it's "Superman"!). Spielberg handles the action well and the film moves along at a brisk pace, making this a fast-moving roller-coaster of a movie- fast enough to persuade us to overlook the fact that the plot is really all a lot of hokum. (Klaus Kinski, who turned down the chance to play the main Nazi character, called the script "moronically sh*tty"). There are also elements of humour- the scene where Indy whips out his pistol and shoots a man who is threatening him with a sword always seems to get a laugh, largely because it slyly mocks the unwritten conventions of the swashbuckler genre. (The hero must fight at least one hand-to-hand duel per movie and must not take advantage of superior armaments, even against the most despicable opponent). "Raiders of the Lost Ark" may be a commercial blockbuster, but it offers enough in the way of thrills and excitement to be worth watching, even by those who would normally avoid the genre. 7/10