Indiana Jones: A Hero is Born for a Reason

Indiana Jones is a real character, not a character with super powers which makes Indiana more unique to other heroes. In his guise as a college professor, Henry Jones Junior may look like an ordinary but as a hero he is easily recognized by his characteristics and clothing. In his “hero form” Indiana wears a fedora hat, leather jacket, pistol, bag and most recognizable the 10-foot bullwhip.

Indiana Jones is pulled away from his “Ordinary World” to go in search for the Lost Ark of Covenant, claim to give the user communication to god. Indiana Jones meets the mentors, who a two Army Intelligence agents, who reveal to Jones and his colleague Marcus Brody that the Nazis are on a quest for power. The Nazis have located where the Ark of Covenant is but cannot get to it because they need to know how to access it. Jones confirms that the Nazis are looking for his mentor Abner Ravenwood because he has the headpiece to the staff of Ra. With the help of Marcus Brody, Jones was given the task of finding the Well of Souls where the Ark of Covenant is located, which is his call to Adventure.

Jones flies to Nepal to go in search for his long lost mentor Abner Ravenwood who is an expert of the Ancient City Tanis, where the Ark is located. Upon arrival he finds out the Abner is dead and his daughter Marion Ravenwood has the headpiece in her possession. Marion, still upset about their relationships in their early ages, refuse to give Jones the headpiece and accompany him to Egypt. Marion is refusing the call to adventure. The tavern, owned by Marion, is stormed by the Nazis, led by brutal Nazi agent Toht. A firefight immediately breaks out, burning the tavern to the ground, and searing the face of the medallion onto Toht’s hand. Jones and Marion narrowly escape with the headpiece.
Jones and Marion both travel to Cairo, (Crossing the first Threshold) to meet Sallah, a skilled digger who knows where the Nazis, now assisted by Jones’s rival Belloq and a replica of the headpiece, are digging. In a Cairo bazaar, Marion is kidnapped by the Nazis and fakes her death in front of Jones. At this moment Jones learns who his Allies and enemies are. That night Sallah and Jones manage to decipher the symbols on Ravenwood’s double face medallion to determine how long the staff must be. The Nazis however only have access to one side of the medallion thus giving them the wrong staff size.

Jones along with Sallah infiltrates the dig, thus allowing Jones access to the map room. (Approach to the Inmost Cave) As Jones sets up the staff, Sallah is nearly exposed and captured in the attempt. As the sunlight shone through the entrance to the map room it hit the headpiece and revealing, on a scale model of the city, whereabouts the Ark is hidden. As the light hit the map, non-diegetic tension music starts up to give the audience what kind of atmosphere Jones must be feeling.

Before Jones starts his dig he searches a tent and coincidently finds Marion tied up but alive, he does not rescue her because the Nazis would find out he was there but he promises to rescue her but now. Jones and Sallah with the help of other diggers manage to find and break through the entrance to the Well of Souls. Jones is lowered to the floor of the Well of Souls to find it infested with swarms of Egyptian Poisonous Asps, of which his deadliest fear which is called Ophidiophobia. After Jones and Sallah safely lift the Ark out of the temple they are intercepted by Belloq and the Nazis and Jones is thrown back into the Well of Souls and is joined by Marion where they are sealed in (The Supreme Ordeal). With Jones’s quick thinking and sharp eyes, he manages to break down the wall of the temple and escape with Marion. Emerging from the ground in time Jones sees the Luftwaffe flying wing being prepared to transport the Ark to Berlin.

After a humorous fight scene, the Ark is put on a truck to Cairo, where it will be shipped to Berlin. Stealing a horse, Jones pursues the convoy escorting the truck, this is where the non-diegetic Indiana Jones theme music comes in, seizes control of the vehicle and, after an extended pursuit, Jones “Seizes the Sword” and escapes with the Ark. That evening, Jones and Marion leave Sallah to escort the Ark to England on board the tramp steamer Bantu Wind (The Road back).

Just when Indiana Jones thinks it is all over, the boat is intercepted by the Nazis where Marion and the Ark are removed. Jones manages to board the Nazi’s ship and follows Belloq and the Ark to an isolated island where they plan to test the power of the Ark before they present it to Adolf Hitler. Jones managing to acquire a rocket launcher threatens to destroy the Ark unless he gets Marion back. In this scene a high angle shot is used to show that Indiana Jones is a stronger character. But Belloq accuses Jones that he is bluffing. Belloq explains that they are both archaeologists and they both want to see what’s inside the Ark. Jones is forced to surrender.

Marion and Indy are tied up while Belloq performs a ceremonial opening of the Ark (non-diegetic creepy music is played here to show to atmosphere of the scene and a “dolly zoom” is used when Belloq is staring at the sand in his hand). Spirits emerge from within, by using a wide shot it shows the spirits floating around the Nazis); Indy, aware of the supernatural danger of looking at the opened Ark, warns Marion to close her eyes (Resurrection). The Nazis, Belloq, Toht, and Dietrich, who do not look away, are all killed by the Ark’s supernatural powers. The Ark closes itself once more, accompanied by a crack of thunder. Jones and Marion both return to Washington D.C with the Ark safely intact (Resurrection). The two Army intelligence men tell a doubtful Jones that “top men” are carefully studying the Ark. In truth, the Ark is sealed in a wooden crate and stored in a massive government warehouse packed with innumerable similar crates.