Though appreciated for its entertainment value Raiders of the lost Ark has many deeper qualities. WEBSITE: www.collativelearning.com/FILM... PATREON: / robager FACEBOOK: / robagerpublic TWITTER: RobAger?ref_src=t...
How about a 'Greatest movie villains' video of Belloq. He has a lot of 'heroic' attributes that make him an interesting character. For example, he outdrinks the heavyweight heroine, and rather than threaten her, he teases her about trying to drink him into a stupor. And unlike with most villains where the heroine would glare or panic, Marion seems genuinely charmed by him even though he's her opponent. Belloq being Jones' shadow is also reinforced by the fact that while he is willing to work with the Nazis it is quite clear he is only working with them for as long as he absolutely has to. On a fundamental level, he probably does not like the Nazis much more than Jones.
Totally agree. The scene with Belloq and Marion drinking (and Toht's subsequent 'coathanger' entry) is one of my favourite in the film. Belloq is so interesting precisely because he's not black-and-white like the other bad guys.
Well, TBH, Belloq is represented as a "charming but ambiguous and ultimately weak and evil" French guy as often dictated by the contemporary US propaganda. He is sort of the "Vichy" propotype person, ready to any compromise and with no moral of his own, but very good at blabbing and justifying his double crossings.
@@lorenzoamato953 That sounds exactly like the reputation the French created for themselves. Weak-willed and constantly making the world a worse place with their "successes" and their failures. Funny enough I thought Macron actually had some balls for awhile so obviously the french revolted against him.
@@lorenzoamato953 as a French native, I find it quite amusing and not totally untrue either. But while it has been looked upon with disdain by history, one could maybe consider that Vichy, while certainly not heroic, saved the lives of millions of people. Sometimes, compromises are necessary, albeit difficult practical decisions. Just something to think about.
I agree that Belloq is a fantastic and well fleshed out villain. He's complex and has moments of humanity and vulnerability, which makes him feel more real. That said, I don't understand how him outdrinking Marion makes him heroic...also, does he outdrink her? He seemed to be struggling to swallow his family label more than she. When does he tease her about trying to outdrink him? I don't remember that scene? Spielberg is careful to punish Nazi sympathizers in his movies as harshly as the Nazis themselves (ie: Ark induced head explosion)
The scene where Jones discusses the ark with the army intelligence guys is one of the greatest scenes in cinema. It’s evocative extraordinary filmmaking by Spielberg and never fails to move me. Has the power far beyond its modest point in the plot. I love it.
I completely agree with you! The atmosphere of the university and the tenor in their voices during the scene is unlike any scene I’ve scene but that is just one aspect that makes it so great. Such amazing story telling! I also love the “bad dates” scene and think it’s genius.
The bit that always stood out for me was the sequence with Marcus, you’re first led to think he’s going to be the “you’re a rogue element Jones!” style boss, that subtly shifts when Marcus and Indy interact further and finally we see that these men are equals, and that there is respect between the men, including Indy respecting Marcus’ knowledge enough to let him speak to the agents - IIRC Indy says about ten words to them but Marcus just drops fact bomb after fact bomb on them.
The first three Jones films contain a lot of really heavy supernatural themes, and I think that's one reason why so many people disliked the fourth so strongly, even if they maybe didn't realize it (though I think they did). After three films of the supernatural, we're suddenly set to watch a sci-fi film with aliens, and most people seemed to agree that it really doesn't fit the series.
In Steven Spielberg's defense, he has seemed to completely lost the ability to make legitimately entertaining popcorn movies that were also great movies as he got older. It's either one or the other. It's like he's only interested in making an effort when his movies are "serious", but then they're usually just not that entertaining. Sometimes his movies are neither serious nor very entertaining because he simply lost his mojo. Ready Player One comes to mind, which had a great first half hour and then became a tedious slog. IJ and the Crystal Skull is just pure crap in every way. All the wonderful stunt work was replaced with really obvious and horrible green screens. The great visual effects were replaced with pathetic CGI for things like insects and monkeys. Shia Lebouef is just annoying. The movie went for "pure" comedy when IJ was always comedic in merely circumstantial ways or in dialogue. Karen Allen was HORRIBLE in this movie and so was the chemistry with Ford. And yes, the aliens, which turned the movie from adventure with supernatural overtones into pure Sci-Fi garbage. Just everything was wrong with it.
The way I understood it, the "interdimensional beings" were supposed to represent supernatural power. I think Spielberg missed the mark by designing them as obvious archetypal aliens.
Bingo. I've only seen fit to watch Crystal Skull once, and it wasn't nuking the fridge that killed it for me, it was that "Oh, it was aliens all along!" seemed like a lazy, and extremely out of place, resolution.
Great video. The point you made about Indy possible having some type of supernatural abilities as a result of carrying the medallion is very interesting. Never thought about that before.
supernatural abilities that he was not consciously aware of granted by the objects in the movie, makes it even more interesting than if he knew he could get out of any situation by calling on his 'powers'.
Nice insights! The fact that we watch Raiders over and over and read new interpretations into these details strengthens my belief that it's one of the greatest movies ever made.
Raiders is my all-time favorite action/adventure film, I must've watched it close to 100 times. That said, I've felt that I've seen every aspect there is about it, but this video has presented an entirely different perspective on it which I really enjoy. Great video!
Indy's most supernatural achievement - to swim across to a ready-to-submerge submarine, and board her without an entrance, and undetected. That bloody ARK is pushing credulity, even if it is "a radio for speaking to God"
The old guy interpreting the artefact is a Zoroastrian. They were regarded as wise and into astronomy and science. Notice the telescope in the background.
One theme (Raiders only)that springs to mind is that he's deathly afraid of snakes a long shot in the dark but it almost feels like a religious undertone for Indiana to be naturally afraid of snakes as they were considered evil
Good point, I always thought his whip could be seen as a snake he controls. And I bet there were times he saw the whip in shadow and thought It was a snake.
The snake has long been analogous to the "primitive" "more archaic" parts of ourselves or society in general or diverse cultures that are not modern. Hence the snake/Dragon must be conquered!!!
I saw it over Christmas after not seeing it in quiet a while. I had forgotten how well made the movie is. A great example is that one take drinking scene when we're introduced to Marion in her bar in Tibet. The scene is a master shot, with close ups and inserts all done in one shot, topped off with a gag right at the end. Brilliant.
Recently, this film has become my favourite picture of all time. For everything you’ve stated but also how concise and articulately the entire film is put together. Every scene, every line, every moment is memorable, iconic and beautifully put together.
Brilliant. It's as if Rob Ager actually gave voice to the subconcious soul of a movie script; finally revealing itself in an epiphany that resounds within ourselves like "yes, i've always sensed that, it's so true; but i couldn't give such voice and value into my subliminal experience of this movie".
"The Ark of the Covenant, also known as the Ark of the Testimony, is a gold-covered wooden chest with lid cover described in the Book of Exodus as containing the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. According to various texts within the Hebrew Bible, it also contained Aaron's rod and a pot of manna." Wikipedia Not only thought to be esoteric, but it has been theorized that it could act as a capacitor, so showing the Nazi's being electrocuted goes with that. Thank you your thoughtful analysis, as always
Unless the manna from heaven was hallucinogenic mushrooms used by elites to prep slaves for ritual sacrifice, that would explain the far out visions anyway.
Many films have a heroic protagonist with an unstoppable destiny - no matter what the antagonist does, the hero will attain their goal. Raiders reverses that: it has a villainous antagonist with an unstoppable destiny - no matter what the protagonist does, the villain will attain their goal. And the villain's achievement destroys them...
Great video. Thanks for sharing. Raiders is incredible. It's universal appeal is somewhat strange in that it's packed with decidedly adult themes and historical fiction. Even though it definitely skews toward adults, I loved it as a kid. Just got better as I grew older and re-watched it knowing more about the historical elements. Also, Jones is on a kill crazy murder spree in this one, and it's one of the most appealing aspects!
I always thought that the "light" trap was Indy making the Alfred Molina character believe that it was the light and not some other pressure trigger trap like every other trap in the place because Indy didn't fully trust him.
I suggest that Raiders is a PERFECT FILM. Timing, foreshadowing, tone, dialogue, comedy, scares, stunts, camera... everything works flawlessly. I can recall NOTHING that didn't work.
You made the comment as to the movie being given a PG rating even though there are scenes of horror and death depicted in the film. However the reason it was only given a PG rating was because the PG-13 rating hadn't been introduced by the MPAA. This film was made in 1981 and the PG-13 rating came to form in 1984. Prior to this a movie had to have sever scenes of violence and/or nudity for it to receive an R rating. Oddly enough it wasn't until the release of Temple of Doom that films started receiving PG-13 ratings. Spielberg loves taking credit for the invention of the PG-13 rating, since it basically coincides with the release of Temple of Doom. Love your videos! Keep up the good work!
Raiders of the Lost Ark is the only film I can think of with scenes in all 5 major continents (S America, N America, Asia, Africa and Europe). Not sure if that signifies anything but still notable. Jay Dyer wrote an interesting article on the religious aspects of ROTLA a few years ago, it may be still be on his revamped website. Structurally it also appears cut from the Bond template - a prologue, a debrief from an older mentor, government officials instructions to investigate globally for the nation's sake, early encounters with the main villian(s), etc etc. Just no Roger Moore style double entendres.
America is all one continent, Australia is the 5th, which isn't visited at all. Also, almost all Hollywood films follow a formula, Raiders is no exception.
I find the guy very 'cliched' funnily enough, though his cliches are masquerading as 'esoteric'. For example, he has a video on Eyes Wide Shut and every hooky rumour about that movie is trundled out. He mentions the 'missing 20 minutes' for example with out a shred of proof that there is anything missing. (not to mention Kubrick has already more than hinted at a dozen scandals in the film already, everything from the Elites love of promiscuity to fathers renting out their daughters....I'm not sure why 20 more minutes would be needed!!) @@steveetienne
Best Analysis videos on YT for me! Keep up the great work, always click straight away when I see one of your vids pop up as the level of research and insight you put into each one is really above and beyond.
Rob was one of the first too. I came by his original videos on The Shining in or around 2010. If wasn't until his initial success that I began seeing others try it. Some now do a good job, but more often than not, the author cannot get under the skin of a movie like Rob can.
In regards to the "Light Beam" trap, I’ve been going over this in my head since the night I first saw it in ‘84. Here’s my conclusion. Let’s look at the facts of the temple; shadowy, wrought with plausible mechanical & deadly traps. Let’s look at the facts of Indy; Intelligent,skilled & experienced. He’s dealt with all walks of life & clearly at this stage doesn’t entirely trust his hired help if he ever did. So when Indy shows Satipo the trap, he may have already deduced & seen the mechanical trigger. What he does is wave his hand into the light as he steps down/pushes the trigger to fool Satipo into thinking the light triggered it. It’s like a little insurance for himself in the event Satipo runs with the idol. Satipo will be looking out for the light and unknowingly trigger the trap. It shows Indy’s ingenuity, guile and improvisation skill. Ya know... Making it up as he goes along. As for the other elements of the temple's traps, I could justify mechanics over magic. The Arc is a completely different story, but it proves that real magic does exist in this universe so anything goes!
I always took the indirect expressions of spiritual power to be Spielberg's touches, expressing both his own traditional Jewish faith and the sense of Good to balance the Nazi adversaries. That is repeatedly indicated (as you said) and foreshadowed from early in the film.
I was in the 7th grade when I seen this on the big screen. Great sound & exhilarating movie. Full house on the opening night! Lord, the audience was screaming with exciting scenes..lol 80's 🤘🤘
One of my all time favourite films which I confess to shielding my eyes as a child when the beautiful spirits from the Ark morph into demonic looking faces. I found it spooky for a while.
Great points Rob, especially about the ark/headpiece giving Indy supernatural strength and influencing events. I always considered the beginning straight-up horror but not the rest of the movie.
Rob, I talked with a script doctor who said they had to make the audience look past the fact that Indiana is a tomb raider (who steals from the dead - which is a negative action) land see him as a heroic figure. So the original scene was created to show the intelligence of the native tribes who hid the statue and also to qualify Indie as a hero by showing him use creativity, strength, a sense of moral compass, to get past their brilliant traps. Indie's enemy is outside - and he uses none of those traits to steal Indie's hard work and now the audience sees the clear distinction between good and evil.
It wasn't until August 1984 when the first PG-13 fillm, Red Dawn was released, after parents were upset about The Temple of Doom sequel. That's why Raiders was only a PG film.
I saw Red Dawn on cinema as a kid. Enjoyed it, but wasn't nearly as gory as Raiders. There were reviewers at the time who noted the excessive violence given the rating.
Another thing about the opening scene, is when Indy is being chased by the tribe across that open grass field, I've always assumed Indy shouts "Jock, Nazi agents, Jock" to his pilot friend waiting on the river. It was only years later when I saw a 1990s TV special with Philip Schofield in Hawaii (where Schofield visits the location and reinacts the scene) did I realize that the line is actually "Start the engines, Jock". I could've sworn he says "Nazi agents, Jock, Nazi agents" lol. Anyone else thought he said this?.
Probably since there are Nazis in the film it was a realistic misunderstanding. First time I saw this at the theater it was going by so fast it's easy to misunderstand phrases. I have it at home and watch it quite a bit.
@@bunnyfoofoo9695 I agree, that's why I assumed he said that, but thinking about it, it wouldn't make sense as neither Belloq or the tribe were Nazi agent's or had anything to do with them at that moment in the film. Funny how dialogue can be misinterpreted.
Learning that the back of the headpiece says, "take back one kadan" and knowing the NAZIs only have one side doesn't require external influence but the rest of it was quite good. Raiders is one of the best films of the 80's, it's near perfect.
I saw this movie at a double feature with Valley Girl when I was 5. It was the best! I still love both movies to this day. Also, thank you for not calling it "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark".
Rob, I love most of your stuff, but I think you missed the point on this one. There is one major theme running throughout this film: American democracy, its triumph over fascism, and the important role violence must play in that triumph. We begin by establishing that fascism represents the deification of the dictator in place of God. It represents the elevation of man, embodied in the fascist state, to supreme status in the universe. It follows that all people and things exist to service that state, including in this case, the Ark. The fascists "hire only strongbacks, and pay only pennies"; then spray-paint the map room like common vandals. The Ark's cultural and religious significance are meaningless to Hitler; it is a source of power to used. Contrast this with the portrayal of American power: modest and peace-loving, but never to shrink from a fight that must be fought. And so, accordingly, America seeks the Ark not for its own enrichment, but to stop Hitler from obtaining it. And in true American form, they send a cowboy to get it. And once they get it, they lock it up and bury it, mission having been accomplished. The only complication in this simple worldview is that if you are going to tangle with bad people, you kind of need to send a bit of a bad guy. That's why Indy is portrayed so morally ambiguously. That's why so much violence occurs. The Americans didn't crave the Ark, but to get it, they needed to send a guy who did crave it, and would kill for it. Indy was their tool. At least until the end. Indy's choice not to look, in the final scene, represents his awakening to the limits of knowledge, the limits of human power, and the idea that we are not entitled to possess and use all things.
This video is extremely interesting. I found a lot of the subjects that you cover to be very informative, and to get me thinking about certain aspects of movies that I haven't really considered before. But this one in particular leaves me a lot to wonder about in terms of the depth of this film. I'm going to have to watch it again now.
I wouldn't really say opening scene is supernatural, but just really good (and suprisingly advanced) engineering. Removing the idol triggered mechanism that works by weight, and sun trap is just another "step on it and it kills you", despite looking like exposing yourself to sunlight is what activates the trap. I like to see Raiders as amazingly executed "0 to 100", where nothing supernatural (except the Ark burning swastika) happens until very end, yet is heavely implied and foreshadowed properly. Nothing until the Ark opening is actually supernatural, but the movie does constantly feel like it is, making you question that, and yet last scene still suprises you with confirming that supernatural stuff is, in fact, real in Indy's world. And that is exactly what makes this movie amazing.
I actually saw this in the theatre on release and watched it several more times as a kid on VHS. I remembered it as a grand scale epic but on rewatching it I was struck by how small it actually seems. All the sets seemed smaller, less crowded, the action sequences looked less impressive and I realized how much CGI has obliterated cinema. To me the meat and potatoes of cinema will always be screenplay and editing and ROTLA has no problem there but I was shocked at how homemade it felt
@4:00 the wind blows in causing the bells to ring. Isn't that just "show don't tell" way of saying that bells are ringing in indy's head as he just figured out the nazis are digging in the wrong place?
Haha, maybe, but the wind wouldn't be required - seems a bit over the top. The seer also says the ark belongs to the Hebrew God right before the wind kicks in.
So cool I can watch a channel on RU-vid created by someone who loves movies just as much as I do! I don't even come close to agreeing with some of your theories, but while I'm making dinner and your commentary is keeping me company, I like to yell at you! 🤣🤣🤣... By far, one of the best channels on the Tube. 👍
No it wasn't. Spielberg admitted (in a promotional interview for the film no less!) that he didn't even want to make the movie. His buddy George Lucas talked him into it and he went along begrudgingly.
TheDuckSneezes how about when he fucked an 11 year old girls guts out (she literally died from intestinal rupture) on the set of poltergeist? I think you may have missed the REAL DARKNESS. FUCK STEPHEN SPIELBERG.
my parents took me to see this movie at the theatre... i was only 7 or 8 years old and I knew nothing of what it was going in... needless to say, it blew my mind!!!!
Well done, as always. I've often wondered about the use of cast shadows throughout the movie. It fits with Jones being lit by the son, yet other characters also are preceded by their shadows on walls. Is this a reference to Carl Jung's shadow self? I've often wondered.
Could be a double play on meanings, and the shadows are also referring to Pluto's Alegory of the Cave where we are as citizens alike to prisoners who have been in the dark dungeons so long that when they/we are shown shadow figures cast on a wall they think they are real. Very interesting.
I saw raiders as a boy in a movie theater when it first came out. I was blown away by the film and still am. It created in me a fascination with the Ark of the Covenant. Later, I learned that the final sequence has Belloq dressed in the clothes of the High Priest of Israel who was the only person allowed into the holy of holies, where the ark of the covenant was stored. He is reciting a Hebrew prayer. Obviously, the Nazis think this is all nonsense, but tolerate it anyway. This would be a great afront to the God of Israel and mockery of all the Ark stands for. Just as Indie points out at the start of the film, the power of God is unleashed on the enemies of his people.
This is off topic , but I just watched your video on the thing … rob , I would really hope you could get funding for your script , I think your Version would be groundbreaking. I really think you are really so intelligent when it comes to reviewing videos , and I know your video on the “thing “ Is so deep , I’m not good with words , but I would love to see your script with a series on Netflix on something …. The lore and everything, you’re spot on man .
Supernatural is a broader concept than mere ghosts. What Raiders did brilliantly was catch the old quality of the 1940s serials; the plane superimposed over the map when traveling and the travel music. It was supercharged by presentation, sound, SFX etc., but it was a superb work of Adventure filmmaking. The depressing thing is Spielberg is actually talking about making an "Indiana Joan" film. Ha.Ha. Funny.
The bit about the rating being 'PG' isn't about the values as seen by the raters(ie. killing/dying Nazis is a good thing), but rather the fact that PG-13 had not been established as a rating yet, and you had to be pretty explicit or be detailing particularly heavy subject matters to receive an R rating during this era.
@@shawn576 Does the inquisition negate all of Christianity's worth? One can look back at certain acts or eras and re evaluate them. Also, the application of an idea my be flawed without the idea being "bad". When we look at Nazism however, there was no good intention nor benevolence attached to it at any point. Do not compare it. And there really has never been a true communist government.
Also, fun fact! The wikipedia article cites Temple of doom for one of the key reasons why the PG-13 rating was introduced in America. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_Picture_Association_of_America_film_rating_system#Addition_of_the_PG-13_rating
Yes, the beginning of this movie had so many different styles. When I saw Indy jump into they Sea Plane and a snake popped up between his legs and the pilot said, "That's just my pet snake Reggie" I said Oh No, this is gonna suck! But then they never appeared again... Thank God!!!
Jones doesn't receive any supernatural information during the scene with the ominous wind; no. He just got the information from the interpreter; the interpreter states that on the back of the medallion, there are instructions to reduce the length of the staff. Jones knows that the Nazi's only have access to one side of the medallion, and are thus digging in the wrong spot, as their staff was too long. Love your work! Keep it up!
@@collativelearning The timing, at least, suggests it's connected to that revelation, much as lightning and thunder on cue are used to punctuate dramatic moments in films.
Interesting video. I always thought of Raiders as a fun, Matinee adventure, not really picking up on how violent and dark it really is, especially for a PG at a time when that sort of thing was taken seriously.
That large dusty text book is an illustrated bible I think. Strangely though, if you look closer at the text it appears to be written in German!? German translation of the Bible in an American university? "Its a worthless bronze medallion, are you going to give it to me? " Not gold.
I think the mysteriousness of Indy the character, plus the menacingly weird genre of the tale & its events, added to truly terrifying villains make the film a classic. As the series progressed, this Dark Indy was replaced by Dork Indy who had to smile & jape for the camera, and the mysteries became less horrific and more fantastic, while villains too become 2 dimensional, lessening the tone and sense of peril. We go from the Nazis holding the cryptic and dreadful ark to the still dark and bloody holy stones taken by the dead cult, then things start to lighten up. Next we are shown the grail, itself an icon from both chivalric romance and Monty Python, and the re-use of Nazis (and especially appearance of Hitler) smacks of fan service. Finally, with the crystal skull of ancient aliens, it is weird, but its menace is diluted by X Files-ish mystery of the week tone and the Soviet foes, who are arguably not as ideologically evil as the nazis of thuggees. Which all goes to say that RotLA is one of a kind!
Good analysis. Another point worth noting is John Williams' music for the ark that carries a religious solemnity to the film whenever it appears, like when the Nazis are marching with it through the canyon.
Regarding the rating - Poltergeist and Jaws were also given PG ratings despite the themes and gore. I believe they and Raiders were made before the 15 rating was introduced, so had the choice of either an R or a PG.
