Monday, July 11, 2005
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK: analysis of an Opposition Story
Year: 1981
Genre: Adventure
Cast: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliott
Director: Steven Spielberg
Story: George Lucas and Philip Kaufman
Screenplay: Lawrence Kasdan
(Note: this analysis contains information about key plot points. If you haven't seen the movie, please be advised some info may be considered a "spoiler.")
When the story opens, archeologist Indiana Jones already has a goal: get a golden idol out of the South American jungle. His goal is quickly thwarted, first by his traitorous guides, then by his long-time professional rival, Belloq. Instead of getting away with the idol, he winds up barely escaping with his life.
The idol is quickly forgotten, however, when a new and much bigger goal presents itself, care of the United States government. Concerned with Hitler's interest in religious antiquities, specifically the Biblical ark of the covenant, they send Indy on a mission to find the ark first.
Strong external goal: find the ark of the covenant.
Motivation: Hitler could [possibly] manipulate its powers to defeat the Allies.
Indy's opposition is two-fold. There is the general opposition of the Nazis, who already have a head start on Indy. They have in their clutches the chief archeological expert on the ark. They are already digging in a prime spot. Two or three faces stand out from the crowd of bad guys in this group to give Indy and his friends an especially hard time upon occasion. But generally, the Nazis are background opposition.
Indy's chief opposition arises from his not-so-distant past, someone he already knows. (This is often the best kind of villain, because readers see him arising organically from the protagonist's life, instead of dropping in like a too-convenient plot device. It also adds cohesion to the story, linking the opening S. American sequence with the main plot via the protagonist-antagonist relationship.) Belloq is leading the Nazis' archeological dig for the ark. Though he is only one man, and the Nazis are many, he is still Indy's worst antagonist because he alone matches Indy strength-for-strength. The Nazis may outnumber and outgun Indy, but he can (and usually does) out-think them. Belloq, as a fellow archeologist who's fallen prey to the profession's strongest temptation--the pride of knowledge--knows Indy's weaknesses. He, of all Indy's enemies, has the best chance of anticipating or blocking Indy's efforts to capture the ark first.
When Marion, Indy's old girlfriend and mentor's daughter, enters the plot, it serves multiple purposes, all of which contribute additional conflict. She stirs up a romantic rivalry between Indy and Belloq. When the Nazis kidnap her, they try to use her to leverage information from her archeologist father that would help them find the ark first.
Indy and Belloq wrestle back and forth over the ark until the dark moment, when Belloq and the Nazis hold both the girl and the ark. Indy gets the drop on them, threatening to destroy the ark if they don't release Marion. But he sacrifices his advantage because he cannot go through with destroying his story-length goal, even for love. Belloq knows this, and uses the knowledge to ultimately gain the upper hand.
In the end, Belloq embraces his weakness and is destroyed, while Indy rejects his weakness, saving Marion and himself in the process. This climatic choice differs from the life-altering decision in a Choice Story. If Raiders of the Lost Ark were a Choice Story, Indy would have zigzagged between two decisions for the length of the story. Instead, Indy's climatic choice is a final triumph over the antagonist's most powerful weapon, the temptation of the pride of knowledge.
Like the best Opposition Story, Raiders of the Lost Ark is all about the protagonist in strongly motivated opposition with the antagonist over a specific goal. It succeeds as a timeless favorite among movie fans because it builds its characters with realistic internal frameworks. Indy is no cardboard character swinging from one heroic action to another. He is dogged after a goal, yes. But he also has strengths and weaknesses. He's made mistakes, and there's a greater than even chance he'll make them again. But he's the type of character who'll learn from them, change, and grow. And that's the kind of protagonist that makes the fictional ride worth taking.
Coming soon...another example demonstrating one of "The Three Master Recipes of Fiction."
Genre: Adventure
Cast: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliott
Director: Steven Spielberg
Story: George Lucas and Philip Kaufman
Screenplay: Lawrence Kasdan
(Note: this analysis contains information about key plot points. If you haven't seen the movie, please be advised some info may be considered a "spoiler.")
When the story opens, archeologist Indiana Jones already has a goal: get a golden idol out of the South American jungle. His goal is quickly thwarted, first by his traitorous guides, then by his long-time professional rival, Belloq. Instead of getting away with the idol, he winds up barely escaping with his life.
The idol is quickly forgotten, however, when a new and much bigger goal presents itself, care of the United States government. Concerned with Hitler's interest in religious antiquities, specifically the Biblical ark of the covenant, they send Indy on a mission to find the ark first.
Strong external goal: find the ark of the covenant.
Motivation: Hitler could [possibly] manipulate its powers to defeat the Allies.
Indy's opposition is two-fold. There is the general opposition of the Nazis, who already have a head start on Indy. They have in their clutches the chief archeological expert on the ark. They are already digging in a prime spot. Two or three faces stand out from the crowd of bad guys in this group to give Indy and his friends an especially hard time upon occasion. But generally, the Nazis are background opposition.
Indy's chief opposition arises from his not-so-distant past, someone he already knows. (This is often the best kind of villain, because readers see him arising organically from the protagonist's life, instead of dropping in like a too-convenient plot device. It also adds cohesion to the story, linking the opening S. American sequence with the main plot via the protagonist-antagonist relationship.) Belloq is leading the Nazis' archeological dig for the ark. Though he is only one man, and the Nazis are many, he is still Indy's worst antagonist because he alone matches Indy strength-for-strength. The Nazis may outnumber and outgun Indy, but he can (and usually does) out-think them. Belloq, as a fellow archeologist who's fallen prey to the profession's strongest temptation--the pride of knowledge--knows Indy's weaknesses. He, of all Indy's enemies, has the best chance of anticipating or blocking Indy's efforts to capture the ark first.
When Marion, Indy's old girlfriend and mentor's daughter, enters the plot, it serves multiple purposes, all of which contribute additional conflict. She stirs up a romantic rivalry between Indy and Belloq. When the Nazis kidnap her, they try to use her to leverage information from her archeologist father that would help them find the ark first.
Indy and Belloq wrestle back and forth over the ark until the dark moment, when Belloq and the Nazis hold both the girl and the ark. Indy gets the drop on them, threatening to destroy the ark if they don't release Marion. But he sacrifices his advantage because he cannot go through with destroying his story-length goal, even for love. Belloq knows this, and uses the knowledge to ultimately gain the upper hand.
In the end, Belloq embraces his weakness and is destroyed, while Indy rejects his weakness, saving Marion and himself in the process. This climatic choice differs from the life-altering decision in a Choice Story. If Raiders of the Lost Ark were a Choice Story, Indy would have zigzagged between two decisions for the length of the story. Instead, Indy's climatic choice is a final triumph over the antagonist's most powerful weapon, the temptation of the pride of knowledge.
Like the best Opposition Story, Raiders of the Lost Ark is all about the protagonist in strongly motivated opposition with the antagonist over a specific goal. It succeeds as a timeless favorite among movie fans because it builds its characters with realistic internal frameworks. Indy is no cardboard character swinging from one heroic action to another. He is dogged after a goal, yes. But he also has strengths and weaknesses. He's made mistakes, and there's a greater than even chance he'll make them again. But he's the type of character who'll learn from them, change, and grow. And that's the kind of protagonist that makes the fictional ride worth taking.
Coming soon...another example demonstrating one of "The Three Master Recipes of Fiction."
