Brenna Valentine

Raiders of the Lost Ark: Finding the Elements of

Film

Stages of PlotPlot: Set UpPlot: Complicating ActionPlot: DevelopmentPlot: Climax and EpilogueDangling Causes“I hate snakes!”Marion’s DrinkingMotifsThe Color RedMarion’s ThemeIndiana Jones’ theme musicConclusionWorks Cited

Table of Contents

There are four stages of a plot: the set up, the complicating action, the development, and the climax and epilogue. Each of these are equally represented in length in a film. The set up establishes the characters and their goals. In the complicating action section, the protagonist is introduced to the challenge and faces a new direction. During the development stage, the characters are faced with obstacles as they try to obtain their goal. In the climax and epilogue, the story is resolved.

Stages of Plot

In the set up portion of the film, the audience meets Indiana Jones. We learn that he is adventurous and intelligent. These qualities lead him to the challenge of finding the Lost Ark.

Plot: Set Up

Indiana Jones and his love interest, Marion, voyage to Egypt to attempt to find the Ark before the Nazis. Naturally, the Nazis and Belloq get in his way.

Plot: Complicating Action

Through a series of unfortunate events, Indy locates the Ark, loses the Ark, then goes through many obstacles to try and get the Ark back.

Plot: Development

Belloq gets the Ark and attempts to perform a ritual, but ends up dying because he failed to respect the history and the legends of the Ark. Indy and Marion survive. They are however a upset when the ark is crated and stored in anonymity.

Plot: Climax and Epilogue

Dangling causes are clues given to the audience in the beginning of the movie. These clues appear again later in the film, but have more significance.

Dangling Causes

“I hate snakes!”In the beginning of Raiders, Indiana Jones finds a snake in his seat. He reveals that he HATES snakes.

Once he’s located the Ark, Indy finds himself in a tomb filled with snakes. It has to be snakes in order to challenge him to go after the Ark, something he deeply desires.

Marion’s Drinking

When the audience is first introduced to Marion, we learn that she can hold her liquor. She wins a contest with a man in her bar.

This matters later in the film when she is being held hostage by Belloq. They drink a lot, but she is still sober. Marion tries to make her escape because Belloq can’t handle himself.

Motifs are patterns repeated throughout a work that help reveal more information about the work as a whole.

Motifs

The Color Red

Marion’s bright red lipstick

Sash on villians

Nazi flags

Whenever Marion is on screen, or when Indy is thinking about her, the audience hears her theme music.

Marion’s Theme

Anytime Indiana Jones is doing something daring, the classic theme music is played.

Indiana Jones’ theme music

Indiana Jones is not only an exciting adventure story, but one that contains many cinematic elements that enhance the film.

Conclusion

"Film Terms Glossary - Dictionary." Film Terms Glossary - Dictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. Sept. 2012. <http://www.filmsite.org/filmterms.html>.

Raiders of the Lost Ark. Dir. Steven Spielberg. Perf. Harrison Ford. 1981. DVD.

"Raiders of the Lost Ark." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. Sept. 2012. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082971/>.

Works Cited