Spent much of the weekend with Paul and finally convinced him to watch Raiders Of The Lost Ark. I was interested to see what a contemporary eight-year-old, raised on the hyperkinetic likes of the Pirates Of The Caribbean and Spider-man franchises, would think of such a relatively old-school action picture.
Though he'd never admit to preferring it to his beloved Spider-man 3 (which we also watched and which he has completely committed to memory), he clearly had a ball, applauding when Indy shoots the swordsman, humming along with the theme music, literally sitting on the edge of his seat during the truck chase. It was kind of like I imagine my reaction was watching Where Eagles Dare the first time.
As for me, Raiders has always been one of my favorites (though, perversely, I actually prefer Temple Of Doom), and every time I see it, I'm struck anew by just how good it is. Lawrence Kasdan's script is beautifully constructed, with a number of great throwaway lines, and Steven Spielberg's direction is a thing of wonder. (I love especially the Michael Curtiz-styled scene in the Nepalese tavern, and the Hitchcock-styled chase through the streets of Cairo. Despite the obvious tips o' the hat to other directors, Spielberg's staging and cutting of these scenes feels remarkably fresh.) Kasdan and Spielberg are smart enough to leave us with plenty of breathing room between the furious action sequences, and Spielberg films these interludes with a minimum of fuss, deploying either simple cross-cutting or utilizing one single, lengthy set-up, yet they never feel static. Indeed, these scenes, mostly involving Indy's verbal jousts with weasely nemesis Belloq, crackle with tension.
When originally released, Raiders received criticism in some quarters as a mere thrill machine, an empty collection of overwrought set pieces. Now, of course, it seems almost leisurely, lacking the hyped-up camera moves and ADD editing so common in contemporary films. And though it's not exactly deep, there's a bit more going on than it initially appears. Harrison Ford's characterization of Indy suggests trouble below the surface--he's almost pathetically earnest in his regular gig as a professor, but once he's on the trail of whatever he's looking for, he becomes ruthless, and will use anyone or do anything to get his way. Every bit as fascinating is Paul Freeman's Belloq, a Frenchman collaborating with the Nazis, an archeologist clearly disdainful of the "uncivilized" lands and people he encounters while pursuing his career.
This is an action movie driven as much by its characters as anything else. Spielberg would take his hero to even darker places in Temple Of Doom, though admittedly that film lacks Raiders' air-tight script. Sadly, he fumbled badly with Last Crusade, well-shot and well-staged but utterly lacking the pulpy elan of Indy's first two adventures. As for the upcoming Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull--well, I'll be there opening night, of course, and Spielberg's recent work (particularly A.I. and Munich) shows a gratifying return to form, but I don't really expect much. Still, John Williams is writing the score, and once that familiar theme music kicks in, I'll probably be in a very forgiving mood.
