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Critical analysis of raiders of the lost ark
Critical analysis of raiders of the lost ark
Narrative analysis reflections
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The plot of Raiders of the Lost Ark has many notable themes throughout: religion, exploration, transformation, wisdom & knowledge, politics, and good vs. evil. Of these, one of the most prominent themes throughout is that of good vs. evil. In Raiders of the Lost Ark any character who stays in the movie either ends up on the good side (with Indiana Jones) or the bad side (with the Nazis). There is no in between. What makes this movie so unique is how close the bad guys actually come to achieving their goal of using the Ark for its powers. One of the most iconic parts in this movie when this happens is a scene where Indiana Jones and Marion are tied up and the Nazis have control of the Ark. It looks as though it will end in favor of the Nazi …show more content…
when it actually turns in favor of Indiana Jones and Marion as the power of God in the Ark ends up killing all of the Nazis. This of course evokes a multitude of emotions from the audience as they do not know what will happen, but this and many other instances would not be possible without the addition of music in this film. John Williams is one of the most notable composers in American history.
Winning 117 awards and being nominated for another 225, it is no surprise that his name is common in households across America. Williams’ music style is very classical, having been influenced by composers like Richard Strauss and Gustav Mahler. In this film, Williams uses the perfect amount of brass and strings to create fanfares and marches that are unsurprisingly still in the audience’s head, hours after they are heard. Not only are they catchy, but they also provide another dimension for the film, evoking emotions and setting the mood, to pull every audience member into each scene and develop the action in the film. Majority of the music in this film is non-diegetic with a few rare occurrences of diegetic music. One of these instances is a scene where Marion kisses Sallah, Indiana Jones’s colleague, and he starts singing. The only other time it is diegetic is when Indiana Jones is in the bar meeting with Belloq, a rival of Indiana …show more content…
Jones’. Music is placed in film for a multitude of reasons. One of the most important uses of music in film is to evoke and emotional response from the audience to enhance the storyline itself. There are numerous primary functions of music in Raiders of the Lost Ark: filling the void, rhythmic pacing, action sequencing, tension building, montages, and even displaying unsaid emotions. Raiders of the Lost Ark is an action film, therefore, the most popular use of music in this particular film is for action sequencing and tension building. Roughly half of Raiders of the Lost Ark is scored, utilizing many themes and leitmotifs intermixed based on the action.
The most noteworthy of these is the “Raider March” which is associated with Indiana Jones throughout this film, especially when he is in motion or around methods of transportation (vehicles, planes, horses). It makes its first appearance when Indiana Jones is fleeing the natives by jumping onto a plane. It then reappears during the flights to Nepal and Cairo later on in the film. “Raider March” is very distinctive in that it is a brass fanfare that accentuates when Indiana Jones does something heroic. It is used to identify Indiana Jones in such a way that removing it would have the same effect of removing Indiana Jones’s iconic fedora or whip: failure. The march begins by opening with four trumpets in unison to create a march and represent heroism, but incorporates syncopated beats to add buoyancy, indicating the less serious/fun side of Indiana
Jones. This theme appears throughout Raiders of the Ark a total of six times, however it is never an exact replication. Each time the “Raiders March” theme is reintroduced, it is transformed to create a more intense version of the theme than the previous one. This creates tension as the movie builds and eventually reserves the most intense transformation of the theme for the final statement of this piece. A second theme that plays a big part in this film is “Marion’s Theme”. Despite its name, “Marion’s Theme” is less of a theme for Marion and kept for the times of romance between Marion and Indiana Jones. Williams created this theme to have a slow, warm, romantic feel to it, and did so utilizing a solo flute before further developing it using various string instruments. “Marion’s Theme” is first presented on the Journey to Nepal before Marion is even introduced to the audience. However, it is not until Marion is introduced, and the pair is traveling to Cairo that it flourishes into a fuller developed theme. This theme is especially used to heighten the audience’s attention to Indiana Jones’s feelings during the basket chase scene when Indiana Jones believes Marion blows up with the car. It is used here to show the feelings of love Indiana Jones still had for Marion and how much it hurt him that she is gone (although she is actually very much alive).
"God saw that all he had created was very good. You are part of gods creation, and he is pleased with how he made you. If at times you feel worthless or of little value, remember that god made you for a good reason. You are valuable to him." ( Genesis 1:31) I believe that all things created are at first good. The Bible gives pages upon pages of quotes and stories on the battle of good versus evil, but in the story East of Eden we are given what might be the greatest question of it all, and that is if the main character Cathy a.k.a. Kate was born good or evil.
The lines that define good and evil are not written in black and white; these lines tend to blur into many shades of grey allowing good and evil to intermingle with each another in a single human being. Man is not inherently good or evil but they are born innocent without any values or sense of morality until people impart their philosophies of life to them. In the words of John Locke:
The sounds and music in this film are very realistic, and to the point. There is not anything abstract or out of place, and everything is very appropriate. The sound effects in the film are diegetic (sounds that the actors can hear), with the score being nondiegetic (sounds that the actors cannot hear). The film falls under the category of realism, with no stylizing or manipulation of images and sounds.
In a young boy’s life, making the morally right choice can be difficult especially when the choice goes against someone that is suppose to be respected, such as a parent. “Barn Burning” by William Faulkner is a coming of age story about a son of a poor and evil sharecropper. Showing the difference between good and evil, Faulkner uses character descriptions and plot, revealing Sarty’s struggles’s as he chooses between making the morally right decision or to be loyal to a dishonest father.
John Steinbeck's novel East of Eden was inspired by a message he wished to send to his sons. Steinbeck created this epic story to carry his voice and advice to the two young boys whom he loved immensely. He wrote the story of good and evil, including love and hate, demonstrating how they are inseparable. ("East of Eden", Kirjasto) Steinbeck wanted to describe to Thom and John IV, the Salinas Valley, the treasured place in which he grew up. He aspired to detail every element from sights and sounds to colors and smells. He placed East of Eden here, in the Salinas Valley, not because of its significance to the story but the importance intended for his sons. ("East of Eden Summary") This setting includes more than memories from Steinbeck's childhood, it shows the history of the time period. Different waves of immigrants to California, new inventions including Ford automobiles and new windmills, an attempt at shipping lettuce in icebox train cars and organized prostitution across the West are some of the real occurrences that took place during this period of history. As his children grew Steinbeck hoped that East of Eden would show them their roots. The families created in the novel contributed to this significance. The Hamilton's were immigrants from Ireland, Steinbeck's true ancestors. The Trask family was fictional, helping to tell the story Steinbeck felt was important to every man. This universal family living next to a universal neighbor had meaning to his sons as well as to anyone who picked up the work. John Steinbeck calls the novel the story of my country and the story of me. East of Eden tells of a boy becoming a man as he overcomes jealousy and realizes self worth; this being achieved by the realization that everyone possesses good and evil. A quote from Steinbeck himself expresses the desire he had to instill this in the lives of his sons, "this is for my sons" to read when they are grown...And so I will tell one of the greatest-The story of good and evil, of strength and weakness, of love and hate, of beauty and ugliness." John Steinbeck's meaningful novel displays good and evil, while questioning the reader of whether evil is fated or if our lives are ruled by moral choice. (Pearson; "The Novel: East of Eden")
The vast majority of sound used in the film is non-diegetic, especially the musical ideas, which is
Imagine yourself in a pre-industrial world full of mystery and magic. Imagine a world full of monsters, demons, and danger, as well as a world full of friends, fairies, good wizards, and adventure. In doing so you have just taken your first step onto a vast world created by author and scholar John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. Tolkien became fascinated by language at an early age during his schooling, in particularly, the languages of Northern Europe, both ancient and modern. This affinity for language did not only lead to his profession, but also his private hobby, the invention of languages. His broad knowledge eventually led to the development of his opinions about Myth and the importance of stories. All these various perspectives: language, the heroic tradition, and Myth, as well as deeply-held beliefs in Catholic Christianity work together in all of his works. The main elements of Tolkien’s works are Good versus Evil, characters of Christian and anti-Christian origin, and the power of imagination.
“…And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:9-13) As it says in the Bible, we wish to be led astray from evil. However, evil is a very curious subject. For most intensive purposes, evil can be described as cruel, heinous, and unnecessary punishment. Evil is a relatively accepted concept in the world today, although it is not completely understood. Evil is supposedly all around us, and at all times. It is more often than not associated with a figure we deem Satan. Satan is said to be a fallen angel, at one point God’s favorite. Supposedly Satan tries to spite God by influencing our choices, and therefore our lives. However, this presents a problem: The Problem of Evil. This argues against the existence of God. Can God and evil coexist?
While they just enter the cave, it is violins plucking make that background music. I have to say this scene really scares me because I am very afraid of spiders and the music at here plays in synch-point when they find out there are spiders on their bodies. When Jones turns back, the audience finally sees the spiders and there is a sudden sound made by the percussion and then followed by scratching strings’ sound play in a fast tempo. This creates the tensions of seeing those huge spiders and how Jones will overcome this problem. The music is kind of exotic since it is out of the normal music that we will hear from the orchestra, and it captures the dangerous and adventure unpredictable feelings since they are at the cave of the rainforest. Another example is the scene that happens around (00:36:23), which is when Jones and Marion arrived at Cairo. The music is different from what it was before since there was some western orchestra music before this. It adds more local instrument in the underscoring music, and I feel like it maybe some kind of instruments that are similar to flute or piccolo. Also, I hear some traditional percussion’s sound as well. Back into the releasing time of this film, many people may not have a comprehensive understanding of music from those cultures, and the composer basically helps us be more focused on the storyline
In Khaled Hosseini’s novel “The Kite Runner,” he illustrates a fine line between what is defined as morally good and evil. During their lives as kids, Amir and Hassan had always been close, but there had always been one problem. Amir was the son of a rich and powerful Pashtun man who was almost always given everything he wanted, while Hassan was a Hazara boy who had spent his life serving Amir and his family with his father. Although the two of them seemed to always be inseparable when they played games or flew kites, there was always the defining factor of who they really are, a servant and his master.
J.R.R Tolkien’s work of fiction The Lord of the Rings, have with the advent of Peter Jackson’s film adaptation brought the series to newfound heights of fame. As with many works of it’s kind, The Lord of the Rings depicts a battle between good and evil, with the main characters in the books striving to thwart evil’s plan. In many other works, the author’s personal belief system or worldview drives the narrative, with the message being paramount and the characters the vehicles of conveyance for the point of the story. C.S Lewis, a friend and contemporary of Tolkien’s, is a prime example of this. Lewis’ popular series The Chronicles of Narnia is an allegorical work, teaching Christian principles through the use of fiction. While raised as a Catholic himself, Tolkien does not explicitly promote his religious background, nor does he engage in allegory. However, Tolkien’s views of morality can be found throughout the work, specifically in the way in which evil is portrayed, the use of power and moral freedom of choice. Randel Helms writes in his book, Tolkien’s World, “Tolkien’s particular myth parallels his Christianity, … positioning a malevolent and corrupting outside influence, spiritual and probably eternal, against which man is doomed to fight, but which he has no hope of conquering” (67).
“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world” (Lewis, 1994, p. 91). Throughout history man has had to struggle with the problem of evil. It is one of the greatest problems of the world. Unquestionably, there is no greater challenge to man’s faith then the existence of evil and a suffering world. The problem can be stated simply: If God is an all-knowing and all-loving God, how can He allow evil? If God is so good, how can He allow such bad things to happen?Why does He allow bad things to happen to good people? These are fundamental questions that many Christians and non-Christians set out to answer.
Music can decipher a narrative event by indicating a perspective. To unify a set of diverse images and provide rhythmic and formal continuity and momentum, a film’s structure is more often than not, directly articulated by a musical structure. Music can assist the dialogue and visuals of film and often is inaudible (e.g. music is meant to be heard unconsciously, not consciously). Music has been used by directors to reinforce or strengthen certain weak scenes in film and then on the other hand when music is not needed to reinforce a scene
In the Lion the Witch and Wardrobe, good vs. evil is teaching children the right from wrong in this book. Lewis uses the archetypes hero and villain very good throughout his novel to also portray right from wrong. His use of archetype the hero reminds readers that Aslan is the hero in his novel. He shows this by the many ways Aslan rescues and saves his people all throughout the novel. His use of archetype villain shows the readers that the White Witch is the villain in his
Good and evil are central themes in Paradise Lost. Classic symbols of both extremes are in the book: God and Satan, good and evil personified, respectively. In spite of the seeming dichotomy of either pure evil or total goodness, for much of Paradise Lost the distinction between good and evil is not very clear. The goodness of Man overcome by sin and the fall of God’s holy angels to hell are examples of the overlap of both good and evil within characters. This inherent potential for evil in Adam, Eve and Lucifer ****. Further, the relationship between good and evil and their relative dependence on each other is brought into question by the roles they play in Paradise Lost.