Are the films a Christian allegory? A pastor believes the Indiana Jones films depict a spiritual quest. Others think we should stop reading so much into simple blockbuster fun.
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Indiana’s thrilling quest for ultimate truth
Are the films a Christian allegory? A pastor believes the Indiana Jones films depict a spiritual quest. Others think we should stop reading so much into simple blockbuster fun.
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Put on your fedoraA low felt hat with a curled brim., crack your whip and pass the popcorn. Indiana Jones is back. The legendary hero returns to the silver screenAn idiom that just means a television screen. today for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the fifth and final in the film series.
It is a big moment for fans of the character as well as his long-time actor Harrison Ford. Since debuting in Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981, the globetrottingTravelling often to far-flung corners of the globe. Jones has become one of the most famous characters in screen history.
Jones was created by Star Wars filmmaker George Lucas. Set from the 1930s to the 60s, the films see Jones hunt for mythical treasures. Along the way, he gets into jeep chases, fights duels, evades traps, and confronts villains hoping to use the power of the treasure for their own evil ends.
This formula has proved popular. The franchise has a worldwide total box office of $1.99bn (£1.57bn). It has also entertained critics. Raiders of the Lost Ark enjoys a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
This praise has come for its sense of fun, rather than any intellectual or storytelling depth. In The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw praised the new film for being "wildly silly and entertaining", while The New York Times Manohla Dargis celebrated its "disposable pleasures".
Yet some say Indiana Jones is more than an action-packed thrill ride. It holds hidden meaning. "Is it possible," writes pastorA minister in charge of a Christian church or congregation. Dwight Longenecker, "that the popular Indiana Jones trilogy is a[n]... analogyA comparison between one thing and another. of the Christian spiritual quest?"
Longenecker suggests that the films parallel Jones's personal journey with the religious growth of humanity. When Jones's story is watched in chronological order,1 he evolves from a selfish adventurer seeking "fortune and glory" to a wise hero who finds the Holy GrailSomething that is eagerly sought after. The real holy grail was the cup that Jesus used at the Last Supper, for which Christians searched fruitlessly for centuries. to save his dying father.
Others warn against adding meaning to a film made for entertainment. Lucas modelled Indiana Jones on the heroes of pulpAn inexpensive type of fiction popular in the first half of the 20th Century. Pulp fiction was known for its poor writing and sensational subject matter. magazines, Old HollywoodUsed to describe the golden years of the film industry, from the 1920s to 1950s. films and VictorianThe era when Queen Victoria was on the British throne, from 1837 to 1901. adventure novelists like H. Rider Haggard.2 Any Christian elements might be inherited.
Not every story contains allegoryA story or poem that has a hidden moral or political meaning. . The plot of Jones's growth may be just that - the tale of a man becoming a better person as he gains experience.
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Are the films a Christian allegory?
Yes: The echoes are many: the Holy Grail, the battle between good and evil, Jones's journey from selfishness to sacrifice. Indiana Jones is both a fun story and also a symbolic Christian fable.
No: Lucas invented the films to be a rip-roaring blockbuster success - and that is all they are. We need to stop looking for deeper meaning in entertainment and just enjoy the ride.
Or... It is the reader, not the writer, who decides the real meaning of a story. So if viewers see allegory in the Indiana Jones films, then they can be an allegory, whatever the writers intended.
Keywords
Fedora - A low felt hat with a curled brim.
Silver screen - An idiom that just means a television screen.
Globetrotting - Travelling often to far-flung corners of the globe.
Pastor - A minister in charge of a Christian church or congregation.
Analogy - A comparison between one thing and another.
Holy grail - Something that is eagerly sought after. The real holy grail was the cup that Jesus used at the Last Supper, for which Christians searched fruitlessly for centuries.
Pulp - An inexpensive type of fiction popular in the first half of the 20th Century. Pulp fiction was known for its poor writing and sensational subject matter.
Old Hollywood - Used to describe the golden years of the film industry, from the 1920s to 1950s.
Victorian - The era when Queen Victoria was on the British throne, from 1837 to 1901.
Allegory - A story or poem that has a hidden moral or political meaning.
Indiana’s thrilling quest for ultimate truth
Touch of nostalgia: The latest film is expected to make £110 million at the international box office. Glossary
Fedora - A low felt hat with a curled brim.
Silver screen - An idiom that just means a television screen.
Globetrotting - Travelling often to far-flung corners of the globe.
Pastor - A minister in charge of a Christian church or congregation.
Analogy - A comparison between one thing and another.
Holy grail - Something that is eagerly sought after. The real holy grail was the cup that Jesus used at the Last Supper, for which Christians searched fruitlessly for centuries.
Pulp - An inexpensive type of fiction popular in the first half of the 20th Century. Pulp fiction was known for its poor writing and sensational subject matter.
Old Hollywood - Used to describe the golden years of the film industry, from the 1920s to 1950s.
Victorian - The era when Queen Victoria was on the British throne, from 1837 to 1901.
Allegory - A story or poem that has a hidden moral or political meaning.