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 hero returns to the silver screenAn idiom that just means a television screen. today for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, his fifth and final film.
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, Jones has become one of the most famous characters in screen history.
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.
The franchise has a worldwide total box office of $1.99bn (£1.57bn). It is also acclaimedPraised or celebrated.. Critics have praised the new film for its thrills. In The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw praised the new film for being "wildly silly and entertaining".
Yet some say Indiana Jones is more than action-packed fun. 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 order,1 he goes from a selfish adventurer 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 based 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. novelists like H. Rider Haggard.2 Any Christian elements might be borrowed
Not every story is an 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.
Acclaimed - Praised or celebrated.
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.
Acclaimed - Praised or celebrated.
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.