How the Film 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' Promotes Such Stereotypes
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In the film "Raiders
of
the Lost Ark," there are several different stereotypes that can be
underlined
as typical archaeologist understandings. The film places a high
emphasis
on placing these stereotypes on a pedestal and displaying them to the
viewer.
Unfortunately these stereotypes do not reflect the reality of
archaeology
or archaeologists. Below are several ways in which archaeologist
is
misrepresented in the film, followed by explanations of the
de-romanticized
reality of archaeology. Topics examined are the representation of sex
among archaeologists, their focuses, motivation of archaeologists in
what
actions they take, the idea that archaeologists undertake glorified
quests,
the perceived rivalries between archaeologists, and the romanticization
of
the apparel worn by archaeologists. Please use the links below to
move among topics: |
If you have not seen the movie and would like some background before viewing this site,
you may click here to see a plot summary of the film or here to see the trailer.
Sex
Representation
| One of the most obvious stereotypes portrayed in this and the other two Indiana Jones movies is the difference in roles for males and females. Archaeology is painted as a male-oriented discipline in which only males participate as serious, motivated, and informed archaeologists. In contrast, the few female characters that appear in this and the other films are transparent and one-dimensional emotional creatures who are saved from danger by the valiant male figure. Worse, the movie initially attempts to portray Marion, the female lead in Raiders of the Lost Ark, as a strong character, introducing her as the owner of her own business (a bar) who shows her tenacity by defeating a much larger male an in a drinking contest. This potrayal is short-lived, however, as the moment Indiana Jones walks into her bar, she becomes emotional and submissive, her efforts to be defiant failing quickly. The following exchange between Indiana and Marion very clearly demonstrates the difference in their characters: |
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Marion: I was a child. I was in love. It was wrong and you knew it! (Internet Movie Database)
Examples of other instances in which Marion is depicted as emotional or helpless compared to stoic, confident Indiana Jones include Marion screaming 'Indy" from her imprisonment in the basket, being tied up in the Nazi tent, and screaming while dangling in a dress and heels from the statue.
The culmination of such a disparate depiction of males and females is the projection of power to male archaeologists and a further perception of females as either incompetent or uninvolved with archaeology. In actuality, both males and females practice archaeology as a profession in a ratio of 1:1 (Diaz-Andreu and Sorensen, 1998). Famous female anthropologists and archaeologists include: Ruth Fulton Benedict, Franziska Boas, Alice C. Fletcher, Dian Fossey, Zora Neale Hurston, Dorothea Leighton, Mary Nichol Leakey, Margaret Mead, Lila Morris O'Neale, and many others (Celebration of Women Anthropologists).
Focus
on Objects
|
Another myth
perpetuated to the
public by this film is that the job of the archaeologist is to go in
search
of, and acquire, specific objects. Raiders of the Lost Ark
depicts
Indiana Jones purposefully going on quests for several specific items,
most
notably the golden idol head at the beginning, the medalion that
Marion's
father located, and of course the ark. The stereotype of
archaeology
has thus resulted that it is a field that searches for particular
famous
and long-lost items for the sole purpose of then obtaining that object.
The reality of the situation is that archaeologists very rarely go on excavations looking for specific items. At most, they may hope to find a rumored object at a site they are working on, but that is most certainly not the focus of their work. More often than not, archaeologists stumble upon their discoveries -- an item or two is discovered somewhere and archaeologists travel to that area and excavate it, not knowing what they will find. Once unearthed, rchaeologists study a myriad of remains from previous cultures unearthed during a dig and extrapolate as much information as possible to accomplish the following goals of arcaheology: (1) to establish a chronological framework for the society, (2) to reconstruct past lifeways, and (3) to study of the processes of change in the past (The Goals of Archaeology). |
Motivation
| A key difference
between its
film portrayal and real-life situation is the motivation of the
archaeologist.
The film shows several reasons that its characters would like to
acquire
the objects they seek, including aspirations of fame, power, and money
juxtaposted
against a desire to situation archaeological materials in a museum.
The
first three motivations of fame, power, and money are projected upon
the
'bad guys' of the film; the Nazis wish to acquire the ark for its
power,
Belloq wishes to obtain the golden idol for the fame and profit, etc.
In
contrast, Indiana is the selfless hero who seeks out objects so that he
can
safely situate them in museums. These former motivations are thus
painted
as the wrong ones compared to Indiana Jones' valiant cry of "it belongs
in
a museum!" |
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The problem with this
situation (besides the fact that
acquisition of the object is not as important to archaeologists as the
information
the object can provide) is the guiding motivation of archaeologists is
to
discover materials that will allow them to create reconstructions of
previous
cultures. While it is true that archaeologists do firmly believe
that
part of their role is to increase public awareness of
archaeology/anthrology,
this is certainly not the driving force above the reconstruction of
past
cultures (Society for
American
Archaeology).
Glorified
Quests
|
One of the most
common misconceptions of archaeology
is the glorified quests. As witnessed in the three Indiana Jones
movies,
Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones is in a constant state of adventure
throughout
his missions. From the movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana is on a
quest
sponsored by the United States government to find the Ark of the
Covenant
before the Nazi army does. It is a common stereotype that
archaeologists
are always on these grand adventures attempting to find some important
lost
treasure. To top of the grand adventures, the archaeologist rivalry
must
be set in place to give the stereotype even more of a shine. |
Rivalry
between Archaeologists
| In many of Indiana’s adventures, there is a sense of rivalry between himself and another character. At the start of the movie, in the jungles of South America, Dr. Jones and a guide enter a dank and oppressively vast cave that contains several traps created by the ancient culture which hid inside a famous handheld, golden statue. Indy barely escapes the booby traps but is cornered by native tribesmen serving Belloq, an old enemy who arrogantly makes off with the statue while Indy must flee for his life and escape on a friend's seaplane. This has obviously happened before and the rivalry intensifies when Indy has the Ark of the Covenant taken away from him once more by Belloq. |
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Romanticized
Apparel
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To complete to inaccurate definition of an archaeologist, Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones is dressed in a certain fashion to uplift the archaeologist stereotype to its maximum height. Indiana Jones is dressed in loose khaki pants, brown leather work boots, a tan work shirt, a brown leather messenger bag, a more than handy wipe, an old pistol that was probably used in World War I, a worn-in brown leather jacket, and of course his infamous brown leather “archaeology hat". Every article of clothing and accessory was used to truly grasp the concept of a stereotypical archaeologist; the type of archaeologist that was on an over-exaggerated adventure, fighting their rival, and bringing home the long lost treasure. However, real life is not Hollywood and these are all stereotypes of a true archaeologist. |
References
Celebration of Women Anthrpologists (website)
http://www.cas.usf.edu/anthropology/women/
Diaz-Andreu, M., Sorensen, M.L.S, (eds). (1998). Excavating women: A history of women in European archaeology.
London: Routledge. p. 1-320.
The Goals of Archaeology (website)
http://depthome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/anthro/SCP50/archaeology/goals_of_archaeology.htm
Indiana Jones - Raiders of the Lost Ark (website)
http://indianajones.ugo.com/movies/raiders_of_the_lost_ark/
(All pictures have been taken from within this website, specifically the following URL:
http://indianajones.ugo.com/movies/raiders_of_the_lost_ark/pictures.php)
Internet Movie Database (website)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082971/
Myths and Misconceptions: Stereotypes of Archaeologists Remedied (website)
http://www.saa.org/pubEdu/myths.html
Schuldenrein, J. (25 June 2003). "The great American disconnect: Traditional archaeology, culture resources, and
the emerging global archaeological paradigm." Abstract: World Archaeological Congress 5.
Society for American Archaeology (website)
http://www.saa.org/aboutSAA/index.html
Women's Network in Archaeology (website)
http://www.femarc.de/Netzwerk/text/naafweb1.html
