The Couple: Indiana Jones & Marion Ravenwood

The Movie: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Reel Thing Rating: 5 out of 5 Reels
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Hard to believe that it’s been almost 20 years since we were first riveted by this movie. The classic is just as much fun to watch now as it ever was.

The year is 1936. The Nazis are starting to . Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones – mild-mannered professor of archaeology by day and thrill-seeking adventurer by night – is hired by the US government to go in search of the lost Ark of the Covenant. The Ark is supposedly the vessel which was used to carry about the Ten Commandments. And, according to legend (or at least according to Marcus Brody): “The Bible speaks of the Ark leveling mountains and laying waste in entire regions. An Army that carries the Ark before it… is invincible.” Indy wants to locate this historical find not just for his museum, but so the Nazis don’t get to it first.

Early into his quest he comes across another rare find – Marion Ravenwood, the passionate daughter of his former mentor and a former lover. From the moment they reconnect, even in the snowy mountains of Nepal, the heat between these two is obvious.

Marion thinks she can help Indy find what he is looking for and accompanies him from Nepal to Cairo, where they encounter one obstacle after another: more Nazis, sword-carrying peasants, a barrel-chested German giant, and Rene Belloq, a shady French archaeologist who becomes Indy’s rival for both the Ark and Marion as well. Yet none of them are a match for Indy’s cool demeanor or Marion’s fiery determination.

Eventually they do of course find the Ark, but it is theirs for a precious little time before being shipped off to a federal storage facility where it will no doubt linger untouched for many years.

So what is to become of Indy and Marion during that time? Well, we already know of course after 3 sequels that while they once again parted ways, unbeknownst to Indy, the two of them conceived a son during that fateful trip so many years ago. A son who is just as daring and adventurous as his parents. Eventually the two are brought back together, and in an ending which we wholeheartedly approve of, they finally marry.

We have to admit we feel a certain wistful sadness that they didn’t stay together the entire time. We can definitely understand that it would be difficult for a man like Indiana Jones to settle down and play husband and father. Perhaps it was for this very reason that Marion chose not to tell him about their son, instead of trying to force him into a more traditional lifestyle only to wind up disappointed when he disappears on her yet again. Nevertheless we feel that if anyone can keep up with Indy Marion can. We could definitely have seen the two of them thinking packing little Henry up and chasing down some Cold War bad guys from time to time. They have different temperaments it’s true, but we think they balance each other perfectly. He is a real man; she’s a real woman. They are perfect sparring partners, and the chemistry between them is obvious.

We definitely see these two enjoying their long-awaited “happily ever after.”

Tagged with: cairo • harrison ford • indiana jones • karen allen • kingdom of the crystal skull • last crusade • marion ravenwood • nepal • raiders of the lost ark • shia lebeouf • steven spielberg • temple of doom

Filed under: 5 Reels • Retro Reel

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