Article: Raiders of the Lost Ark: Soderbergh simply gives us PURE SPIELBERG

 

Using Steven Soderbergh's incredible suggestion (HERE) I have been in love with something new...to carefully watch Raiders of the Lost Ark only to music.  Soderbergh is on the money...he is 100 percent accurate to state that the film could be understood with the sound off!  Thanks to my friend Kelvin too for sending!

Raiders of the Lost Ark in this form is suddenly one of the most stunning examples of what Alfred Hitchcock would refer to as PURE CINEMA (just images and music to tell the story, a creative obsession for him) and you may never realize it unless you stop and see it like this.

Steven Spielberg is absolutely committed to creating meaning in each one of his directing choices that further story when possible.  If it can be simplified (all things in film can be to one degree or another) Spielberg finds as many moments in a scene as possible to allow the shots alone to tell the story.  He may choose to do this through lighting, camera framing, camera movement, long lenses (most often used here to create visual "comparison" or "contrast" within in one single frame), placement of actors, shadows and whatever he can use.

Now this may seem obvious but the amazing thing about the way Soderberg presents the film (in black and white and with some melodic electronic music) that it allows us to focus on these choices with less distraction.  Indiana Jones can absolutely be watched and understood completely with the sound off.  Raiders of the Lost Ark in this form (or any form) works in the same way a silent film would, with visual storytelling alone.

I am leaving here notes on some of the most striking moments of FUN pure cinema in the film.  What a blast this was!

HOW: WIDE FOGGY ESTABLISHING SHOT

 Indiana Jones far ahead of an expedition.  The others with him barely able to keep up with the man.

WHY:  MYSTERY/INTRODUCTION/CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPS

Much like the absolutely masterful work of Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini, Speilberg works hard (in many of his works) quite hard, introducing his characters in his films with style and grace.  Showing Indiana Jones this far ahead of the others shows several things but most notably it illustrates his far advanced expertise, his navigation abilities, his aggressiveness and passion and last but not least...the distance between him and the others working for him.  Just in this one choice, the director creates a visual dynamic...it is going to be Indiana Jones and the rest.  This group of people is already not on the same page.

HOW:  LONG LENSE CLOSE UP WITH HORIZONTAL DOLLY RIGHT

A horizontal dolly to the right tracking with Indy's search party is motivated at first by two of the other men until it comes to the image of a blow dart (I believe) stuck in a tree. 

WHY: REVEAL OF DANGER BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE TRIBE

 

Once we land on the foreground tree, Indy appears (face still hidden) out from behind the tree to observe it.  The shot again creates a distance between Indiana Jones and his party, demonstrates his keen observational skills and again...his distance between him and the others in various ways.

HOW: CLOSE-UP WITH KEY ONLY NO FILL

Indy is seen here for the first time.

WHY: CHARACTER INTRODUCTION

Indy's face is only hit with a strong Key light (SUN) no fill in on the side of his face, keeping the man shrouded in mystery and creating a duality...he may be a good man but he is also dangerous.  He is one with his "shadow."

HOW: CLOSE-UP OF THE IDOL WITH SAND IN FRAME

Idol is scene in close up, Indiana Jones is so close...he can touch it...why not?  What could go wrong?

WHY: TENSION BUILDING

The sand bag is hopefully a suitable replacement for the weight of the idol.  Sand running through Indy's fingers within the same frame creates immediate tension and conjures feelings of the time running out...he must ACT.  He will need to swap them but what will happen after?  The sand slipping is another foreground out of focus with background in focus on a long lens juxtaposition of two objects is a favorite Spielberg Indiana Jones Technique I am seeing!  We need a name for this technique I am sure there is one but I will call a LONG LENS COMBO because a long lens is used to shoot these shots and force the objects together in space for compare/contrast and it is probably worth bonus combo points in the game because it combines juxtaposed images all in one frame for heightened action and strong effect. 

This is a wonderful find because it is a simple way to create depth in a frame and overlaying action in a heightened way.  I never like shooting over the shoulders or what they call "dirty" vs "clean" shots but this is illustrating how the hint of something else in frame can help tell the complete story all at once and in less shots.  

So it begs the question...why not show 2 shots - 1) the sand in his hand in close-up and 1) a close-up of the idol?  Well this does BOTH and it creates more tension in the single shot...now that is what a director has to do!  Be efficient as time and money are being spent to shoot.

HOW: DOLLY IN SLOW

WHY: TENSION BUILDER

We dolly in on Alfred Molina's Satipo as he anticipates and nearly salivates over Indy taking the precious treasure.

HOW: LONG LENS COMBO LONG SHOT/CLOSE-UP

WHY: DESPERATION AND HEIGHTENED TENSION

Another Long Lens combo shows a small little Indiana Jones looking quite desperate for his trusty whip.  The whip itself in the foreground is huge and covers Indy...illustrating how important it is...it is so close.  He must exchange Satipo the idol for his very LIFE.  Hopefully Satipo will throw him the whip...

During this exchange Indy seems marginalized as the tomb seems to be closing in on him...maybe Indy is nothing without his whip.  Not a chance!

In the next moment...we see that Karma is a bitch.

HOW: RAPID DOLLY IN

WHY: ANTICIPATION

Here's looking at you Martin Scorcese the king of the rapidly moving dolly in camera (Deniro in Goodfellas...hell everyone in Goodfellas got at least one).  This movement is often used by directors to create a rush of anticipation and realization and quickly place the audience in the boots of the hero as they realize they may be meeting their impending doom, they may be too late, they may need to chose a different mobster as a business partner or there is a shark in the water (the last one also gets a zoom out or visa versa with it - the "Vertigo" technique!).  WATCH OUT!

HOW: LONG LENS COMBO CLOSE-UP 

These overlay/comparison shots are used 10 times more often than I even realized in this film.  This is not one I often put in my own directing tool kit but I now see the power of them and how the long lens compresses two layers of image on top of each other.  

WHY: OVERLAY/COMPARISON: 

Spielberg here is teaching us about Marion's inner struggle or how maybe Marion knows the medallion is literally like "playing with fire" and may get her killed...minutes later it nearly does.

HOW: HARD LIGHT (INDY) STATIONARY WIDE

Clever use of shadows often shows our hero quite larger than life.  

WHY: CHARACTER RELATIONSHIP ILLUSTRATION

In this reintroduction to old flame (pun intended) Marion, Indy is brought down to size as Marion approaches the camera and meets his larger than life shadow at its towering height.  Marion is a woman who sees through Indiana Jones, she is not looking at a myth but instead...a no good cheating hustler.  A hard light behind Indiana Jones creates this operatic effect while Marion's less dramatic natural lighting (motivated by the environment) mocks the man, cutting him down to size, quite literally.  The shot basically screams "you think you're so damn cool don't you?"

In the next frame...Indy...resorts to a smile.  Marion is so dominant in frame that Indiana Jones (our hero!) barely shares the frame with her, looking like a reprimanded child instead of the usual Greek God like figure.

I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did, so much more of the film could be obsessively analyzed but just the above is plenty to get to the point and for us to move on so...here is a number of other moments in the film to reflect on and find your own meaning.