The opening of the Ark
Nearing the end of the film, this climactic scene takes the audience through a range of emotions as Belloq and the Nazi group finally obtain the Ark and perform the ceremony to open it, with Indy and Marion watching close by after being captured.
Micro features play a very important part in this scene as they manipulate the emotional responses felt by the audience based on what is going on in the shot, from scared to relieved. The long shots applied at the start of the scene shows the audience the immensity of the Ark, emphasised by the contrast between the sandy, dull-coloured cave and Nazi uniforms compared to the bright shining gold colour of the Ark; signifying a holy quality about it – also shown with the high key lighting focused on it. In comparison to this, the close-up shots of the main antagonists (primarily the reaction shots) show the audience how to feel, as both the characters and the audience are curious to see what is inside the Ark (driven by the fact that it is the last ‘big’ scene in the film, and this is what the audience has been waiting for, building tension), and both feel scared when the horrors reveal themselves. Also, the low angle shots of the antagonists when they are stood over the Ark could be showing the potential power that they hold because of the Ark (giving them a God-like image; similar to the low angle shots of the eponymous character in Schindler’s List).
Considering that the film was made in 1981, and considered one of Spielberg’s ‘rookie’ films, the special effects do manage to make some audience members (particularly the audience watching when the film first came out) feel the intended way; scared. As mentioned before, the close up shots show the audience not only to be scared or in awe, but also the horrifying results of opening the Ark. The physical SFX (such as the melting faces etc) provide a sense of disgust as, considering the date it was made, it was quite gory, and not what many audience members were used to. Both the physical SFX and also the ‘spirit’ FX provides fear and tension, especially as the spirits (added in in post production as an overlay) are a contrast in colour to the rest of the shot; flying around in white and blue. It is most likely that audience members of today would not find those special effects to have the preferred response that Spielberg wanted the audience to feel, as nowadays we are exposed to much worse graphic content that make special effects such as the face-melting to be laugh-worthy.
The non-diagetic sound carries the audience through an emotional journey throughout the scene as it changes with every event. When the Ark is first placed down and opened, the orchestral score slowing building creates mystery and tension as everyone involved (including the audience) is waiting to see what’s going to happen. When the reality of the Ark is fully shown, and the spirits are let loose amongst the Nazis, the sound rises and loud screeching is added, making the audience feel scared and uncomfortable as it is reflecting the unnatural factor of what is happening. The loud score creates not only a sense of fear, however, as it is also a reflection of the immensity and power behind the Ark, making it almost awe-worthy. When the drama has finally stopped, the music returns to the familiar theme associated with Marion and Indy’s relationship as they are both finally save with each other.
As mentioned before, the preferred reading that Spielberg would have wanted his audience to have would be to have been scared and tense as the unexpected power was shown. However, it could also be suggested that he wanted particularly American audiences to feel patriotic, as the American saves the day whereas the Europeans (a common nationality for the antagonists of many American films) are smited by the power of God for being bad. Bearing this in mind, however, contextually related, overtly religious Christians would not enjoy this film as they may feel as though it is exploiting the stories of the Bible by suggesting that the power of God released from the Ark of the Covenant is destructive. An oppositional reading (as many people are more likely to feel watching the film now) is that the scene is completely ridiculous and funny, mainly because of the FX. A negotiated response would be that a spectator is scared of what is happening, however they can’t help but feel happy that the antagonists have been defeated, as that is ultimately one of the best results to come out of any film that has a clear protagonist vs antagonist storyline.
Sophie Niblett's Analysis' 