Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Looking Closer

Home
Religious Music & Entertainment
My Kind of Loser.

My Kind of Loser.

Last updated on: October 2, 2012 at 11:24 am by Jeffrey Overstreet

My Kind of Loser. 2012-10-02T11:24:45-06:00 Jeffrey Overstreet

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

To continue this week of celebrating the 30th anniversary of my favorite adventure movie, here’s an excerpt from my memoir of dangerous moviegoing… the book called Through a Screen Darkly:
•

The Paramount Studios logo — a crooked, rocky peak — fades out, replaced by a real-world equivalent, a stone pinnacle jutting into an ivory sky. We’re looking at it through a gap in the trees that edge the screen. A silhouette steps into the frame, classic and unmistakable: a bullwhip slung from his belt, a leather jacket, a fedora. Hands on his hips, he regards the peak he has eclipsed. Then he continues into the jungle, followed by his watchful, nervous companions. We do not see his face. He’s a mystery.

He makes his way nonchalantly through the jungle, headed into peril. The brim of his hat conceals his visage until that memorable, shocking moment when he senses a betrayal, turns, and knocks the pistol from a murderous Spaniard’s hand with a lash of his bullwhip. That rankled brow, those flaring eyes, that unshaven jaw — this is a man on a mission, fully aware of the dangers ahead and behind.

We watch him proceeding into secret passageways, pushing through thick curtains of spider webs into forbidding tunnels. Brushing off tarantulas, ignoring Satipo’s warning that no one has come out of there alive, he expertly dodges deadly darts and traps, including the one that skewered a famous competitor.

At last he kneels before a fabulous idol, the treasure he wants to preserve and display in a museum, where it “belongs.” With the skill of a surgeon, he replaces that glistening golden god with an equivalent bag of sand. Has he thought of everything?

No, alas, he has not! And moments later, Indy is outrunning the most dangerous big screen boulder since the asteroids that his intergalactic look-alike dodged in The Empire Strikes Back a year earlier. In an artful dive, Indiana launches himself out of the tunnel…

… and lands almost in the lap of his waiting nemesis — Rene Belloq — who, smiling wolfishly down on the dusty Indy, wastes no time in demonstrating his villainy.

Immediately, the world is divided into hero and villain. Indiana Jones is the kind of man who can cheat death. But Belloq is the sort of man who will steal the prize and the glory right out from under Indy’s nose.

Jones just can’t get a break.

When he enters Marion’s bar — it’s the same thing that happened in the jungle temple at the beginning. He treads carefully, shows respect, gets jarred around, and then he leaves disappointed, empty-handed. The prize has been snatched from his hands… again.

Later, after his long pursuit of the Lost Ark and its secrets, he loses that contest as well. It is Belloq who gets to lift the holy lid on its secrets.

What makes him an appealing hero if he’s prone to constant failure?

Well, there’s the issue of a costume. Like all superheroes, he has his public disguise: the tweedy suit-and-tie routine of a New England archaeology professor, complete with oversized Clark Kent glasses.

Further, he has the concerns of an adventurous kid. When he’s summoned by visiting authorities, Indiana reflexively asks, “Am I in trouble?” Any man who’s ever been a boy has asked this question. And Indy just doesn’t have time for girls. Too much fun to be had. When Marion starts kissing him, it’s his cue to promptly fall asleep — a reversal that secretly delights those boys who were annoyed that fairy tales all came down to kissing. Like the boy tells his grandfather in The Princess Bride, we want to get on to the good stuff.

We’re also in his corner because he’s interesting — the toughest thing for a hero to be. Bad guys get to be outrageous, while good guys must remain dutiful. But Indy, he’s Odysseus, venturing into the unknown and overcoming various threats. He’s Orpheus, the troubled champion descending into the underworld to perform a rescue. He’s Batman, the haunted crime-fighter who casts a shadow everyone can recognize. But we’re also rooting for Indy because he’s always being treated unfairly, always coming up short. He’s the ultimate underdog. He even has a weakness — he’s scared to death of snakes.

But for me, the most interesting and enduring appeal of Indiana Jones is his temperamental relationship with a higher power.

At the beginning of his quest, Indy’s colleague, Marcus Brody, Curator of the National Museum in Washington D.C., has a premonition that they may be about to trespass on sacred ground. Indiana makes it clear that he has faith in the pistol he’s packing in his luggage. But God? You half expect him to repeat his lines from Star Wars, “Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side. … I’ve seen a lot of strange stuff, but I’ve never seen anything to make me believe there’s one all-powerful force controlling everything.”

Later, drowning his woes and mourning the loss of Marion, Indy is confronted by Belloq, who boasts that the ark is “a transmitter, a radio for speaking to God.” Indy sneers a smile. “You want to talk to God? Let’s go see him together. I’ve got nothing better to do.” Is that faith, or just a smart remark?

The issue of Indy’s faith won’t be resolved until he is pressed to the point of death. For all of his skill navigating practical threats, he has yet to encounter the great mystery that will leave him as helpless and vulnerable as a child: the power of an angry God.

In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, we learn where his experience with Christianity began. Indy grew up in a religious household, and his father’s faith was unshakeable. But the boy was a skeptic. He needed proof.

In the end, Indy fails so utterly that he can only hope for the help of someone a whole lot stronger than his sidekick Sallah. And even then, he doesn’t ask for it. He quietly awaits his doom.

But God is gracious. In his final failure, Jones is given a thorough education in the power of the Almighty. The best he can muster is a simple show of respect — he turns his eyes away from God’s holy secrets. Belloq is the one who, in his vanity, defies God. When God intervenes, Belloq is engulfed in the wrath of God, while Indiana Jones receives grace. While all of those seeking to apprehend God’s power for their own purposes are punished for their pride, Indiana and Marion are left standing unscathed, their bonds broken. It is left to Indy to carry the ark now, with responsibility and reverence.

Most action heroes are cocky, self-reliant fellows who soldier on against all odds and somehow come out on top without ever looking around to see if their steps might be protected, if they might need guidance or salvation. Indiana Jones’ adventures lead him to further steps of faith, where he will learn again to reject the temptation of power and accept his humble place in God’s service.

Indy ultimately learns that humility and faith matter more than whips, pistols, and sarcasm. The fear of God is the beginning of his wisdom. He’s my kind of loser.

•

Through a Screen Darkly, by Jeffrey Overstreet, pp. 152-156. Copyright 2007, Gospel Light/Regal Books, Ventura, CA 93003. Used by permission.

•

P.S. It’s worth noting that this reflection was written before the release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull… a story that suggests Indiana Jones might not have learned much at all in his lifetime of adventure. Let’s just forget about that film, okay?

Blog

Heroes and Saints

Indiana Jones

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Steven Spielberg

Previous Post

June 12, 2011

30 years later, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is Still, For a Lot of Moviegoers (Including Me), the Big Screen's Greatest Adventure.

Next Post

June 15, 2011 Beginners (2010)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Blog Bloggers on "Through a Screen Darkly" Browser Coming Soon Endorsements Fiction Books Film Forum Film Reviews Inspirations Interviews Journal Kindlings Muse Movie buzz Music Reviews Non-Fiction Books radio Reviewers on "Through a Screen Darkly" The Auralia Thread Through a Screen Darkly Through a Screen Darkly - Bonus Materials Top 10 (or 20 or 100) lists Uncategorized

Select a Month June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 July 2003 May 2003 March 2003 September 1999

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which book of the Bible contains the Song of Moses?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Exodus Deuteronomy Psalms Numbers