[This opening sequence is an excellent example of cinematic technique. Virtually all of the information is conveyed through images and non- verbal behavior, with almost no dialogue. Yet, the true character of Indiana Jones is fully revealed through his actions.]

JUNGLE FOREST:

The film opens within a jungle setting with a large dome shaped mountain in the background, a mountain which is structurally similar to the Paramount logo. A man walks into the frame and eclipses the mountain. Only his back is seen, not his face. He wears a hat. He is followed by two other men.

[This is a standard opening technique which delays the revelation of the protagonist's features. This forces the audience to focus their attention on the story in order to see what he looks like. Who is this man? What does he look like? Their eyes remain glued to the screen.]

The men speak in a foreign language that sounds like Spanish. Their words are interspersed with jungle sounds. They continue to walk through a jungle forest, with the protagonist still in silhouette. There is a long shot of the safari, and a close-up of the men's feet.

[The jungle serves as an obstacle to the protagonist. Like the forest in the opening of E.T., the foliage creates a diffused image which forces the audience to concentrate in order to comprehend what is occurring on the screen.]

One of the Indian's in the safari ties a pony to a tree. Another Indian spreads apart some branches, revealing the hideous face of a stone statue. He screams out in fear and runs away as a flock of birds take flight from the bushes.

[The scream attracts the audience's attention. This will wake them up if they aren't paying close attention by now.]

The protagonist, with his back still to the audience, walks towards the statue. The two open-mouthed men (expressing awe) follow him. They stare at the statue, then continue on.

[This reveals that the protagonist is fearless, and the other men are in awe of him. You can reveal a characters traits by the way other characters react to him, hoping to inject the audience with these same feelings.]

The protagonist finds a small arrow in a tree. He pulls it out, then lets it fall to the ground. The two men following him run to the arrow. One picks it up, and tastes the tip. He spits it out.
"Hovitos. Poison, still fresh. Indians are following us."
"If they knew we were here, they would have killed us already," responds the other.
They look behind them with fear in their eyes, then continue on.

[The men are in Jeopardy. This is a life threatening situation which increases tension within the audience.]

TITLES appear on the screen: "SOUTH AMERICA, 1936"

[Literal exposition which tells the audience the time and place of the story.]

The protagonist stops at the shoreline of a lake. On the other side is a waterfall. Yet his back is still to the audience, and they still haven't yet seen his face. The other two men walk up behind him. One hands him a piece of paper. The protagonist walks into the shadowy darkness of a clump of trees as he looks at the piece of paper. He is closely watched by the other two men. He takes out another piece of paper and puts the two halves together, forming an old map.

[The map indicates to the audience that this character is seeking buried treasure. This is his objective.]

One of the other men slowly approaches the protagonist from behind. He takes his gun out from its holster and pulls back the hammer. This makes a clicking noise. The protagonist turns his head upon hearing the sound, as the man takes aim with the gun. The protagonist quickly spins around, pulls out his bullwhip, and lashes the gun out of the man's hand. The gun goes off as it hits the ground. The assassin holds his hand in pain, then quickly turns and runs away. The protagonist moves out from under the shadows and the audience finally sees his face, as the other man runs into the forest.

[This scene reveals both the acute sensitivity of the hero, for he hears even the slightest sound, plus his extremely quick reflexes. He is also unique, in that he uses a bull whip as a weapon instead of a gun. Yet, he's fast and accurate enough with the bullwhip to disarm a man who already has a cocked pistol drawn on him. Two character idiosyncrasies are established: his hat and his whip.]

[If this doesn't create empathy in the audience for the protagonist, it does at least generate respect and admiration. This protagonist appears to be the strong, silent type.]

The protagonist rolls up his whip, then proceeds forward as the other man watches, with mouth agape in amazement.

(Again, this reaction conveys the appropriate audience response.]

The two men walk up a slope to the entrance of a cavern. The protagonist takes a small satchel from the other man's backpack. "This is it," says the protagonist. "Where Forestal cashed in." He fills the satchel with dirt. "A friend of yours?" asks the other man. "A competitor. He was good. He was very, very good." "Signor, nobody come out of there alive."

[The protagonist has competitors instead of friends. This adds to the jeopardy, for this is where his competitor died, a man who was very good at what he did. The character's comments increases the audience's sense of impending doom. A prop is also set (the sack of sand), which will be used inside the cave.]

The protagonist removes the backpack from the other man, who shows fear and doesn't want to enter the cave.

[The audience experiences the contrast of fear in one character versus the protagonist's courage.]

[The character's objective is not clear at this time, but the jeopardy holds the audience's attention. The filmmaker has them questioning the actions occurring on the screen. Where are they going? What are they looking for? Has it something to do with the map that the protagonist held in his hand? The other man was willing to kill for it, so it must be valuable. A different man died trying to obtain it, so it's both valuable and extremely dangerous. The audience has no answers at this stage, only questions. But this is perfect, because it keeps them glued to the screen with both tension and curiosity.]

INSIDE CAVE

Together they enter the cave. It's very dark, and they need a torch to see. The protagonist is followed by the other man who holds the torch. In front of them are thick spider webs. The protagonist uses his whip to make a large opening in the web. He and the other man walk through the web. Suddenly the man's eyes open wide as he stares at the protagonist's back. Large spiders are crawling up his leather jacket.

[The audience reacts with horror and repulsion. A visceral reaction that sends shivers down their spines. This is a life threatening obstacle the protagonist must overcome.]

The protagonist brushes the spiders off his back with his whip, as the other man stares at him with sickly horror. The protagonist gestures to the other man to walk forward and turn around, which he does. His back is filled with crawling spiders.

[The audience usually screams from horror at this sight.]

As the protagonist brushes the spiders off the other man, some spiders crawl over his shoulder and onto his chest. Finally, all the spiders have been removed.

The protagonist and companion continue walking down the cave tunnel. Suddenly, the protagonist tells him to stay out of the light. A shaft of light comes into the tunnel from a hole in the ceiling. The protagonist crawls under the shaft of light, then places his hand into the shaft, thereby breaking the continuity. Large pointed stakes shoot out from the wall. Impaled on the stakes is a human skeleton with mouth agape in horror. The other man screams out in horror, but the protagonist remains coldly calm. "Forestal" is all he says, as the other man gnaws on his hand in horror.

[By showing some character's reactions to the events that occur, the filmmaker manipulates the audience's reactions. The contrast between the cool calm of the protagonist and the panic of his companion, helps to instill awe and respect in the audience for the protagonist. They admire him and wish they had his courage.]

[The scene is designed to have a surprise, shock, and a thrill every few seconds. The protagonist is confronted with one obstacle after another. There is no wasted screen time, with a new horror every few seconds. The scene is filled with jeopardy. Death is possible in a novel, unexpected way every few feet. This drives the audience to a frenzy of excitement.]

The protagonist wraps his whip around a branch, then swings across a deep pit. He drops down on the other side of the opening, then swings the whip back to the other man. As this man swings across, the branch shifts, and he almost falls into the pit. The protagonist grabs him by the belly and pulls him to safety. The man holds onto the protagonist in gratitude. He then places the whip on a branch for safe keeping.

[Every incident is a near brush with death. One mistake, and both men would have been killed. This occurs several times in the opening.]

The protagonist (we still don't now his name, but we already know so much about his character), walks past a large circular medallion that has a star in its center. He stares into the "star chamber" and in the distance sees the object for which he has come this far: the golden head of an Indian warrior. It sits on a pedestal on a stage at the far end of the room.

[The audience finally sees his objective.]

The companion wants to quickly get the golden head, for he believes that there is nothing to fear here. The protagonist quickly grabs him by the shirt and thrusts him against the wall. "That's what scares me", he replies.

[The protagonist is brave, but he is not reckless.]

He then takes a wooden torch from the wall, uncovers some dirt-moss from a stone tile on the floor, and places the torch onto the stone. The stone sinks, and suddenly a nasty arrow shoots out of the mouth of an image embedded in the wall. The arrow sticks into the wooden torch. The protagonist hands the torch to his companion and tells him to remain behind. The companion is happy to be out of danger.

[This is another near death situation. The caution of the protagonist is contrasted to the haste of his companion, as is bravery with cowardice. Jeopardy is essential to generate excitement. ]

The protagonist carefully walks towards the golden idol, making certain not to step on any of the moss covered stones. Camera shots of the stone faces embedded in the wall increases the audience's sense of danger, for any mistake could cause death. The protagonist suddenly loses his balance, and his companion stands up and reacts in fear, but the protagonist then quickly jumps up on the stage without activating any of the arrows.

[Again, the companion's reactions shape the audience's response, increasing their tension and fear of disaster.]

In front of the protagonist sits the golden idol on a moss covered table. He carefully walks forward until he is standing directly in front of the idol. He stares at it, and the strain on his face shows that he's making a difficult decision. His companion watches in greedy anticipation, revealed by the motions of his hands.

[Nonverbal communication can effectively communicate a character's feelings.]

The protagonist takes the bag of dirt from his satchel and thought- fully weighs it in his hand. He takes some sand out of the satchel and drops it onto the floor, in an attempt to have the weight of the bag equal the weight of the idol. He intends to replace the idol with the bag. He probably assumes that the removal of the golden idol will trigger some booby trap.

[All the vital information is provided nonverbally. This type of writing does not insult the intelligence of the audience, but instead engages them. It allows them to make conjectures and draw conclusions about what is happening on the screen, and thereby involving them emotionally. The audience's self-esteem is at stake: are they smart enough to figure out what is happening?]

The protagonist is cautious, and takes time to prepare for the substitution. The background music intensifies as his companion's anticipation increases the motion in his greedy hands.

[This is the moment of confrontation. Will the protagonist be able to take the idol from that which was designed to protect it?]

The protagonist then quickly lifts up the golden idol while simultaneously replacing it with the bag of sand. A perfect substitution, or so it seems. The protagonist smiles with satisfaction at his success. His companion also smiles, then laughs with joyous relief.

[He succeeds. The audience tension is released with joy at his success.]

The protagonist adjusts his hat with a sense of self-satisfaction, then turns to leave. As he turns away the stone upon which the idol rested begins to sink. The companion's heart sinks along with it. The protagonist then hears the movement of rocks, and turns to see the walls beginning to collapse. He jumps off the stage onto the floor. This activates the arrow mechanisms. He runs across the floor as arrows fly all over the place. He runs for his life, avoiding both arrows and falling rocks.

[Just when victory was in hand, defeat and disaster strikes. Now the protagonist's life is in danger.]

His companion swings across the open pit. As he does this the whip slips off the branch. The protagonist reaches the edge of the pit. The protagonist tells him to throw the whip, but the other man wants the protagonist to throw him the idol first. Then, he'll throw him the whip.

[Here the protagonist reveals his values. It's either the idol or his life.]

He throws him the idol, but the other man does not keep his part of the bargain. He drops the whip on the ground, then runs down the tunnel as a large rock door slides down across the entrance. The protagonist was betrayed by his companion.

[More than admiration, betrayal effectively locks audience empathy onto the protagonist.]

The protagonist dives across the open pit, but doesn't make it all the way. He grabs onto the edge, but almost slides down into the pit. The large stone doorway continues to slide down. When it reaches the floor his exit will be blocked forever. Rocks slide beneath his feet into a bottomless pit.

[This section is filled with obstacles that prevent the protagonist from fulfilling his objective: survival.]

He grabs hold of some underbrush, and smiles with satisfaction, as he starts to pull himself up. But then the branches give way, and he falls back down into the pit, as the rock slab at the exit continues to slide downward.

[The audience's heart drops. They are relieved when they think he'll get away, but then shocked when the branch gives. This is an effective method for generating excitement.]

Finally, in utter desperation, he pulls himself up out of the pit, rolls under the rock slab, and pulls his whip out with him, just before the slab slams down onto the floor.

[His relentless perseverance enabled him to escape.]

The protagonist gets up, sees the impaled Forrestal, hears a rock slide above him, then quickly turns to run. But he comes face to face with the impaled companion who had just betrayed him. He has a stake driven through his head.

[The filmmaker must justify the death of a character. The audience feels that he got his just reward for betraying the protagonist and leaving him to die.]

The protagonist takes the idol from the dead man's hands, and starts to leave, when he hears heavy rock sounds behind him. He turns to see a gigantic round rock rolling down towards him. He turns and runs for his life, with the ball rolling right on his heels. He trips, falls down to his knees, but keeps on going and quickly gets up with the gigantic boulder but a few feet behind him. He runs into a thick spider web, but still doesn't stop. Instead, he dives out through the cave entrance just as the boulder slams up against the entrance, and seals it forever.

[The climax of the scene occurs when the protagonist dives through the entrance with idol in hand and the boulder slams shut the opening. He has outwitted the forces that were fighting him for possession of the idol.]

[This scene introduces the protagonist to the audience. There were less than ten lines of dialogue spoken throughout this opening sequence, yet the character of the protagonist is firmly established. This was accomplished by showing him overcoming obstacles to his objective. The audience still does not know his name, yet wants to know more about him. This is cinematic story-telling at its best.]

OUTSIDE CAVE

The protagonist tumbles down the mountain side and finally comes to rest. He slowly picks up his head to sees a band of Indians with bows pointing their arrows at him. Standing with them is the guide who tried to shoot the protagonist when he was looking at the map by the lake. This man suddenly falls face down to the ground. He's dead, with his back filled with small poisonous arrows.

[Boy, if it isn't one thing, then its something else. The dead man demonstrates the danger in the situation. The protagonist is still in jeopardy.]

A pair of boots walk past the body and approaches the protagonist, who is now sitting on the ground. A white man, dressed in Safari clothes, speaks to him in a French accent: "Doctor Jones, again you see there is nothing you can possess which I cannot take away."

[Finally, after all this action, we learn the protagonist's name: Doctor Jones. It is also established that these two character's have an on-going relationship in which the Frenchman has taken things away from Jones before.]

Jones, with spider webs still hanging from his hat, reaches for his pistol. The Indians see this and threaten him with their arrows and spears. Jones gives his gun to the Frenchman.

Frenchman: "You chose the wrong friends this time. It'll cost you." He holds out his hand to Jones. "Too bad the Horvitos don't know you the way I do, Belloq." "Yes, too bad, you could warn them if only you spoke Helvetus."

[This short bit of dialogue characterizes the Frenchman as someone untrustworthy and therefore not worthy of the audience's empathy. He would betray them just as he will betray the Indians.]

Belloq gazes at the golden idol. He then turns and holds the idol up to the Indians, who immediately fall down to the ground and lower their heads. Jones sees his chance. With Belloq's back to him, he gets up and quickly runs away.

[Jones makes the choice to live rather than fight impossible odds for the idol.]

Belloq then gestures to the Indians to cut Jones' throat. They get up and chase Jones. Belloq laughs with pleasure as he admires the golden idol in his hand.

[The mocking laughter of the antagonist generates hatred in the audience for him , as it did for the Witch in WIZARD OF OZ and Biff in BACK TO THE FUTURE.]

[Introduction of the antagonist: Belloq, the rival of Jones. In this scene we are shown that he is ruthless and murderous. He wants the Indians to kill Jones. He has also taken the object that Jones worked so hard to get. The audience feels that Jones deserves the idol after all the dangerous situations that he had to overcome. Now, for someone to just come by and take it away from him is injustice. Jones gains the audience's empathy because of the dangers he has overcome, and because he is being treated unfairly. Belloq generates the audience's hatred because he unjustly takes from Jones what Jones worked to obtain. He also wants Jones murdered. Finally, he then mocks Jones in his moment of desperation.]

Jones runs for his life, chased by the natives. In the distance is a man sitting on his aquaplane. He gets a fish on the line just as Jones runs out of the forest followed by a band of savages. Jones screams to this man, Jock, to start the engines.

[Jones, in a life and death situation, faces many obstacles: the Indians who want to kill him; the distance to the airplane; the water separating him from the plane, and the plane that is not ready for takeoff.]

Jock is torn between starting the engine and pulling in his fish. He finally he throws the fishing pole into the water and climbs up into the cockpit of the plane.

The propellers start up. Jones runs to the rivers edge, grabs onto a vine, then swings himself out into the middle of the river and jumps into the water. He desperately swims to the aquaplane as the Indians shoot arrows and poison darts at him from the shoreline. Jones finally climbs onto the boat and gets into the passenger's seat as the plane takes off from the water.

[The protagonist has achieved his objective: he has escaped from the Indians and survived]

Safe at last! But not quite. Jones begins to relax in the plane, but he suddenly looks down and is startled to see a large snake crawling up his leg. He's horrified, and screams that he hates snakes. The pilot says that it's his pet snake, Reggie, and tells Jones to have a little backbone. They fly off together into the golden sunset.

[This last comment generates laughter because it is a completely inappropriate statement to make about Jones' character after all the audience has witnessed.]

[This very last scene also establishes Jones' fear of snakes, a fear that he must eventually overcome in order to obtain his ultimate objective, the Ark of the Covenant. This is an important dramatic technique. If the audience knows what the character's greatest fear is, then they will empathize with him, and root for him, when he has to overcome this fear in order to gain his primary objective.]

[This is the end of the prelude which is used to introduce both the protagonist and antagonist.]

COLLEGE CAMPUS:

An old 1930's style car drives along the street.

[This establishing shot sets the location and historical period.]

COLLEGE CLASSROOM:

Jones is writing on the blackboard. He is having trouble spelling the word "NEOLITHIC." He wears rimless glasses and a tweed suit. His class is filled with love struck female students. An administrator walks down a hallway. He stops to watch Jones through the classroom door window. Jones lectures about the dangers of archeology. An admiring female blinks her eyes at Jones. On her eyelids are written the words "LOVE YOU." The class bell rings and the door opens.

[This confirms that Jones is sexually attractive for all the females in the audience who had their doubts.]

The administrator, MARCUS, approaches Jones. Jones tells him that he had the idol in his hands before Belloq stole it. All he needs is $2000 to get to Marakesh, the only place where the idol could be sold. He shows Marcus the other treasures that he obtained, then says that these are at least worth a ticket to Marakesh. Marcus informs him that people from Army Intelligence are waiting to talk to him. Jones picks up his briefcase and maps, then plays the bumbling college professor as he follows Marcus down the hallway.

[This reveals Jones to be a man who can survive both within the jungles of South America and the halls of Academia.]

LECTURE HALL WITH ARMY INTELLIGENCE:

Jones walks up to a stage in an auditorium followed by Marcus and two members of Army Intelligence. One officer reads Jone's credits: "Professor of Archaeology, expert on the Occult, obtainer of rare antiquities. Yes, you're a man of many talents. You studied under Professor Ravenwood at the University of Chicago. Have you any idea of his present whereabouts?"

Jones says that he hasn't spoken to him in ten years. They had a falling out. The officer tells him that the Nazis have teams of archaeologist all over the world looking for religious relics. Hitler is obsessed with the occult. There's a German archeology dig going on in desert outside of Cairo. The officer continues, saying that they intercepted a Nazi communiqué sent from Cairo to Berlin with the message: "Tanis development proceeding. Acquire headpiece. Staff of RA. Abner Ravenwood, U.S."

Jones explains that the city of Tanis is one of the possible resting places of the lost ark, the ARK OF THE COVENANT, the chest that the Hebrews used to carry the ten commandments in. An Egyptian Pharoah, Shisha, invaded the city of Jeruselum about 980 BC and he may have taken the Ark back to the city of Tanis, and hidden it in a secret chamber called the WELL OF SOULS. But later, the city of Tanis was consumed by a sand storm that lasted a whole year.

When questioned about the staff of RA, Jones draws a diagram on the blackboard.

[It's more cinematic to make a visual representation of an idea whenever possible. This makes it easier for the audience to see what is going on.]

Jones continues: "Take the staff to a Map Room which has a miniature of the City of Tanis laid out on the floor. Put the staff in a certain place at a certain time of day. The sun hits the headpiece and makes a beam that gives you the exact location of the Well of Souls."

[This exposition sets up the procedures that Jones himself will follow in the Map Room.]

Jones opens a large book and shows the officer a picture of the Ark. The Ark is being carried by the Hebrew Army. Lightning shoots out of it and destroys the opposing army. Marcus interjects that "the Bible speaks of the Ark leveling mountains and laying waste to entire regions. An army which carries the Ark before it, is invincible."

[This is the longest dialogue scene in the whole movie. It's the exposition scene where the importance of the dramatic objective is explained to the audience. This is one long expository scene with no action or conflict. It's necessary so that the future action scenes won't need to be interrupted by explanations.]

[THE ARK OF THE COVENANT is the concrete objective. The abstract value it represents is ABSOLUTE POWER. It's the most powerful weapon in the universe that makes any army that carries it invincible. The NAZIS, of course, are the villains and aligned with the antagonist, Belloq, as will be revealed later in the plot. The choice of Nazis makes the filmmaker's job easier since there is a pre-established cultural hatred for them and their associates. Any character that opposes them will easily gain the audience's empathy.]

NIGHT-CITY STREET

A car drives past a small college townhouse.

[This is an establishing shot.]

JONES' HOUSE

Jones, dressed in a robe, lets Marcus into the house. Marcus tells him that they want Jones to get the Ark before the Nazis do. They will pay handsomely for it. It was also agreed that the museum would get the Ark.

[The fact that Jones wants the museum to get the Ark reveals that he's not in it just for the money. This also sets up the reason for his displeasure at the end, when the military refuses to release the ark.]

Marcus is envious, and says that five years ago he would have gone after it himself. Jones takes a suitcase out of the closet, and states that he has to locate Abner.

[This sets up his first objective: find Abner.]

"Think she'll still be with him?" asks Jones.
"Possibly. Marion's the least of your worries now, believe me Indie," replies Abner.

[This creates suspense in the audience. Who is this she? The love interest? Also Jones' nickname, "Indie-Indiana" is introduced.]

Jones: "What do you mean?" Marcus: "I mean that for 3000 years man has been searching for the Lost Ark. It's not something to be taken lightly. No one knows its secrets. It's like nothing you've ever gone after before."

[Jeopardy! Marcus introduces the thought of danger.]

Jones laughs then slaps Marcus on the shoulder. Jones doesn't believe in magic and the supernatural. He's only interested in objects of historical significance. "Besides, you know what a cautious fellow I am..", says Jones as he walks to his desk, opens a drawer, takes out an object wrapped in clothe, then unwraps the folded clothe to reveal a revolver. He holds the pistol in his hand, then dramatically throws it into his suitcase.

[Jones is cautious to the extreme, but also extremely dangerous. More about Jones' character is revealed: he's not superstitious.]

EXTERIOR: SEA PLANE

A seaplane sits on a lake. People board the plane. A man wearing a hat, glasses, and a trench coat, pauses at the plane's doorway, looks towards the camera, then enters the seaplane. Jones approaches the plane and is greeted by an official in a naval uniform. Jones then boards the plane.

[A transition scene, with the introduction a a minor character who will trail Jones.]

INTERIOR: SEA PLANE

Jones walks down the aisle, throws his coat over a seat, refuses a drink, then sits down in the seat by the window. A few seats behind him sits a man reading LIFE magazine. Slowly the magazine is lowered so the man could look over the top at Jones. It is the man with the glasses. He then lifts up his magazine and covers his face. Jones loosens his collar, pulls his hat down over his eyes, and leans back into his chair to relax.

[Jones is being followed. His journey is just starting and already he is in danger. Jeopardy increases the audience's empathy for the character. The structure of the scene also increases the audience involvement. They want to know who is following Jones. The scene conveys all of this information non-verbally.]

VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF SPATIAL TRAVEL-A MONTAGE

As the plane takes off a map is superimposed on Jones' face. An image of the Golden Gate Bridge appears. A red line next appears on the map, tracing a path to the Hawaiian Islands. The plane flies through clouds. The red line on the map proceeds to the Philippines, then northward. The country of Nepal appears on the map, and the red line ends. An image of a wooden building surrounded by snow covered mountains appears.

[Extremely effective montage that conveys the travel of Jones from San Francisco to Nepal within a matter of seconds. A transition scene.]

INTERIOR: NEPAL BAR & GRILL

A drinking contest is taking place between a man and a woman. The huge man drinks one shot, then she drinks a shot. She looks sick, but after a few moments she recovers and places the glass back down on the table. They both are very drunk, and can barely remain seated in their chairs.

[This scene establishes the woman as the equal of any man. It also establishes a character trait, the ability to retain a tremendous amount of alcohol, that she will later use in her attempt to escape from Belloq. Character traits are most important if they somehow either help or hinder the character's efforts to obtain their objective.]

The native man drinks another glass of liquor. He's applauded by the crowd that surrounds the table. He smiles with satisfaction, then slowly falls off his chair. The woman stands up and collects the money as the crowd cheers her victory. The crowd is then escorted out by her native assistant.

[This scene also establishes that she's a gambler who is willing to take risks.]

A large shadow flows across her and onto the wall behind her. It's Indiana Jones. He says, "Hello, Marion." She throws two glasses onto the floor, then smiles, saying that she always knew that someday he'd come walking back through her door. Jones smiles at the welcome he's received, and tells her he needs one of the pieces that her father collected. When he turns away from her, Marion quickly punches him in the jaw. She expresses her hatred of him because of a love affair they had ten years ago. She order him out of her place.

[The exposition on their past love affair is presented in just a few lines during the middle of a fight. This is the best way to provide background information.]

Marion walks away from Jones, goes to a table, and starts to put glasses onto a tray. Jones says he needs a bronze piece, with a hole in the center that holds a crystal.

[The concrete stake of the scene: The headpiece to the Staff of RA.
Jones primary objective: To get the Lost Ark.
Jones sub-objective: The headpiece of the Staff of RA.
Nazi's sub-objective: The headpiece of the Staff of RA.
Marion's objective: To make Jone's pay for the hurt he's caused her. She holds the headpiece to the Staff of RA.]

Marion tells Jones that Abner is dead, then she berates him for the harm he's done to her. Jones says he's sorry, but it's not enough. "Yeah, everybody's sorry. Abner was sorry for dragging me all over this earth looking for his little bits of junk. I'm sorry to still be stuck in this dive.. Everybody's sorry for something."

[Marion wins the audience's empathy in this scene. She was presumably abandoned by Jones when she was a young girl, and then her father abandoned her in Nepal (through his death). Left alone, she had to fend for herself in Nepal.]

Jones offers her $3000 for the medallion, with another two when they get back to the states. "Trust me," he says with a leer. Marion tries to slap him, but he stops her by grabbing her wrist. He puts the $3000 into her hand, and says "You know the piece that I mean?"

[Marion's a fighter, who won't take any gruff from Jones.]

Marion smiles, laughs at him,then says "Come back tomorrow."
When Jones asks "Why?," she responds, "Because I said so, that's why."
Marion walks away and sits down at the edge of the table. Jones opens the door to exit. "See you tomorrow, Indiana Jones".

[The fight between Jones and Marion goes beyond the medallion. She is now concerned with revenge, the ability to cause pain and suffering, and having control over the other person. The audience's empathy is definitely with Marion and against Jones, who is untrustworthy, and who sneers at Marion when he says trust me. The filmaker can charact-erize the protagonist in this manner only if these qualities are quickly proved to be false, as they are in the next scene. Otherwise, the protagonist will lose the audience's empathy.]

Marion sits down in front of a candle and takes the medallion out from under her shirt. The medallion is in one hand, the money in the other. She laughs, hangs the medallion on top of a pieces of wood, then leaves the table. She puts the $3000 into a cigar box and closes the box as the front door opens.

[This confirms to the audience that she does possess the object they all want.]

Toht, the man with rimless glasses stands in the doorway. This is the same man who was behind the LIFE magazine on the plane with Jones. Three other men accompany him. "Good Evening, Fraulein," he says with a heavy German accent.

Marion tells him that the bar is closed but Toht responds that he's here for the same thing that Doctor Jones wanted. They walk towards her as their shadows cover both her and the wall. Toht offers to pay more for the medallion than Jones. With contempt, Marion blows smoke into his face. This makes him cough.

The Nazi walks over to the fire. When Marion refuses to be bullied, Toht orders one of his cohorts to grab her. He grabs Marion from behind and carries her to Toht, who takes one of the red hot pokers from the fire. He approaches Marion with the poker as two of his men hold her. When she says she can be reasonable, "That time is past," replies Toht, as he moves closer with the red hot poker in his hand. The German laughs as he holds the poker to her face.

[Toht, for the threat of violence isn't enough. He wants to scar her even after she has consented to give him what he wants. He desires to create pain in another because of the pleasure that it gives him. These actions will also create hatred in the audience for such a character, especially if the actions are threatening to a character that the audience has much empathy for, such as Marion. This hatred will also be transferred over to anyone associated with the character, such as the antagonist, Belloq.]

[At this stage of the story, the audience might wonder who the antagonist is: Toht, Belloq, or the Nazis? Belloq is, because he is set in direct opposition to Jones. Toht and the Nazis are cohorts of the antagonist. One dramatic technique is to have one of the antagonist's henchmen be more evil then the antagonist himself. This allows some empathy to be generated for the antagonist, which is useful in playing with the audiences emotions during conflict scenes between the protagonist and the antagonist. It also allows for the love interest, in this case Marion, to be attracted to both men, who are really shadows of each other. This intensifies the audience's emotional involvement in the drama, because the antagonist does have some attractive and likable qualities. It is only because he is associated with unqualified evil (Toht and the Nazis) that the audience must clearly root against him in the end.]

Suddenly, the sound of a whip fills the air, as the whip pulls the poker out of Toht's hand. The poker rolls across the floor and into the curtains. The German turns and confronts Jones who tells him to let the girl go. The curtain catches on fire. The German holds Marion in front of him to serve as his shield. He motions to one of his cohorts. Jones quickly turns and fires a shot at the man who in turn fires a blast from a machine gun.

[Not only is Toht sadistic, but he is also a coward. He uses the woman as a shield, then signals his cohort to start shooting, knowing that he'd be safe because Jones wouldn't shoot at him, afraid of hitting Marion. This generates more audience hatred for Toht.]

Marion escapes from Toht and hides behind the bar. The gunfight between Jones and the man with the machine gun continues.

[Maximum jeopardy is achieved by a number of life-threatening dangers. Jones' objective is to save Marion's life. The audience forgives Jones because he came back to help Marion and face impossible odds. The filmmaker must be aware how every single action will affect audience empathy.]

One German quickly turns over the table upon which the medallion lies. The medallion falls to the floor. The gunfight continues. Jones' shots knock some burning logs onto the floor. The burning logs ignite the broken bottles of alcohol. One of Toht's cohorts catches on fire. Jones shoots him in the forehead. Marion screams as blood pours from the man's mouth. With his back on fire, he falls to his knees, then onto the floor. A German watches from behind the doorway, as another cohort with the machine gun continues to shoot at Jones. Marion picks up a burning log. A liquor barrel near her is hit by some bullets, and sprouts several leaks. Marion places her mouth under the leak and drinks some liquor.

[This last action makes the audience laugh, and helps to relieve the tension. The scene gives the audience the thrills and excitement of being vicariously in the midst of danger, while still making this a pleasurable experience. To entertain an audience is to make them laugh in the midst of excitement.]

A native enters the bar, grabs Jones and throws him against the wall. The German watches through the flames as his cohorts laugh.

[This generates humor because Jones has enough troubles without being attacked by Marion's assistant, who doesn't understand that Jones is trying to save her. They laugh because of the stupidity of two allies fighting each other.]

Marion hits one man on the head with the burning log, thereby knocking him out. The native then throws Jones against the bar. He picks him up and chokes him against the bar top. The German lights the alcohol that is on the bar. A flame speeds along the top of the bar towards Jones and the Native. Jones gasps to Marion: "Whiskey!"

[The audience laughs at the delivery of the word "Whiskey!" which is completely inappropriate to the given situation.]

She hands him a bottle. He breaks it on the natives head, then slips away from him just as the flames reach the spot where his head had been. The native grabs Jones, throws him onto a table, and begins to choke him.

[The life and death struggle is relentless.]

Toht, watching the fight, then tells his cohort, "Shoot them! Shoot them both!" The native hears this, becomes shocked, and stares at Toht in amazement.

[This displays Toht's ruthlessness and complete disregard for the lives of the people who are unwittingly helping him. This is a standard trait of the antagonist and his supporters.]

One of Toht's cohorts cocks his machine gun. Jones pulls on the natives arm and redirects the pistol that he's holding towards this German. He quickly fires several shots, killing the man with the machine gun.

[The actual death is not shown, but instead the action is played out with shadows on the wall. The audience finds this visualization more amusing, it being reminiscent of childhood "shadow image" games.]

Jones continues to struggle with the native as Toht takes cover behind the burning table. Toht sees the medallion on the floor and reaches down for it. He grabs the medallion with the palm of his hand. Since the medallion has been roasting in the flames, it is now white hot. It sizzles and smokes as it burns Toht's flesh. He jumps up, screams in pain, drops the medallion, grabs his hand, then runs out of the fiery building, while Jones continues to fight with the native.

[The audience applauds this scene of human pain because:
1. The villain is characterized as a Nazi, thereby deserving of pain and death because of World War II.
2. This is his just reward, because he was about to scar the face of Marion with the burning hot red poker.

It is important that the audience be set-up for acts of violence, especially, if these acts are to be applauded. Taken in isolation without the proper conditioning, such acts would be rejected by the audience, and the characters who performed them would lose audience empathy. It is also important to realize that he caused the pain to himself, and that is wasn't inflicted upon him by the characters for which the audience already has empathy, Marion and Jones. It is almost impossible to maintain audience empathy for any character who intentionally inflicts tortuous pain upon another character. The audience expects their heroes to transcend brutal behavior.]

Toht jumps through the window. The native, whose arm has caught fire, continues to slug it out with Jones. Outside, the whimpering German clutches his hand and sticks it into a pile of snow in order to cool the burning pain.

[This becomes an important plot point later, for the imprint on his hand allows the Nazis to dig for the Ark. This is a prop set-up. All such set-ups are done without telegraphing their importance to the audience.]

Inside, Jones hits the native with a chair. Another cohort raises a pistol and takes aim at the unarmed Jones, who freezes in his tracks. A single shot is fired.

[Each scene must be constructed with the audience's reaction taken into consideration. How will each character's specific action affect the audience's empathy for this character?]

[The audience expects Jones to die. As far as they can see, there is no other alternative. This is another set-up of the audience's expectations. The opposite result causes surprise, release from tension, then joy and happiness that the characters for whom they have empathy survive. Laughter and glee are the consequence of this structure.]

After the shot is fired, Jones feels about his body to see where he has been hit. Suddenly, blood flows from the other man's mouth, as he collapses forward onto the floor. This action reveals Marion sitting on the floor behind him with pistol in hand. She had shot him in the back of the head. Jones smiles then laughs with relief.

[Jones' reaction signals to the audience that it's appropriate to respond in the same way.]

Marion quickly wraps a piece of cloth around her medallion and picks it up. Jones pulls her out of the building which is now an inferno.

"Jones, at least you haven't forgotten how to show a girl a good time."
"Boy, you're something!"
"Yeah, I'll tell you what. Until I get back my $5000 you're going to get more than you bargained for. I'm you're goddamn partner" says Marion as she holds up the medallion.

[Marion reveals that she is the equal of Jones in a fight, and that she enjoys the thrill of it all. They become closer by becoming allies in a conflict. Her home has been destroyed, so she joins him on his quest.]

[The first sub-objective has been obtained: the medallion is now in Jones' possession. The protagonist has beaten the cohorts of the antagonist. This is the completion of the first act.]

TRANSITION SCENE (MONTAGE)

This montage gets Jones and Marion from Nepal to Cairo, Egypt. An airplane flies through the sky. A redline appears superimposed on the map, starting from Nepal, then going through India, Karachi, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Baghdad, then on to Cairo where the redline stops.

CAIRO HOME

Jones, Marion and an Egyptian walk along a rooftop. The Egyptian has a drink in his hand, and points to the city below. "Cairo, city of the living. A paradise on earth," says the Egyptian.

[His comments establish the scene's location.]

Children shout and laugh with glee. A monkey sits on the table, around which the laughing children have gathered. The monkey rolls across the table then jumps up onto Marion's shoulder. The monkey clings to Marion's neck, as Jones sits down with the Egyptian, Sallah.

[The monkey's introduction is inconspicuous, but extremely important. No minor characters are introduced unless they play a vital role in the plot. Even Sallah's children will later be essential to saving Jones' life.]

Jones and Sallah discuss the excavation work the Nazis are doing. Sallah says the excavation is enormous. "They hire only strong backs and they pay pennies for them. It was as if the pharaohs had returned," Sallah says with disgust and contempt.

[Sallah introduces the concept of slave labor, which again increases the audience's hostility to the Nazis.]

Three days ago they found the map room. A French Archeologist named Belloq is leading the excavation. Jones laughs upon hearing this.

[The re-introduction of the antagonist of the story, Belloq, who has a history of taking things away from Jones.]

Sallah tells Jones the Nazis are near discovering the Well of Souls. Jones responds that they won't discover it without the medallion, which he holds up.

[The new sub-objective is established: find the Well of Souls. Both the protagonist and antagonist want to accomplish this objective first.]

Jones hands the medallion over to Sallah, and asks if anyone could decipher the markings.

[A new minor objective: Have the marks on the medallion deciphered. The audience likes Sallah because he laughs a lot. He has a good sense of humor, and they enjoy spending time with him.]

Sallah knows someone who might be able to help them, but there is something that troubles him. "The Ark. If it is there at Tanis, then it's something that man should not disturb. It's not of this earth. Death has always surrounded it."

[Jeopardy is introduced. Sallah's comments help to remind the audience of the supernatural powers that surround the Ark. It also sets up the audience to expect death for those who search for the Ark.]

CAIRO BAZAAR

Jones and Marion walk through a crowded Bazaar, with the monkey still sitting on Marion's shoulder. The monkey grabs at Jones. Jones wants to get rid of it, but Marion reprimands him for talking about their "baby" like that, especially since it has Jones' looks. And her brains, he responds. "I noticed that. She's a smart little thing. Smart", laughs Marion.

[The banter focuses on the conflict in their relationship, which helps to keep the audience interested. They wonder how the conflict will be resolved and whether the two will again become lovers.]

The monkey jumps to the ground and runs away. Marion wonders where it's going, while Jones offer her a date to eat. Marion takes a date from Jones.

[No prop is introduced unless it plays a role in the story. Here dates will be used later in the attempt to poison Jones.]

CAIRO STREET

The monkey runs down a street and jumps up into the arms of an Arab who is sitting in a doorway. The Arab wears a patch over his eye. The monkey clings to his shoulder, indicating that they know each other.

The Arab with the patch and a blue turban runs down the street. He is stopped by two Germans who are wearing light colored suits and western styled hats. The Arab lifts his arm in a salute.
"Sieg Heil," says the Arab.
"Yeah, Seig Heil" responds one of the Germans as he raises his arm to return the salute. The monkey also lifts his arm in a Hitlerian salute and shrieks. Once again, by reflex, the German lifts his arm to return the salute.

[This is a quick joke, one of many in the movie. Here, of course, the point being that dumb animals salute the Nazis, and the Nazis return the salutation.]

The Arab then points down the alley and utters something in German.

[This scene establishes the relationship of the monkey to the Arab and the Nazis, all of whom are in opposition to Jones and will become obstacles to his objective.]

BAZAAR

Jones and Marion continue to walk through the Bazaar. The Arab with the monkey runs down an alley. When he sees Jones and Marion, he stops short, then quickly hides behind some baskets.

[Jeopardy: they are being pursued, although they are not aware of this.]

BALCONY

A German wearing a light suit stands on a balcony as he watches Jones and Marion below. From the balcony he enters a room where three Arabs wearing black turbans await. Another German walks in from the balcony. He is smoking a cigarette. He silently nods at the Arabs. They quickly leave the room.

[The actions in these scenes are done without dialogue, yet the audience understands that Jones is about to be attacked.]

BAZAAR

Jones and Marion walk through another part of the Bazaar. Marion is wearing red pants, which makes it easy to recognize her among the sea of white, black and tan colors. She asks Jones why he hasn't found someone to settle down with. Jones hints that perhaps he has, but Marion laughs, saying that her father figured him out a long time ago.

ALLEY

The German walks into the alley. He is followed by five Arabs, each wearing black turbans.

[Jeopardy is maintained in the scene with these actions.]

BAZAAR

Marion and Jones converse, establishing that Jones was the most gifted student that Abner ever had. The affair Jones had with Marion alienated Abner from him.

[This bit of dialogue establishes the emotional impact of their past relationship. The exposition is delivered while they are unknowingly being pursued by killers. This structure maintains tension in the audience for the characters for whom they have empathy are in grave danger.]

The Arabs wearing black turbans draw their swords and charge at Jones and Marion. Jones drops the bags he's been carrying. Marion throws herself to the ground as one of the Arabs, with knife drawn, leaps into the air at Jones. Jones grabs the hand holding the knife and struggles with the Arab. A second Arab grabs Marion from behind while a third prepares to run her through with a sword. Jones throws the first Arab in front of Marion. He is stabbed by the Arab wielding the sword. Jones knocks out the Arab who has been holding Marion. Jones knocks down another Arab as Marion hits one with a case.

[There is much life-threatening action with the protagonist facing impossible odds. The audience is on the edge of their seats.]

A different Arab swings a bat at Jones, misses, but hits an Arab standing next to him. Jones punches the Arab who is holding the bat. Jones grabs Marion and tells her to get out of here. An Arab runs at them ready to hit them with a stick, but Jones punches him in the face. Jones then knocks down two more Arabs. An Arab attempts to stab Jones with a sword but instead ends up stabbing another Arab.

[Two apples stick through the end of the sword, like a shiskabob. The incongruity of the situation makes the audience laugh.]

Jones throws Marion up onto a wagon filled with hay. He then pulls out his whip and strikes out at the attacking Arabs. The sound of the whip snapping frightens the horses. They pull the wagon away with Marion still in the back. The wagon goes past the monkey siting on the shoulder of the Arab wearing a patch over his eye, who is standing next to one of the Germans. The German waves to others that they should follow the wagon.

The wagon stops. Marion jumps out, sees an Arab running towards her, grabs a metal frying pan and prepares to defend herself. He takes out a long knife, then laughs at her. Marion smiles, says "Right," then runs down the alley and into a doorway. The Arab follows her. The audience hears the sound of the metal pan hitting him on the head, as the Arab falls out of the doorway. He is dragged by the feet back through the doorway. Marion walks out, with the pan still in hand. She runs down the alley, stops, then runs in the opposite direction. She jumps into a large wicker basket and pulls the cover over her head.

The two Germans and several hooded Arabs run around the corner. The monkey sits on the ground and shrieks. They all run past the wicker basket in their search for Marion. The monkey jumps onto the basket and continues to shriek loudly. The Germans and Arabs turn around. Marion lifts up the basket top and tries to quiet the monkey. They all see her and run towards the basket.

[The scene is filled with jeopardy as the "love interest" fights for her survival.]

ANOTHER ALLEY

Jones runs down an alley. He finds the empty wagon into which he had thrown Marion. He climbs into the wagon, looks around, and shouts out her name. Suddenly, the crowd separates and Jones is confronted by an Arab brandishing a large broadsword. He is dressed in black with a red waistband. The Arab laughs, then spins the sword to demonstrate his swordsmanship, as he confidently smiles at Jones. Jones, who has lost patience with the situation, takes out his pistol and shoots the Arab.

[The audience laughs. Arrogance and stupidity gets its just reward: the overconfident killer is killed.]

Marion is being carried through the Bazaar inside a wicker basket. Jones hears her cries for help. He pushes his way through the crowds. Two Arabs run down an alley carrying a large wicker basket on their shoulders. Marion's voice cries out for help.

[Jones objective is to rescue Marion. His major obstacle here is the distance.]

Jones runs down an alley after the Arabs. He sees them in the distance as they carry the wicker basket. "You can't do this, I'm an American. INDIE!" cries out Marion.

[The joke being, who cares! Being an American won't help her in this situation.]

Jones turns a corner and runs into an empty alley. From the opposite direction he hears Marion's voice crying out for help. He turns to see two Arabs with a basket on their shoulders walk out through the end of the alley.

Jones runs down that alley. When he reaches the end he stops short and his eyes open up wide with amazement. He becomes baffled and confused. The marketplace at the end of this alley is filled with many Arabs carrying wicker baskets.

[A major new obstacle: which basket contains Marion?]

Jones runs into the crowd and pulls down the baskets off the Arabs' shoulders as he searches for Marion. These baskets only contain clothing. Jones' actions enrage the crowd. He hears Marion's voice in the distance, calling out his name. Jones breaks through the crowd and runs after basket in the distance.

Jones runs down an alley after the basket. Arabs carrying a basket run around a corner towards a truck which is guarded by men with machine guns. As Jones turns the corner, the men with machine guns fire at him. He quickly runs out of the opening and takes cover.

[This scene has more obstacles and life threatening dangers.]

The Arabs place the basket into the back of the truck that contains crates of guns and red boxes labeled EXPLOSIVES.

[The color red for the boxes causes the audience to make the mental association with the red pants that Marion was wearing. This helps reinforce the belief that Marion is in this basket, which, of course, later on proves to be false. But at this stage of the story, this is what the filmmaker wants the audience to believe.]

Several Arabs, begging for money, approach Jones, as he prepares for a gun battle. A German leans out of the truck and instructs the driver to quickly drive away. An Arab fires his machine gun as the truck drives towards Jones. Jones jumps aside and shoots an Arab, who then falls off the truck. Jones then shoots the driver. The truck turns over onto its side in the center of the marketplace, then explodes and bursts into flames. Jones runs away from the burning vehicle, then looks back towards it. "Marion," he whispers, believing that she is still in the truck. He walks towards the flames, but its hopeless because nothing could survive that explosion.

[This chase scene was intentionally designed to have both Jones and the audience believe that Marion had been placed into the back of the truck. This accidental death creates empathy for Jones, and also sets up the audience so that they will be surprised, and happy, when Jones finally discovers that Marion is still alive.]

CAFE

Jones sits at a table with his head in his hands. He consoles himself by drinking a bottle of whiskey. The monkey, now wearing a red suit (the color helps the audience to remember Marion), playfully lies on the table. Jones soulfully pats the monkey. The monkey softly cries out as Jones takes another drink as whiskey

[Here the monkey's cry is used to express Jones' pain, so that he can remain in character as the strong silent type. This helps him retain the audience's empathy.]

The Arab with a black eyepatch drives up on a motorcycle. A German approaches Jones, and tells him there's a man in the bar who'd like to talk to him. Jones stands up with the monkey on his shoulder. He is flanked on each side by Germans. Jones enters the bar and confronts an Arab, who laughs at him and walks away. Jones turns to see Belloq, who is smoking from a water pipe, watching him. Jones says he ought to kill him right now, to which Belloq responds "Not a very private place for a murder."

[This line explains to the audience the reason why Jones isn't killed here.]

Belloq reminds Jones that it wasn't he who brought the girl into this business. Jones slams the bottle on the table, then sits down in a chair. The monkey leaves Jones shoulder and runs across the table. Belloq says that Jones and he are very much alike. Archeology is their religion. Belloq is just a shadowy reflection of Jones.

[A further characterization of Jones from the eyes of the antagonist. Jones is an "antihero"; a protagonist who doesn't possess the traditional virtues.]

Belloq continues to explain to Jones his theory that the Ark is a transmitter, a radio for speaking to God.

[This is the antagonist's motivation for pursuing the Ark: the fulfillment of his religious objective.]

"You want to talk to God," says Jones. "Let's go see him together. I've got nothing better to do."

Jones pushes away from the table and reaches for his revolver. In response, all the Arabs in the room pull out the rifles and point them at him. Suddenly, Sallah's children run down the aisle to Jones. They surround him, as they shout for him to come home. They escort him out of the Cafe. He places the monkey onto his shoulders.

[Jones once again escapes from a certain death.]

CAFE STREET:

Sallah waits by his truck as his children escort Indie. Jones puts the monkey into the truck, as the Arabs run out from the cafe. Sallah already knows that Marion is dead. The monkey looks out of the truck's window. He makes a sound as he looks around. The Arab with the patch over his eye gestures for the monkey to remain in the truck. The monkey sits down and mumbles "uh, huh," indicating he understood.

"There's the proof!" says Sallah.

[This utterance is cleverly by the filmmaker used to serve several purposes. The first is to reinforce the connection of the monkey with the Arab, and the fact that the monkey is following the Arabs instructions to stay with Jones. The second, "the cover," is to have the statement seem to be emphasizing that Sallah's children are proof that "life goes on."]

They enter the truck, then drive away. The Arab on the motorcycle follows the truck.

[Jones is still in jeopardy, not only because he is being stalked, but because there is a traitor within his midst: the monkey, that was the cause of Marion's capture and death.]

KITCHEN-OLD WISEMAN'S HOUSE

A young boy is pouring dates into a bowl. After the boy leaves the bowl, the kitchen door opens. The Arab wearing the eyepatch enters the kitchen and pours liquid from a vial over the dates. He then quickly leaves. The young boy returns, notices the door is open, looks outside, doesn't see anyone, then closes the door.

[This is the beginning of the suspense sequence. The audience knows that the dates are poisoned, but the characters don't. The audience, therefore, will be glued to every move that the characters make.]

MAIN ROOM-OLD WISEMAN'S HOUSE

Jones cannot understand how Belloq and the Nazis found the site for the Well of Souls. He has the headpiece of the Staff of RA, and there aren't any duplicates. Sallah says he saw it with his own eyes. It was almost identical to the one Indie has.

[The objective of both Jones and Belloq is to find the Well of Souls. The medallion is the key.]

On the table in the center of the room is the bowl of poisoned dates. Jones reaches into the bowl and picks up a date. He tosses it up and down in his hand.

[The protagonist is now in jeopardy. The audience's attention is completed concentrated on the scene. They follow his every move as exposition is delivered.]

Sallah says that Belloq and the boss German, Dietrich, made the calculations in the map room this morning. Jones watches the old man who is studying the markings on the medallion. The monkey jumps onto the table by the bowl of dates. Sallah continues, saying that when they came out of the Map Room they gave him a new spot to dig. The monkey picks up a date.

"The Well of Souls, huh!" says Jones.

[Urgency is introduced to the scene, because his opposition is close to obtaining the objective.]

Both Jones and Sallah sit down. The old man holds the medallion up next to Jones, as he deciphers the inscriptions. On one side of the medallion is indicated six kadum height-72 inches. The monkey bites into the date. Jones lifts the date to his mouth. "WAIT!" shouts the old man.

[Suspense builds in the audience, for "WAIT" is also what they are shouting out to Jones.]

Jones stops. He doesn't bite into the date.

"And take back one Kadum, to honor the Hebrew God whose Ark this is," says the old man as he turns over the medallion.

Jones' face lights up with understanding. A strong breeze blows through the room. The chimes tinkle and the blue lantern sways. Jones takes off his glasses. They concur that Belloq and the Nazis are digging in the wrong place. They laugh together, and Sallah sings a song. Jones, overjoyed with their good luck, flips the date up into the air with the intention of catching it in his mouth and eating it.

[The audience is now on the edge of their seats because there is no hope left for Jones. Within seconds he will be dead. Sallah has walked out of the frame and their is no one else to save him.]

Jones opens his mouth wide in order to eat the date, but just before the date falls into his mouth, Sallah reaches out and grabs it. He holds the date in his closed fist in front of Jones' mouth.

"Bad dates," says Sallah. He looks down to the floor where lies the dead monkey with date in hand. This is shot through the rotating cutting blades of the slow moving fan.

[The audience has no sympathy left for the dead monkey, because they hold it responsible for the death of Marion. "THERE'S THE PROOF" message was psychologically necessary in order to demonstrate to the audience that the monkey was a player in the death of Marion.]

DIGGING SITE

Armed Nazis stand guard at the digging site. Belloq and Dietrich argue, because they haven't found the Well of Souls." With the information in our possession, my calculations were correct," says Belloq.

In another part of the diggings Jones and Sallah, both dressed as Arabs, make their way across the site. Jones carries a large staff while Sallah carries a shovel. The walk past several laborers.

[It is important to make the protagonist's supporters very likable, so that the audience's empathy will also be associated with the hero. Sallah is a happy, loyal and fun-loving guy with a large family.]

They walk towards the map room. The sun will hit it at 9:00, and there is not much time left. Jones and Sallah walk up a hillside that's a distance from the workers below. They step over a small fence that surrounds the entrance to the map room. They look around to ensure that they aren't being watched. Jones tosses his staff down into the hole, followed by a rope he has been carrying. Sallah wraps the rope around his shoulders and braces himself to allow Jones to slide down into the hole.

MAP ROOM

Jones lowers himself into the map room. The walls are covered with hieroglyphics. Jones picks up his staff and approaches the floor model of the ancient city of Tanis. A ray of sunlight seeps through the hole in the roof and reflects off the wall.

OUTSIDE MAP ROOM

Two Nazis run up the hillside towards Sallah. They question him about the rope he has in his hands and why he's standing near the opening.

[This situation is an example of non-verbal communication and the use of gestures to convey information. The audience infers the dialogue from the context of the situation.]

The Nazis indicate that Sallah should come with them. He is forced to leave the hole and to follow the Nazis, taking the rope with him. Sallah trips and rolls down the hill towards the waiting trucks.

[Whatever can possibly go wrong should the wrong. The more obstacles the protagonist has to overcome, the more tension is built up in the audience and the more they concentrate on the story. Jones is now abandoned to his own devices.]

MAP ROOM

Jones gets down on his knees and studies a plank that contains little holes in it. He wipes sand away from the holes. He takes a brush out from under his shirt, and brushes away the sand. He wipes away the remaining pieces of sand, then moves his fingers over the inscriptions as he reads the hieroglyphics. He takes out a notebook and pencil. With the pencil, he points to a line in the notebook, then to a symbol on the floor. He traces a line in the sand until he finds the hole he is seeking, the one into which he will place the staff. Jones smiles as he turns to look at the sun rise in the entrance hole to the map room.

[His major obstacle here is deciphering the markings in order to find the correct hole in which to place the staff.]

OUTSIDE MAP ROOM

Sallah stands outside near some Nazis, as he watches the entrance to the map room.

[This informs the audience that Jones is still in jeopardy, even after he calculates the location of the Well of Souls.]

MAP ROOM

Jones places the medallion onto the top of the staff. A beam of sunlight shines on the wall through the entrance in the ceiling. Jones looks like an ancient priest with the white hood covering his head. He places the staff into the hole. The golden medallion is positioned against the opening in the ceiling. The rays of the sun move down along the wall onto the model of the city on the floor. The camera tips down from the medallion onto Jones holding the staff, as the soundtrack is filled with religious music. The beam of light continues to move across the floor. A soft purple ray moves across the frame, as the focus of the light beam with a red center moves across the model. Jones is wide-eyed with anticipation. The sun hits the headpiece of RA and produces a thin laser beam of light that hits a single point on the model. The place on the model flashes with a brilliant light. Jones' face lights up with joy, as the model is filled with a soft blue-white glow.

DIGGINGS

Sallah runs past some of the tents. He reaches for the rope near one tent, but it is fastened. He salutes at some Nazis as he runs past them and enters a tent.

[Sallah's objective is to find some method to get Jones out of the Map Room. The Nazis have taken his rope.]

MAP ROOM

Jones with pencil in mouth and notebook in hand, wipes the sweat from his brow as he works on the calculations. He mumbles to himself. He then breaks the staff over his knee, indicating that now it is useless since the task is accomplished. Jones then looks up to the entrance hole. "Sallah," he shouts, but gets no response from above. Suddenly a cloth rope of red and white material is dropped on Jones' head. Jones unravels the material to reveal that it is a NAZI flag, with a red border, white circle, and black swastika.

[The humor generated here is a result of Sallah and Jones using the Nazis' own symbol in order to defeat them.]

DIGGINGS

Jones and Sallah walk through the site. Jones covers his face with the white hood. A group of Nazis are eating lunch around a large table. One Nazi stands up and orders Jones to bring him water. A different Nazi grabs Jones and also demands that he brings water. Sallah intervenes, and placates them all by promising to get them water, as Jones slips away.

A different group of Nazis walk towards Jones. In order to avoid them, he quickly ducks into a tent.

[Jones' major obstacle here is that the camp is filled with Nazis. He wants to get away so that he can begin his search for the Well of Souls.]

TENT

Inside the tent, Jones discovers Marion tied to a post, with a white gag in her mouth. Jones rushes to her. Because his face is covered, she fights him off, thinking he's just another Arab. He removes the cloth from his face, then unties the cloth from her mouth. They kiss, and are overjoyed to see each other.

[The audience is also happy, because they liked Marion and were saddened when they thought she was killed. Bringing such a character back always makes the audience happy. They don't mind the trick, as long as it's plausible.]

Jones takes out his knife, opens the blade, and begins to cut her loose. He then stops untying her and appears concerned. He closes up his knife. Marion becomes frantic. He tells her that he knows where the Ark is, and that if he lets her go, the Nazis will start combing the place for them. He puts the gag back on her, though she pleads to be released. He kisses her on the forehead, then leaves.

[Here Jones is faced with a moral dilemma, and he makes a choice which reveals his values. The could either save the woman he loves, or prevent the Ark from falling into Hitler's hands. He chooses to go for the Ark.]

DIGGINGS

Workers run along a canal. On a hill above them, Jones looks through a survey scope. Through the lens he locates the piece of land where, by his calculations, the Well of Souls should be located.

At a different part of the diggings, Belloq walks with Dietrich, the Nazi commandant. He doesn't have all the information he needs to find the Ark. Dietrich suggests that perhaps the girl could help them. Belloq tries to save Marion by telling them she knows nothing.

[Belloq, wearing a white shirt, softens his position and shows concern for Marion. This increases the audience's empathy for him because he is trying to protect the woman the audience cares about.]

Dietrich responds that he's surprise to find Belloq squeamish, since that is not his reputation. But Belloq needn't worry, for they have the perfect man for the job. From out of the desert dust approaches Toht. He is wearing a black hat, coat, and red and black tie.

"Heil Hitler," he says, as he raises his palm. Burned into his palm is the imprint of the medallion.

[Toht is clothed in red and black, the standard colors of evil. The medallion's imprint on Toht's palm explains how Belloq got his information. But the filmmaker doesn't dwell on this. Instead he quickly moves along, counting on the intelligence of his audience to figure things out. The reintroduction of Toht at this stage of the story allows the audience to shift its hatred from the antagonist, Belloq, to this sadist. Relatively speaking, Belloq becomes more sympathetic, and the romance between him and Marion becomes more plausible. This makes Marion's decisions more difficult: make love to Belloq who is handsome and trying to save her, or remain faithful to Jones, who wouldn't release her. The audience shares her torment.]

OUTSIDE WELL OF SOULS

Jones leads a group of workers down an embankment. He then climbs up to the top of the hill. From there he can view the complete digging site. He whistles down to the other workers to follow him up to the hilltop. Jones puts his shovel into the ground and begins to dig. The workers shovel against the background of the blazing sun as Jones paces back and forth, supervising their work.

[This is a transition scene, with the blazing sun adding jeopardy.]

NIGHT-OUTSIDE WELL OF SOULS

The workers continue to shovel dirt as the wind howls and lightning flashes across the night sky. Suddenly, they hit stone. Jones gets down on his knees and brushes away some dirt which covers the stone-slab top. They try to find the edge. The workers scrap away the dirt with their hands. Finally they clear an edge of the slab. The workers place the pry bars into the edge slit of the slab. The men groan with the effort. Finally, they lift up the slab. Stale air escapes from the chamber as they slide the slab away from the opening. Jones is excited from anticipation.

[Jones has successfully completed his subobjective: he has found the Well of Souls. Now he must get the Ark.]

Sallah, with torch in hand, gazes down into the cavern, where it is pitch dark. Lightning flashes in the sky above them. This light reveals the face of a dragon statue in the chamber. Sallah shrieks with horror. "Sorry Indie," says Sallah, as he stares back down into the chamber. "Indie, why does the floor move?"

Jones grabs the torch from Sallah and drops it down into the cavern. When the torch hits the bottom, it reveals that the floor is covered with snakes. Jones, with an expression of nausea on his face, rolls onto his back away from the cavern's edge. "Snakes," says Jones, why did it have to be snakes?"

[The significance of Jones fear of snakes was set-up in the opening sequence. It was the only thing that he seemed to hate and fear. Now, this is the final obstacle that he must overcome in order to possess his objective: the Ark of the Covenant. The audience now completely empathizes with Jones and his fear of snakes. Nobody would volunteer to go down into that chamber with poisonous snakes completely covering the floor. And the fact that he will overcome his fears, confront the snakes, and obtain the Ark, wins him the audience's respect and admiration.]

Sallah leans forward to get a closer look at the snakes on the floor. "Asps, very dangerous," says Sallah. He shakes Jones' arm. "You go first."

[The joke is important to relieve the audiences tension. Sallah also understates the problem. Even if the snakes were not poisonous asps, the room is still filled with them. Secondly, Sallah honestly reveals his lack of courage by telling Jones to go first. The audience laughs because this is how they would probably act in the same situation. Lastly, it's funny because the audience knows how much Jones hates snakes, and Sallah speaks as if it will be a trivial task for Jones. The audience laughs at Jones, wondering what the great hero will do now.]

INSIDE TENT

Marion is still tied to the post with the gag in her mouth, exactly as she was left by Jones. An Arab, with food on a tray, enters the tent. He is followed by Belloq, who approaches Marion and unties her. She immediately runs for the exit, but is stopped by a Nazi guard. Belloq tells her that the desert is three weeks in every direction, if she is trying to escape by foot. Marion changes her mind, then still on her knees, she defiantly crawls to the table and bites into the food.

[Belloq's objective is to get information about the location of the Ark by seducing Marion.]

He apologizes for the way that she has been treated, and refers to them as a necessary evil. Belloq opens a box and shows Marion a pretty white dress. "Beautiful," she says, as she continues to down the food. Belloq wants to see her in it. She gets up and pulls the dress from the box. Belloq takes out a pair of white shoes and presents them to her. Marion asks what he has to drink, as she takes the clothes and walks behind a dressing divider.

Belloq tells her that there isn't much time.. The Nazis will come to harm her unless she gives him some information to placate them. He sprinkles cologne on his face as he watches Marion disrobe through a small mirror that sits on a dresser. Belloq takes out a bottle of liquor.

Marion tells Belloq she's already told him everything she knows, and says she has no loyalty to Jones who has brought her nothing but trouble. Marion walks out from behind the screen. She looks beautiful in the white dress. She radiantly smiles at him as she spins around to show him the dress. She places her red pants over a knife that lies on the table. "I don't think that we need the chaperone," she says as she picks up the wine bottle. Belloq gestures the guard away.

[The audience knows Marion's capacity for liquor. This important trait was established during her introduction scene in Nepal. That was the set up, and in this scene it pays-off. They, therefore, expect that she plans to get Belloq drunk, take the knife placed under her pants, and escape through the unguarded exit. What the audience doesn't realize is that Belloq has developed a tolerance for this liquor since it's from his family stock and he's been drinking it for years. This unexpected information surprises the audience, confounds their expectations, and generates the humor in the situation.]

WELL OF SOULS

Workers with lit torches surround the opening. There is a circle of torches on the cavern floor. This area is free of snakes. Jones is slowly being lowered to the floor. Outside of this circle of flames, the floor is filled with crawling snakes. Jones watches the snakes below him as they stare up at him. A worker slips and drops the rope. Jones falls to the floor. He picks up his head and stares face-to-face into the eyes of a cobra.

[Of course, the major obstacle to his objective are the deadly snakes.]

"I told you it would be all right," Sallah gleefully shouts from above.

[This a contradiction to the situation, and the most inappropriate thing that anyone could say. This structure produces laughter.]

Jones and the cobra eye each other, then Jones slowly backs away. The other snakes spit and hiss at him. Jones picks up a kerosene can and begins to spray the snakes. "Sallah, get down here," he shouts. Sallah is shocked that Jones wants him to go into the cavern. Jones kicks at an approaching snake. He pumps pressure into a can of kerosene, sprays the snakes with this kerosene, then throws a burning torch onto the snakes. They burst into flames.

INT: TENT: NIGHT

Marion and Belloq continue drinking.

[While the protagonist is in the middle of a deadly situation, the "love interest" is being seduced by the antagonist.]

Belloq takes the cork out of the bottle and pours Marion a drink. They clink their glasses together. Belloq sips his drink as Marion gulps her drink down. She smiles confidently at Belloq. He looks at his glass, gulps, then drinks it all down. He coughs as Marion smiles and gloats. She quickly grabs the bottle and pours both of them another drink.

[The audience also smiles because they are aware of her capacity for alcohol.]

[Marion's objective is to get Belloq drunk, then escape. Belloq's objective is to seduce Marion, and get information about the Ark from her.]

WELL OF SOULS

Jones and Sallah approach the Ark which is covered within a concrete encasement. Jones tosses away the torch that he has been holding as he nears the Ark. Lightning in the sky above flashes a soft blue light over the ark. Jones places his hands on the encasement. He goes to one end and indicates to Sallah that he should go to the other. Together they groan and slowly lift off the concrete cover, then throw it onto the floor.

[They have overcome the obstacle of the heavy concrete encasing. The objective is within their grasp.]

TENT: NIGHT

Marion and Belloq are drunk. Marion falls off her chair as she laughs and finishes off her drink. She picks up the bottle. "What is this stuff?" she asks. "I grew up with this," says Belloq as he holds up the bottle. "My family label." Both he and Marion laugh.

[The joke is also on the audience. This obstacle is harder than they all thought.]

Marion tries to pour herself more but completely misses the glass, and pours the liquor onto the table. Belloq takes the bottle and refills their glasses. Marion again laughs, then quickly lunges for the knife under her red slacks. She holds it up to Bellac. He looks at it, then bursts out in laughter. She says she has to go, as she holds the knife in front of her and backs away from the table. Belloq laughs as he waves goodbye. Marion says she likes him, and hopes they'll meet again someday under better circumstances. Suddenly, the smile drops from Belloq's face. Marion quickly turns and comes face to face with Toht.

[She almost achieved her objective, except for a surprising last minute obstacle: Toht.]

"We meet again, fraulein," he says. She struggles, but he forces the knife out of her hand. "You Americans are all the same. Always overdressing for the wrong occasions."

[The comment is so inappropriate to this life and death situation that the audience bursts out in laughter.]

Marion runs back to Belloq's side and takes his hand. Another Nazi enters the tent. A soldier removes the coat from Toht, who slowly takes out a evil appearing chain with hard rubber rods. It appears to be a weapon. Marion cowers behind Belloq as Toht slowly and sadistically moves his hand down the chain to the hard rubber. Toht is dressed in black with a large red flower on his black jacket. Marion is terrorized. Toht then slowly transforms this object into a hanger for his coat. Belloq and Marion sigh with relief.

[The use of color association in this scene is worthy of comment. Toht wears a large red flower on his black jacket. When Marion jumps to Belloq for protection she places her red pants on his white shirt, so that this pattern is symmetric to Toht's, except that Belloq's image is red on white instead of red on black. Belloq, while he is the antagonist, is the lesser of the two evils.]

Toht pulls up a chair and sits down across from Belloq and Marion. "Now, what shall we talk about?"

WELL OF SOULS

Jones and Sallah place wooden poles through the side of the Ark, then lift it up out of its encasement. It is covered with gold engravings. They carry it through the path of torches which keep the snakes away. They place the Golden Ark within a wooden crate. Jones shouts to the workers above, who then pull on a rope and lift up the crate.

[Jones is about to escape with his objective accomplished.]

DIGGING SITE: DAYBREAK

Belloq and Dietrich walk through the diggings, arguing about the treatment of Marion and the progress of the excavation. Belloq glances to his right and sees Jones' men working on the hilltop. Belloq stops short, then runs towards the hill to get a better view. He tells Dietrich to wake up his men.

[Belloq discovers information that creates a crisis and will lead to a confrontation between him and Jones.]

WELL OF SOULS

Sallah and Jones use torches to fight off the advancing snakes. When Sallah says that the torches are running out, Jones tells him to get out. Jones takes Sallah's torch, as Sallah climbs up the rope.

EXT: DIGGINGS SITE: DAY

Nazis run through the campsite towards the hilltop.

[Jones is still in jeopardy, but close to escaping. A TIMELOCK has been created by the torches running out and the advancing Nazis.]

INT: WELL OF SOULS : DAY

Sallah climbs up through the opening. The rope is now free, but suddenly it drops down from the opening. Indie becomes angry, and shouts at Sallah. Belloq appears in the opening. He waves to Jones, mocks him, then says, "Once again Jones, whatever was briefly yours is now mine."

Jones uses what's left of his torch to wave back the encircling snakes. Dietrich tells Jones that they must be leaving because the prize is awaited in Berlin. But he doesn't want to leave Jones down in the pit alone.

[The protagonist is trapped by the antagonist.]

EXT: WELL OF SOULS : DAY

Toht takes Marion to the edge of the opening and throws her down into the cavern. Both Sallah and Belloq try to save her, but they can't reach her before she falls in. [That both Sallah and Belloq try to save Marion generates empathy for them from the audience. The fact that Toht threw her into the pit solidifies the audience's hatred for him.]

INT: WELL OF SOULS : DAY

Jones looks up to see Marion being thrown into the cavern. She grabs onto the dragon's jaw and clings on for dear life as her shoe falls down onto the floor among the crawling snakes. A snake slivers through her shoe as the statue's tooth that she is holding onto snaps off.

[The images are structured so that the audience knows what fate awaits Marion when she falls.]

Marion falls. She bounces off a round piece of the statue that breaks her fall, then drops into the arms of Jones. She's still angry with him for leaving her in the tent. She jumps out of Jones' arms and falls to the floor where she comes face-to-face with a cobra. The cobra strikes out at her but misses. Marion screams and quickly jumps onto Jones' back and desperately climbs up onto his shoulders.

[Finally, the "love interest" falls into the arms of the protagonist.]

EXT: WELL OF SOULS : DAY

Belloq is angry. He screams at Toht that the girl was his. Dietrich reminds him that only the mission for the Feuhrer matters. Belloq waves goodbye to Marion and Indie, as Marion shouts back a threat. The stone slab covering is lifted by the Egyptian workers and placed back over the cavern opening. Toht laughs as he walks past Belloq. Both Sallah and Belloq react with hopelessness and resignation as they hear Marion's voice cry out for help from below.

[Belloq and Sallah receive the audience's empathy because of their efforts to save Marion, while Toht receives their hatred because he mocks their desperate situation with laughter.]

[This is the end of the second act. The antagonist has possession of the dramatic objective, while both the protagonist and the "love interest" are facing imminent death.]

INT: WELL OF SOULS : DAY

As a torch flame goes out, a snake slithers over the extinguished torch, and moves towards Marion's ankle. Jones picks up one of the remaining lit torches, gives it to Marion, and tells her to wave it at anything that slithers. She mistakes the whip on his belt for a snake and pushes her lighted torch into his side. He jumps back in pain.

[Humor is generated because Marion mistakes the pattern made by Indie's whip on his belt to be a snake. This joke relieves the tension.]

Jones kicks away some snakes then questions Marion about the dress she is wearing. Marion says she was trying to escape, no thanks to him. Jones asks how hard was she trying. He leans down and tears off part of her dress, saying that he doesn't want her to catch on fire.

[The audience laughs at the two lovers bickering while in a life and death situation.]

Jones looks at a wall that contains Egyptian drawings. He sees two snakes slither out though an eye in one of the drawings. He gets an idea, then starts to climb up the large statue.

[There's a new death producing terror threatening them every few seconds, which is a result of the pacing and intensity of the obstacles that confront these characters.]

[The amount of excitement in a scene is equal to the intensity of the threat to a character, with the highest intensity resulting from life-threatening situations.]

Jones tells Marion that he's going through the wall. More snakes slither through holes in the wall. He tells her to get ready to run, no matter what happens to him. Jones takes his whip out and lashes it around the top of the statue, then starts to pull himself up, as Marion continues to thrust her torch at the advancing snakes.

"Indie, damn it, don't you leave me down here by myself!" shouts Marion.

[Marion expresses her fear of abandonment, which causes the audience to be emotionally bonded to her at this moment.]

Jones climbs up the statue with a lit torch held between his teeth. At one level he comes eye-to-eye with a snake. He quickly moves his head and torches the snake. This dead snake then falls onto Marion's neck. She screams with horror and quickly throws the snake onto the ground. She glares up at Jones as he drops his torch down to her. She catches it as the snakes get closer to her feet.

[The jeopardy has reached a maximum point.]

Jones reaches the top of the statue, braces against the ceiling, then pushes with all his might. He dislodges the statue. It tilts back and forth, and begins to sway. Marion holds the torch in front of her face as the flame dies.

[The audience is horrified with images of Marion being eaten alive be these snakes.]

The statue begins to fall. Jones hangs on from one of its arms as the statue crashes into the wall and knocks the wall down. Marion digs herself out from the rubble. Holding one shoe in her hand she climbs up over the statue and puts her hand against the wall. She calls out for Jones.

[The audience is in suspense. Did he survive? Will they be able to escape, or will the snakes eat them?]

The wall collapses and out pops the head of a mummified figure whose mouth is opened wide. She screams, then turns to her left to see the head of another dead person. She again quickly turns and runs into a wall. This knocks over several dead skeletons. She screams as she runs through the cavern. She becomes trapped in the middle of a group of decaying skeletons. From out of the mouth of one of the skeletons crawls a large horrendous snake.

[It never stops, horror after horror. Yet the audience is glued to their seats.]

Finally Jones runs to her side and pulls her away into an opening. They see a beam of light coming in through a crack in the wall.

[The audience now loves Jones for rescuing Marion from a terrifying situation. Structurally, having the protagonist save the heroine from a horrible doom guarantees that he will gain the audience's empathy.]

EXT: WALL: DAY

Jones pushes a stone brick from an opening in the wall. He and Marion crawl out. In front of them in the desert is an airfield filled with Nazi planes and soldiers. Jones and Marion run down the hillside, then hide behind barrels of oil until some soldiers drive away. Jones plans to be on the plane when the Ark is loaded.

[They have successfully escaped from their doom. Now, back to their primary objective: the Ark of the Covenant. Their major obstacle is getting on the plane without being captured by the Nazis.]

EXT: GERMAN CAMPSITE: DAY

Belloq walks out from under a tent near the airfield. Dietrich is pouring himself a drink. He hands a drink to Belloq to toast to the capture of the Ark. But Belloq prefers to wait until they are far away from there.

[This sets up the audience's expectation that the fight for the Ark is not over yet. The anticipation of a fight excites them.]

EXT: AIRFIELD: DAY

Jones runs to the plane and hides under its wings. The propellers are whirling, and a German sits in the cockpit. Jones climbs up the side of the plane behind the German. A second German on the ground sees Jones and calls out to him. Jones walks over to him and kicks him in the head. This German picks up a wrench and swings it at Jones, but misses him. Jones punches him and knocks him onto the ground. The German gets up and again swings at Jones.

[In this scene Jones' objective is to get control of the plane. His obstacles are the Nazis. He is in jeopardy of being beaten and killed, as he fights against overwhelming odds.]

A third German walks out of a hut and sees the fight taking place. He takes off his cap to reveal his bald head, and then removes his shirt as he prepares to enter the fight.

Jones struggles with the German who has the wrench. He pushes the wrench into the propeller, which knocks it out of the German's hand.

[This sets up the propeller as a danger in the environment. The audience is now always aware of it as an added danger during the fight scene.]

Marion runs and hides under the plane. Jones finally knocks out this German. The bald German approaches Jones and laughs.

[Here is another "mocking" cohort of the antagonist.]

Once again Jones climbs up the side of the plane towards the pilot. The bald German calls out to Jones. Both Jones and the Pilot turn around. Marion removes a block of wood from under the plane's wheel.

[This is another scene designed for economy of action. Every single action either creates a new obstacle or is directed at overcoming an obstacle to the objective. Not one action is irrelevant, nor is any movement is wasted. The choreography of conflict is economical and precise, with an abundance of obstacles. Nothing comes easy for Jones. Perseverance against impossible odds is essential to his character.]

The bald German raises his fist and challenges Jones to a fight. Jones reluctantly slides down the plane's wing, and gestures to the German to be patient. He fakes a jab at the German, then kicks him in the crotch. Jones next swings at him, but misses. The German jabs Jones in the chin and knocks him onto the ground.

The pilot in the cockpit takes out his pistol and cocks it. The bald German pulls Jones up off the ground. Jones hits him in the arm, but is then thrown against the wheel. He gets up and runs under the plane. The pilot shoots at him, but misses. Jones runs in the opposite direction, is again punched by the German and knocked onto the ground. The pilot again takes aim at Jones, but now the German blocks his shot. Jones throws dirt into the bald German's face. The pilot again takes aim with his pistol, but just as he is ready to shoot, Marion hits him over the head with the wooden blocks. The pilot falls down against the controls and the plane spurts forward.

[This is the second time that Marion has saved Jones from being shot during a gunfight.]

Jones is again punched by the bald German. Marion gets into the cockpit and tries to pull the pilot off the controls. Suddenly the cockpits glass casing slams shut and traps her inside. She can't get it open. She tries to lift the pilot, but he's too heavy. She shouts to Jones for help.

[As if things weren't tough enough. Now the "love interest" is trapped.]

Jones is punched in the stomach by the bald German, as the plane begins to move in a circle. Marion sees a truck filled with Nazis approach the plane. They see the fight. Marion grabs the machine gun and fires at the Nazis, killing most of them. The planes wing rips into a fuel truck. Gasoline pours out of the truck onto the ground.

[Still more life-threatening obstacles.]

Jones rolls out of the path of the wheels of the moving plane. The wheel rolls over the pilots pistol. The German pursues Jones as Marion guns down another soldier. Her bullets hit the gasoline truck, which then bursts into flames.

EXT: GERMAN CAMPSITE: DAY

The explosion startles Belloq and Dietrich. Belloq starts towards the explosion as he tells Dietrich to stay with the Ark.

[The explosion is the "crisis" information which activates the antagonist into action.]

EXT: AIRFIELD: DAY

Fuel flows towards the plane as it moves in the direction of the burning truck. Marion becomes aware of the danger. Jones jumps up onto the plane. He tries to unlock the cockpit, but fails. The German climbs on the plane and knocks Jones onto the ground, as the fuel continues to flow towards the burning truck.

[A new timelock is added to the scene, because when the gasoline reaches the burning truck, it will ignite and flow back to the plane. This adds more urgency to the action, because the life-threatening nature of the situation has intensified.]

Jones and the German continue to exchange blows. Finally, Jones is knocked to the ground. The German remains standing. He hears something behind him, then turns to be cut apart by the propellers of the moving plane. Blood splatters onto the cockpit window and the Nazi flag.

[This is the payoff to the set up of the propellers in the earlier part of the scene.]

Jones picks up the gun just as the fuel reaches the fire. Marion is still stuck in the cockpit. Jones jumps up on the plane and runs to the cockpit with gun in hand. He shouts at Marion to get back, then fires at the lock. He pulls open the casing and pulls Marion out as flames flow across the desert floor towards the plane.

[Only seconds left before the timelock is completed and they are killed.]

Jones and Marion race away from the plane against a backdrop of black smoke. The flames reach the fuel truck and explode. The plane then explodes.

Belloq and Dietrich survey the wreckage. Belloq tells him to put the Ark on truck and take it to Cairo. They will fly it out from there. Belloq demands that they have plenty of protection. A tower behind Dietrich explodes. Belloq surveys the wreckage and just says, "Jones!"

[Now the antagonist feels threatened. No longer is his possession of the dramatic objective guaranteed.]

In another part of the airfield, Sallah hears a whistle, then stops short. He enters a tent. There he finds Jones and Marion. Sallah tells Indie that the Ark is loaded on a truck to Cairo.

[It's the same old objective, but now new obstacles. How is he going to chase a truck guarded by a company of Nazis?]

EXT: GERMAN CAMPSITE: DAY

A truck pulls into the campsite followed by a jeep containing a machine gun. The Ark is placed inside the truck. Jones, Sallah and Marion watch this as they lie on a nearby hillside. Egyptians near the truck are dispersed by machine gun blasts.

[This burst of gunfire reminds the audience of the jeopardy involved, and that the German's are willing to kill anyone who interferes with them.]

Belloq gets into the back seat of a convertible car. He orders them to go forward, as the heavily guarded convoy departs.

Jones tells Sallah to go to Cairo and arrange for transport to England. "A boat, a train, anything. Meet me at Omars. Be ready for me. I'm going after that truck."
"How?" asks Sallah.
"I don't know," says Indie. "I'm making this up as I go!"

[Well, at least he finally admits it. This also leaves the audience without any expectations, makes his next action unpredictable. This sets them up for the surprise in the next scene.]

EXT: DESERT: DAY

Jones rides a white horse out from under a large canopy. As he rides through a crowd of Egyptians, they rise to their feet and cheer.

[The crowd's cheers are contagious, and the audience shares their emotion. The scene draws on the cultural archetype of the "hero on the white horse." The image surprises the audience, and this is the payoff for the set up in the last scene.]

EXT: ROAD TO CAIRO: DAY

[This is a chase scene, filled with jeopardy and life-threatening obstacles. The whole sequence is shot without dialogue, which demonstrates the cinematic style in its most effective form.]

The crate containing the Ark sits on the back of the truck. It's guarded by four Nazis. Belloq, Dietrich and other Nazis ride ahead in the convertible. Jones rides on a white horse. He stops on a high road. The truck and convoy passes beneath him on another road.

[This establishes the objective and the obstacles.]

Jones rides up to another hilltop, then gallops down the slope and onto the road behind the truck but in front of the jeep that has the machine gun. The machine gunner shoots at Jones as he rides up along the side of the truck. Jones jumps off the horse and onto the side of the truck. He opens the door and pulls the guard from the passenger seat out of the truck. Jones then grabs the neck of the Nazi driver and punches him in the face. Jones slams on the brakes. The car following them crashes into the back of the truck. Jones slams down on the gas. One soldier in the back of the truck loses his balance and falls out onto the windshield of the jeep.

[The first of many reversals in the chase scene. Jones has gained control of the vehicle and the objective within it. But can he hold onto it when the counterattack starts?]

Jones and the driver struggle for control of the truck. They both grab the wheel as the truck scraps the side of a wall under construction, and knocks over the ladders, planks and construction workers. One Egyptian worker falls onto the hood of the truck before he rolls off onto the road. Jones and the Nazi laugh and smile at each other in relief at avoiding a disaster.

[There is a moment of comic relief as mortal enemies smile at each other, while in the midst of battle.]

Jones quickly punches the driver in the face and knocks him out of the truck. The driver rolls down an embankment. Jones then slams shut the door, and stomps down on the gas pedal. He rams the truck into the car in front of him that contains Belloq. The truck and Belloq's car ride in parallel, then Jones forces it through a peasant village where it hits several structures. The truck continues on, followed by the Jeep with the machine gun and two Nazis on a motorcycle.

The jeep with machine gun moves alongside the truck. Jones sees this in his side view mirror. The gunner fires at Jones. Jones rams his truck into the side of the jeep, thereby running it off the road into the jungle. The jeep drives through some underbrush, then gets back up on the road.

The motorcycle with two Nazis drives up along the left side of the truck. Jones slams into it and the cycle crashes into a pond of water. Belloq watches this action from the car in front of the truck. The jeep with machine gun charges up the left. The gunner loads the machine gun. Jones swerves into the jeep. The driver screams as the jeep drives off the edge of the road and falls into a deep mountain canyon.

The Nazis in the back of the truck start to climb along the sides. One takes out his pistol. Jones looks into the mirror and sees them coming. He swerves the truck to the left and into a row of trees that scrape against the soldiers and knock them off the truck. He swerves the truck to the right and knocks these soldiers off.

Only one Nazi remains on the side of the truck. He takes out his pistol, stands by the passenger door, and shoots Jones in the arm. Blood splatters on the windshield. Jones kicks the door open. The Nazi holds onto this door as it bends on its hinges. The Nazi clings on for life as he is dragged along the ground, near the edge of the cliff. Finally, the door falls off and the Nazi falls down to the road.

[This sets the audience up for the scene where Jones is dragged under the truck. The hero is weakened and put at a disadvantage before his life-or-death fight.]

Only one Nazi remains in the back of the truck. He gets out and climbs onto the roof of the truck. Belloq watches from the car in front of the truck. The Nazi crawls along the roof.

The Nazi quickly swings into the cabin and kicks Jones against the driver's door. He punches Jones three times in his bloodied arm. The Nazi next throws Jones into the windshield. He slides across the hood, then rolls off the front of the truck. He clings to the truck's emblem, but it bends and cracks. Jones then grabs onto the grill. One by one the grill bars snap. Jones next clings to the fender of the front tire, as he spreads his legs in front of the speeding wheel.

[Desperate actions in order to save his life, but although each effort fails, Jones preservers and tries another. The situation is impossible. In reality, no one could possibly survive so many obstacles, occurring after each other with such a fast pace. But because of the rapidity of the action, the audience accepts it, and because he survives, he becomes heroic.]

A Nazi in the car in front of the truck indicates to the driver that he should speed up and ram Jones into the back of the car. The truck driver shifts into high gear and speeds forward. Jones positions himself to the center of the truck, then lowers himself beneath the fender. He then shimmers himself under the truck until he reaches the back, as his body slides along the ground. Using his whip, he latches himself to the axle of the truck as he drags on the ground behind it. He pulls himself forward along the whip, then finally pulls himself back up into the truck.

[Jones' objective is not to save himself. If that were the case, he would not have gotten back onto the truck. His objective remains to get the ARK away from the Nazis.]

Jones climbs alongside the truck and jumps into the cabin. He hits the driver in the face, smashes his head against the dashboard three times, then throws him through the window out onto the hood of the truck. The Nazi rolls off the front and clings onto the grill. The grill finally gives way. The Nazi falls to the ground and is run over by the truck.

[This is a reversal of the situation, with the Nazi now in Jones' former position. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't have Jones' survival skills.]

Jones speeds up the truck and runs into the back of the car containing Belloq. He forces this car off the road. Jones clutches onto his wounded arm. The crate with the Ark is still in the back of the truck. Belloq's car comes to a quick stop. Angrily, he hits the driver with his hat. "Idiot, Idiot!" shouts Belloq. The car starts up again and pursues the truck.

EXT: CAIRO: DAY

Jones quickly drives the truck into the Town Center, through a crowd, then into a garage. The garage door is closed. The crowd of Arabs block the door with a wagon, then gather in front of the wagon.

The Nazi car with Belloq inside drives into the square. They become frustrated because they have lost Jones. Arabs approach the Nazis and try to sell them melons. Dietrich takes one, then in anger smashes it on the ground. The Arabs laugh and cheer as the car drives out of the square.

[Jones has successfully overcome the odds, beaten all the Nazis, and recaptured the Ark.]

EXT: SHIPDOCK: NIGHT

Some natives dance and sing on the dock. Jones, with his arm around Marion for support, walks towards the ship. Sallah approaches Jones and tells him that everything has been arranged. The Ark is on board the ship. He introduces the ship's Captain, Mr. Katanga, to Jones and Marion, and tells him that they are his family. If they are not treated well, Sallah will hear about it. Katanga responds that his cabin is theirs.

"Mr.Jones, I've heard a lot about you, sir. Your appearance is exactly the way I imagined," laughs Katanga as he walks away.

Marion kisses Sallah goodbye, as she and Jones board the ship.

[It appears the protagonist and lover have escaped with the dramatic objective.]

EXT: SHIP AT SEA: NIGHT

[This is an establishing shot.]

INT: SHIP CABIN: NIGHT:

[The protagonist and lover are alone together at last, with no more battles to fight tonight.]

Marion enters the cabin wrapped in a red blanket and carrying a towel and pan of water. Jones sits upon the bed. She takes the red blanket off and reveals a white satin dress. Jones asks where she got the dress, and she responds from Katanga. He says that it's pretty. She gets up and walks to a full length mirror to look at herself. Jones looks at himself from the other side of the mirror. Marion grabs the top of the mirror and flips it over. The other end slams into Jones' face, and he lets out a scream of pain.

[A love scene, Spielberg style. Nothing like providing the audience with what's normally expected.]

Jones holds his jaw in his hands. "What did you say," asks Marion as she looks out from behind the mirror. Jones, with the help of Marion, finally pulls off his shirt. She says he's not the man she knew ten years ago, to which he responds, "it's not the years, it's the mileage." She takes a wet cloth and wipes his chest. She picks up his legs and gets him into bed. He tells her to go away because it hurts.
"Well, goddamn it, Indie! Where doesn't it hurt?" she says.
He points to his elbow. "Here."
Marion kisses the elbow. Jones next points to his forehead. "Here."
Marion takes off his hat and flips it off the bed. She then slowly kisses him on the forehead. He puts his finger in his eye. "This isn't too bad," he says. Marion then kisses his eye. Jones points to his lips. Marion passionately kisses him, but Jones falls asleep. "Jones" whispers Marion as he softly snores. "Jones" she says invitingly, but he's asleep. "We never seem to get a break, do we?"

[And this is as close to sex as we'll get in this movie.]

INT: SHIP'S HOLD: NIGHT

The crate with the Ark inside sits on the floor. A Nazi swatiska is painted on the crate. Two rats scurry about, as a sound emits from the crate. Blue smoke starts to burn through the Nazi emblem.

[The Ark is alive! This creates mystery and a sense of wonderment in the audience. What will come out of the Ark?]

INT: SHIP CABIN: DAY

Marion is still lying in bed as Jones pulls back the chamber of his pistol. He tells her that the engines have stopped and he wants to see what's happening. He leaves the cabin as Marion looks out the window.

[A crisis has occurred. Something is wrong. Tension builds up in the audience.]

INT: SHIP BRIDGE: DAY

Jones asks Katanga what's happening, and Katanga responds that "we have most important friends." Jones picks up the field glasses and looks out the window at a Nazi submarine which is pulling alongside. Katanga tells Jones to take Marion and hide in the ship's hold.

[Jeopardy, both for the protagonist and his lover, but also the dramatic objective. They may all fall into the hands of the antagonist.]

EXT: TANKER: DAY

The submarine aims it's guns at the tanker. Nazis with machine guns run about the tankers deck. They open a hold and point their guns down at the crew.

[This is a chase scene, with Jones being pursued by the antagonist.]

INT: TANKER: DAY

Jones runs into a hallway as Marion is thrown against a hallway wall. Nazis push her down the hallway.

[The forces of the antagonist has recaptured the "love interest."]

INT: HOLD: DAY

The crate with the Ark is still in the hold. The door cranks open, and a silhouette of a Nazi casts a shadow over the crate.

[The forces of the antagonist has recaptured the primary objective.]

EXT: TANKER: DAY

The crew is crowded onto the deck and forced to move forward by the machine gun toting Nazis. They point their guns at the crew and back them against the wall as they use rope pulleys to bring the Ark up to the deck.

Jones pulls himself up through a funnel and watches the activity on deck. The Nazis have Marion in hand. She sees Dietrich, the Nazi commandant, and tries to smack him. The crew laughs. Belloq stands next Dietrich, and asks about Jones. Katanga says that Jones is dead, as Jones watches from within the funnel. Katanga takes Marion's hair in his hand and smiles. He had no use for him, so he killed him. But Marion could fetch a good price where they are going.

[This is Katanga attempt to save the life of Marion, and the audience likes him for it.]

Dietrich calls him a savage and says that he's not in a position to ask for anything. They'll take anything they want, and then decide whether or not to blow up the ship. A Nazi standing in front of Jones turns and tosses a lit cigarette into the funnel.

[This is a bit of gallows humor. As if things were bad enough.]

Belloq claims Marion. He says that she is to go with him. "If she fails to please me you may do with her as you wish. I'll waste no more time with her." Belloq removes his jacket and places it over Marion's shoulders.

[The fact that Belloq places his jacket over her shoulders displays his concern for Marion, even if his comments seem harsh. The audience interprets this as being done only to placate the Nazis, and they like Belloq for protecting Marion.]

[The antagonist now possesses both the "love interest" and the primary objective.]

INT: SUBMARINE: DAY

A Nazi navigator calculates the charts for their journey, as Marion is escorted through the submarine.

[This is an establishing scene, showing that Marion is inside the submarine.]

EXT: TANKER: DAY

A seaman approaches Katanga, and says that he can't find Jones anywhere on the ship. Katanga says he's bound to be somewhere. He tells the sailor to look again. Suddenly, the sailor says he's found Jones. The seaman points to the Nazi submarine as Jones swims to its side. Jones climbs on board as the Sailors cheer him on. Jones climbs up to the top of the submarine.

[Once again, Jones does the impossible. He hitches a ride for several hundred miles on a submarine. Did the submarine ever travel underwater during the trip? The point to be made is that the audience is not interested in reality, but exciting fantasy. They want to see the hero do impossible things, perhaps even reckless things, that they'd be much too cautious to attempt themselves. But they want him to try, and they are also willing to have him succeed, as long as he's suffered and paid his dues.]

EXT: SUBMARINE TRANSITION MONTAGE: DAY

A map of the submarine's journey is superimposed over the sub. It travels through the Mediterranean Sea, pass Greece and Crete, to an island in the middle of the Aegean Sea.

EXT: SUBMARINE DOCK: DAY

The submarine approaches a cave that serves as a repair dock. A large Nazi flag hangs from the rafters. Nazi guards watch over the ship as the submarine pulls in. Jones, wet from the water, hides behind some boxes on the dock. Nazis walk by him. Jones grabs one and pulls him behind the boxes. He punches him, and knocks him out.

[Jones' objective is still to get the Ark, but he also must survive in the midst of a Nazi enclave. This becomes his new subobjective.]

Marion walks onto the submarine's deck. She is followed by Belloq and a Nazi guard. Jones takes off his shirt and puts on the guard's uniform. But the uniform is too small and the shirt doesn't fit. A Nazi approaches Jones. The audience can only see the Nazi's boots and legs up to the knee. The Nazi "dresses down" Jones because of his unkempt appearance. Jones hits him.

[Dressing in the clothing of your opposition in order to deceive them and get an advantage to overcome the weakness of your position is a method used in several of these films: in the WIZARD OF OZ, the Lion, Tin Man, and Scarecrow dress as the Witch's guards in order to get into the castle, and Hans and Luke dress as Imperial soldiers in STAR WARS in order to rescue Princess Leia.]

A Nazi shouts down to Belloq that the alter has been prepared according to his instructions. Belloq tells him to take the Ark there immediately. Dietrich is uncomfortable with Belloq performing a Jewish ritual over the Ark. Belloq responds by asking him if he'd be more comfortable opening the Ark for the Feuhrer in Berlin only to find it empty?

[Belloq is close to achieving his personal objective: opening the Ark and communicating with God. This also sets up the audience's expectations as they anxiously anticipate the opening of the Ark.]

As they walk away, Belloq accidentally bumps into a Nazi. Belloq continues walking as the soldier turns to reveal himself to be Jones in disguise. Jones watches the crate containing the Ark being moved by a crane overhead. Next to it hangs the Nazi flag.

[The concrete stake (the Ark) which represents the abstract value of absolute power has been shifting from the hands of the protagonist to the antagonist throughout this third act. This is also true of the "love interest" (Marion). Now it's Jones turn to retrieve them both.]

EXT: DESERT: DAY

The Nazis march in a single file procession with Belloq, Marion and Dietrich in the lead. Behind them follow soldiers carrying the Nazi banners and the Ark draped with a purple cloth (a color associated with sacred objects and ceremonies). Toht, still dressed in black, is among the procession. Jones, still dressed in a Nazi uniform, walks at the end of the procession. When they walk past a stack of Nazi munitions, Jones leaves the column.

The column continues up through a pass. Suddenly, Jones appears on a ridge that overlooks the procession. He's armed with a rocket launcher on his shoulder. Jones shouts down to them. Marion looks up at him and smiles. Jones tells Belloq that he's going to blow up the Ark. "All I want is the girl," says Jones. Marion smiles.

[Jones chooses Marion over the Ark, which he's now willing to destroy. This choice reveals his values: the life of the woman he loves is more important than the existence of an historical artifact. But why now and not back in the tent? What has changed? What about his objective to possess the Ark? This is an unmotivated change, in the sense that we don't see any action which cause him to change his mind. It appears that the audience doesn't care, as long as the choice is emotionally satisfying to them.]

If they refuse, the Feuhrer will have no prize. Belloq calls Jones' bluff. Belloq tells all the soldiers to back away from the Ark, then tells Jones to blow up the Ark.

"Blow it back to God. All your life has been in pursuit of archeological relics. Inside the Ark are treasures beyond your wildest aspirations. You want to see it opened as well as I. Indiana, we are simply passing through history. This...this is history!"

[This is the confrontation scene where the protagonist makes his final choice of values, and either wins or loses the prize.]

Everyone pauses for thought, with reaction shots on Jones with the rocket launcher on his shoulder, Marion held by the guards, Toht, and finally back to Belloq. "Do as you will," says Belloq. Jones closes his eyes, then slowly lowers the rocket launcher.

[The antagonist uses the values of the protagonist to defeat him.]

EXT: ALTAR: NIGHT

The golden Ark is carried up to the altar by two Nazi guards. Jones and Marion are tied to a post a few hundred feet away from the altar.

[The protagonist, "love interest," and the primary objective are in the possession of the antagonist, who is about to fulfill his own personal objective: to open the Ark and communicate with God. This is the climax scene of the story.]

Belloq, dressed in Hebrew robes, utters an incantation over the Ark, as the Nazis stand in front of the altar and watch. Two Nazis lift the golden cover. Belloq looks into the Ark. The Nazis approach it for a view, as Jones watches from the distance.

[The antagonist finally confronts the power of the Ark.]

Dietrich places his hand into the Ark. When he pulls it out, the palm is filled with grains of sand. He slowly pours the sand back into the Ark. Belloq, amazed, puts his hand out to grasp the sand. Dietrich, in anger, tosses down the sand. Toht stands next to Belloq and snickers in a mocking manner. Jones smiles and Belloq is in anguish.

[This is not what the audience or any of the characters expected. Situations like this make the story unpredictable, and lock the audience's attention onto the screen for the climax of the story.]

Suddenly, the electronic equipment begins to crackle, and the lights around the arena bursts. All the electrical apparatus starts to explode. A deep humming sound vibrates from the alter. Belloq looks into the Ark. It's misty, cloudy, as a blue light appears in the center of the ark. Suddenly wispy, spirits flow up out of the Ark. A blue smoky mist covers the floor of the alter.

"Marion, don't look at it. Shut your eyes and don't look at it no matter what happens," says Jones.

[The protagonist refuses to confront this power. His humility saves him and Marion.]

The spirits shoot out of the Ark and around the Nazis. Dietrich gazes into the Ark. His face lights up in ecstasy. Spirits flow through all the people around the altar. They appear to be like beautiful women.

"It's beautiful," says Dietrich. One soft-blue beautiful spirit hovers in front of him. Suddenly, the spirit's face transforms into a horrifying visage as Dietrich screams in horror.

Marion shouts in fear. Indie again orders her to keep her eyes closed. Belloq, still ecstatic, looks down into the Ark. Suddenly, a white-orange light engulfs his face. Flames shoot out from Belloq and burn holes into the chests and eyes of all the Nazis. Dietrich grimaces in horror as Toht screams. Dietrich's face melts, as also does the face of Toht. Then, Dietrich's face explodes.

Flames continue to flow from the alter over the dead bodies of all the Nazis, as Jones and Marion remain tied to the post. They both scream as the power of the Ark becomes a flame vaccum which pulls everything up into the sky through a whirling tunnel of fire. The flame then turns downward, flows back into the Ark, and slams the cover shut on top.

Jones and Marion are still live. Their bonds have been cut. They are scared and badly shaken, but happy to still be alive. They hug each other. The alter is empty. It's power has vaporized everything. A soft purplish color covers the altar.

[The protagonist did not destroy the antagonist. The antagonist destroyed himself and his allies by breaking sacred taboos. They were not spiritually qualified to open the Ark.]

EXT: WASHINGTON MONUMENT: DAY

[This shot establishes the location.]

INT: OFFICE OF MILITARY INTELLIGENCE: DAY

The office tells Jones that he's done his country a great service. Jones sits around a table with Marcus and the two Army Intelligence Officers. Jones objects that while the money is fine, the situation concerning the storage of the Ark is totally unacceptable. The officer refuses to discuss this any further. When pushed by Jones and Marcus, he merely responds that it has been placed somewhere with top men researching it.

[This is the resolution scene which ties up the final disposition of the Ark, which is perhaps one of the most powerful forces in the world.]

EXT: BUILDING STEPS: DAY

[This resolution scene ties up the personal relationships in Jones' life: Marcus and Marion.]

Jones shakes hands with Marcus, then starts down the steps. Marion follows him. She's dressed in a pretty suit. Jones complains to her about the foolish bureaucrats, who don't know what they have.

"Well, I know what I've got here," says Marion with a smile. "Come on, I'll buy you a drink." Jones appears disappointed. "You know, a drink?" She takes his elbow and they walk down the stairs together.

[Jones gets the primary objective (the Ark), only to lose it in the end. Once again, he can't keep the treasures that he fights so hard to obtain. But that may be because he is pursuing the wrong type of objectives. What he does end up with may really be the most valuable prize in the world- a woman who loves him.]

EXT: GOVERNMENT WAREHOUSE: DAY

A wooden cover is nailed down on a crate which contains the Ark. A metal lock is snapped closed. Top Secret Army Intelligence is stamped on the crate, which is then pushed on a dolly into a warehouse filled with similar crates.

[The final resolution of the Ark, the most powerful object in the world, is ironic, in that it's placed among thousands of other boxed objects which are indistinguishable and all marked "TOP SECRET".]