Popular Culture Review Vol. 12, No. 2, August 2001 | Page 115

Indiana Jones and the Museums of

Imperialism
The entertainment quality in the three Indiana Jones films is unsurpassed
in originality, pace and imitators. The three action-adventure films that make up
the Indiana Jones trilogy are among the most popular and profitable films ever
made. On one level, they can be admired as 1980s Hollywood studio filmmaking
at its peak. Whether technically defined or artistically imagined, they demonstrate
that despite much m ediocrity, Hollywood can still produce outstanding
entertainment. The talents of the director, Steven Speilberg, and the producer, George
Lucas, obviously contribute to this success.
Yet once one moves away from the action and pace, the appeal factor of
these three films gets blurred as a consequence of some rather disturbing elements.
Critically speaking, the films mediate versions of reality that are not just politically
incorrect, but rather alarmingly, may be interpreted as racist. These include the
perpetuation of negative attributes about ethnicity, and an indulgement in
stereotypical caricatures. As well, the Indiana Jones trilogy suggests values and
belief systems which glorify a dated version of conquest.
Movies influence perceptions, attitudes and ways of thinking about others.
According to Peter Biskind:
Movies are peculiarly well suited to translate social values into
felt needs that seem as authentic as the memories of childhood.
Although we may not always agree with them, or even recognize
that they are courting our consent, we tend to accept the frames
of references that they supply. They speak our language, and
we tend to learn to speak theirs. (Biskind 2)
Biskind extends this idea further by commenting on a sentiment about the mass
media in general, one that has been echoed by others. He suggests that, “if we add
up all that movies say or show,” what results is a totalizing “world-view” or
“ideology” that is explicit in a non-obvious way (Biskind 2). So in addition to the
excitement generated by the Indiana Jones films, these adventure fantasies possess
a complex structure that reveals numerous messages. The thrilling nature of the
films usually masks complexities and problems beneath the surface. Three
interrelated themes are discussed in this essay with regard to the Indiana Jones
films. First, there is the portrayal of “native cultures”; second, there is the position
of the hero as archaeologist/adventurer; and, related to these, is the idea of this