A Marxist Analysis of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
A Marxist Analysis of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
In Stephen Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, an archeologist name Indiana Jones teams up unexpectedly with a young boy and a night club singer for his second great adventure. After mistakenly crash landing outside of a small village in British controlled India, the trio is whisked off on a mission after discovering that not only is the village missing valuable and rare stones, but also all of their children have mysteriously disappeared. After viewing this film critically through a Marxist perspective, I have come to observe how Spielberg reinforces many social orders and power relationships portrayed through the upper, middle, and lower classes.
Firstly, the portrait of the upper class which is painted by Spielberg directly meets and supports the status quo in many instances. Throughout the film, those with wealth are shown to be materialistic oppressors who are exhibit evilness and reserve mercy for no one but their own. An example of this portrayal is found within the opening scenes of the film. Indiana meets with a group of affluent Shanghai gangsters who initially threaten him over an extremely valuable diamond. After Indy refuses to cooperate, they poison him and withhold the only antidote. This instance depicts the wealthy men as exceedingly greedy and capable of murder over their avarice. In addition to this, Indy also comes across the extremely materialistic and power hungry Willie Scott at this upscale Chinese club, reinforcing the need for high class individuals to be around others much like themselves. Another example of the upper class supporting social order is found when the trio arrives at the Maharaja’s palace. There, Indy discovers an underground passage leading to long lost temple that was believed to be a legend, which is inhabited by the savage “Thugee” cult. The cult is led by wealthy Maharaja and his associates, who control and enslave their cult followers.
In Stephen Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, an archeologist name Indiana Jones teams up unexpectedly with a young boy and a night club singer for his second great adventure. After mistakenly crash landing outside of a small village in British controlled India, the trio is whisked off on a mission after discovering that not only is the village missing valuable and rare stones, but also all of their children have mysteriously disappeared. After viewing this film critically through a Marxist perspective, I have come to observe how Spielberg reinforces many social orders and power relationships portrayed through the upper, middle, and lower classes.
Firstly, the portrait of the upper class which is painted by Spielberg directly meets and supports the status quo in many instances. Throughout the film, those with wealth are shown to be materialistic oppressors who are exhibit evilness and reserve mercy for no one but their own. An example of this portrayal is found within the opening scenes of the film. Indiana meets with a group of affluent Shanghai gangsters who initially threaten him over an extremely valuable diamond. After Indy refuses to cooperate, they poison him and withhold the only antidote. This instance depicts the wealthy men as exceedingly greedy and capable of murder over their avarice. In addition to this, Indy also comes across the extremely materialistic and power hungry Willie Scott at this upscale Chinese club, reinforcing the need for high class individuals to be around others much like themselves. Another example of the upper class supporting social order is found when the trio arrives at the Maharaja’s palace. There, Indy discovers an underground passage leading to long lost temple that was believed to be a legend, which is inhabited by the savage “Thugee” cult. The cult is led by wealthy Maharaja and his associates, who control and enslave their cult followers.