``Raiders of the Lost Ark'' Spielberg's ``momentum'' made possible the renaissance of American cinema

Renaissance of American cinema

Just before Lucas and Spielberg appeared in the film world, American New Cinema dominated Hollywood in the late 1960s and early 1970s. New Cinema was a movement that originated from the hippie counterculture of the 1960s. Young filmmakers rebelled against the pre-established harmony of "good versus evil" and "good men and good women" that had dominated Hollywood films up until that point. Many works were made that broke with existing Hollywood film expressions.

The protagonists of representative New Cinema films such as " Easy Rider " (1969) were designed as anti-establishment characters such as criminals, and they always faced a Bonnie and Clyde death. This was probably because the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement, which began with racial discrimination, cast a dark shadow over America at the time.

But then Spielberg and Lucas came along in the late '70s, and they brought back straightforward, thrilling entertainment with films like Jaws (1975) and Star Wars (1977).

George Lucas said that he had already had the idea for "Raiders" at the same time as "Star Wars," and that "Star Wars" happened to be the first to be realized. When Lucas heard the news of the huge success of "Star Wars" in Hawaii, he proposed the plan for "Raiders" as an action movie like the "007" series that Spielberg wanted. And the theme they challenged with "Raiders" was the revival of "serial action movies."

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"Serials" are a type of action movie that flourished in the United States in the 1930s. A dozen or so short stories of about 20 minutes were produced and screened every Saturday afternoon as one series. The genres were diverse, including westerns, science fiction, and suspense, but what characterizes them is that they are stories of good triumphing over evil. Furthermore, each episode always included a thrilling plot development, and they adopted a "Cliffhanger" style that ended with a scene that made viewers curious about the next episode.

Spielberg and Lucas tried to revive the serials that they had been obsessed with as children. It was a renaissance, or a revival movement, in the history of American cinema, which had almost disappeared. The fact that "Raiders" is set in 1936 can be interpreted as a reference to the era when serials were in their heyday.

However, most of the "serial action movies" of the 1930s were aimed at children, and the plot was often absurd and convenient. Spielberg focused on making it The Truth and realistic for modern audiences to enjoy.

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