Kunzig – Paper 1 Outline

Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade

Thesis: In this third film, Indiana Jones completes an entire cycle of the hero's journey, from beginning to end.

1. Departure
   Scenes:
   • The call & refusal of the call: The collector asking Indiana to find the Holy Grail.
   • The crossing of the first threshold: Indiana discovering the crypt below the library.
2. Initiation
   Scenes:
   • The Meeting with the Goddess: at the apartment in Venice, Indiana and Dr. Schneider get together.
   • Woman as the Temptress: in the German castle, Indiana learns that Dr. Schneider has betrayed him, and that his father also slept with her.
   • Atonement with the Father: After escaping from the German castle, Indiana and his father argue over which direction to take: Berlin or Venice. Indiana lets his father win: they go to Berlin.
3. Return
   Scenes:
   • The Crossing of the Return Threshold: When Indiana, dangling in the crack in the ground, accepts that the Grail is lost and not meant to be part of the real world.

Conclusion: While Indiana does phases of the hero's journey – departure, initiation and return –, every single stage within those phases does not apply to him. Some stages, such as Atonement with the father, may not actually be stages, because they last throughout the movie.