Spielberg's Cave?

Posted by Inby from ppp26.nwnetwork.net on March 14, 2001 at 22:25:49:

In Reply to: Has anyone else ever noticed.... posted by junior on March 14, 2001 at 22:02:00:

Oh, young Glaucon,
You could argue that Spielberg was just using that technique as foreshadowing of plot developments, but he actually may be alluding to Plato's (The Republic) dramatic telling of Socrates' story of the cave, wherein, humans mistake the distorted shadows of everyday things for the truth of the things themselves.
Examples of this, and of how Indy attempts to see beyond this mistaken truth, abound. For instance, the climactic scene in the grail temple where Indy is about to fall from dad's grasp; Indy's mistaking Sankara stones as means to fortune and glory, then finding truth in children/life ("just some old stones in a museum"); etc., etc.
In piercing the illusion, Indy of course follows the well-trodden path of the classical hero, as documented by Joseph Campbell and others.
I suppose one could dissect these movies in a Tolkienesque manner, writing theses on their fulfillment of various archetypes...
Personally, I think the distorted, magnified shadows are a great and effective melodramatic graphic storytelling device;
in other words, such things look cool in a creepy atmospheric flick!
You want shadows? Check out some of Orson Welles' movies, too.

What is Plato's Cave?

Follow Ups:

Yes, I tried to explain this to my anthropology teacher once,... Fall Guy 22:41:48 3/14/2001 (4)
- Yeah, and my philosophy teacher was trying to explain this to me once... bud-arc 23:52:13 3/14/2001 (3)
  - The perks of being a philosopher: graml 07:29:23 3/15/2001 (2)
    - I think you'd make a good philosophist, graml... bud-arc 13:22:53 3/15/2001 (1)
      - As I just said, bud-arc... Fall Guy 13:35:28 3/15/2001 (0)
Orsen Welle's...you are correct sir!...YES!!! (Ed McMahon) junior 22:33:04 3/14/2001 (2)
- The original 1930s fedora'd hero... Inby 00:56:19 3/15/2001 (1)
  - Ah yes! Orsen Welles as "The Shadow"! Michaelson 09:51:32 3/15/2001 (0)

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: Oh, young Glaucon,
: You could argue that Spielberg was just using that technique as foreshadowing of plot developments, but he actually may be alluding to Plato's (The Republic) dramatic telling of Socrates' story of the cave, wherein, humans mistake the distorted shadows of everyday things for the truth of the things themselves.
: Examples of this, and of how Indy attempts to see beyond this mistaken truth, abound.  For instance, the climactic scene in the grail temple where Indy is about to fall from dad's grasp; Indy's mistaking Sankara stones as means to fortune and glory, then finding truth in children/life ("just some old stones in a museum"); etc., etc.
: In piercing the illusion, Indy of course follows the well-trodden path of the classical hero, as documented by Joseph Campbell and others. 
: I suppose one could dissect these movies in a Tolkienesque manner, writing theses on their fulfillment of various archetypes...
: Personally, I think the distorted, magnified shadows are a great and effective melodramatic graphic storytelling device;
: in other words, such things look cool in a creepy atmospheric flick!
: You want shadows?  Check out some of Orson Welles' movies, too.

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