Feminist Film Icons: Marion Ravenwood

Written by Kate McHargue

When you’re sharing the screen with a main character for which the movie is named, it’s hard to stand out as a rounded and complete individual. Especially if your character is archetypally seen as nothing more than a love interest for the main male protagonist to banter with and passionately kiss when the music swells. I guess somebody better tell Marion Ravenwood this, because she sure didn’t get that memo.

One of the most iconic film series of all time and a cannon character for the 'rugged adventurer' type, Indiana Jones was definitely meant to be the James Bond of parts unknown; the handsome and capable hero who leaves behind a trail of bloodied bad guys and broken hearted lovers. And certainly in the second and third installment (we don’t speak about the fourth) this comparison was apt. The female counterparts were beautiful, feisty, and couldn’t resist Indiana’s charms (even when their motives were suspect) and Indy was always around to save the day. But in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, the female 'sidekick' was anything but. As Marion herself exclaims after Jones has re-enters her life after 10 long years, 'you're gonna get more than you bargained for. I'm your goddamn partner!'

Let’s start with the basics of Marion Ravenwood. When we first meet her she is in a bar in Nepal, engaged in a drinking match with a man twice her size. Moments later, she wins said drinking match and collects the money from all those who bet against her. We learn that she owns the bar, making her a small business owner as well as a woman living on her own in a foreign land in the 1930’s. In those first few moments it becomes abundantly clear that Marion is not a damsel in distress for Indy to save. But in case you were still unsure, the right hook she plants on Indy’s face might seal the deal.

Throughout the film Marion subverts the damsel in distress tropes. Even when it seems like perhaps that’s the direction her character is going, she comes back full force. Granted, this is a movie that came out in the 1980’s and there are still moments where Marion is used as a sex symbol or made to look less capable than her male counterparts, but even in these moments her personality shines through to reveal a strong and independent woman. In a 2016 interview with Bustle, actress Karen Allen revealed that the original script often left Marion with little to no agency. Her response?

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At times, there were no choices that were written, she was just sort of along for the ride. One of the things I fought for in making the film was when there was a moment in which she might have tipped into the damsel in distress mode, I thought, 'no no no, let her grab a frying pan and knock somebody over the head with it.'"

Through the hard work of Karen Allen, Marion became a woman who frequently uses others’ assumptions and prejudices against them. When she is kidnapped and held captive by Rene, it is not Indy who saves her. In fact, he leaves her there because her escape would put the Nazis on high alert and leave no time to search for the Ark. He makes his priorities very clear, ignoring the fact that Marion is in danger of torture and assault. Marion, being fully aware of the danger she is in, decides not to wait and takes matters into her own hands.

Rene is clearly attracted to Marion and, knowing this, Marion uses his desires against him. She puts on the pretty dress he gives her, intentionally allowing him to catch a peak of what he’s lusting after. She flirts and laughs with him, distracting from the knife she has hidden and will use to make her escape. It is she who suggests they have a drink and goads Rene into drinking more than he ought to, all the while knowing that she’s drunk men twice Rene’s size under the table and can do so again. Unfortunately, her escape is thwarted by the arrival of Herr Mac and his Nazi lackeys, but she was going to give it her all and go out with a fight.
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Marion is everything the quintessential damsel or love interest is not supposed to be. She drinks heavily, she curses, she gets in fights, and speaks her mind. And all of this she does while retaining her femininity and allowing her vulnerable side to show when the occasion calls for it. She proves that there is more than one way to be a woman and that she is the equal of any man. Much as I love Indiana Jones, I don’t think he ever quite understood what he had in Marion Ravenwood. But I know what I’ve got here and that’s a feminist icon ahead of her time

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