This paper will be comparing and contrasting how authors use the same or different themes in a setting. The texts that will be analysed will be The Da Vinci code by Dan Brown and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade directed by Steven Spielberg. Themes that both texts explore is family, and they both explore it through the plot element of the Holy Grail. A minor theme for both texts are about the strength of women. Elsa Schneider in Indiana Jones and Sophie Neveu in the Da Vinci Code.
The Da Vinci code features Robert Langdon and Sophie Nevue travelling through France and London searching for the truth about the Holy Grail by following a trail of clues left by Sophie’s late grandfather, the grand master of an ancient order charged with protecting …show more content…
In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, mise en scene is used in the end of the opening sequence to show the disconnect between Indy and his father, even when young Indy brings back a priceless treasure. The fact that the father is seated facing away from young Indiana represents the divide between father and son. Young Indiana bringing back the archeological discovery acts as a foreshadow to later on when even the family’s mutual love of archeology does not help bring father and son back together. The reconciliation between the two is then represented by the truth of the Holy Grail, as Spielberg comments ‘the Grail is symbolic of finding the truth in one's life - the truth we are always looking for, consciously or unconsciously. For me, that was represented by Indy and Henry meeting...They actually go after the Holy Grail, but their quest is also symbolic of their search for each other.’ (Chapter 1: Completing a hat trick, n.d.) In comparison, Sophie and Robert’s unspoken quest was, instead of finding the Holy Grail, actually to uncover the truth behind Sophie’s family. This unspoken quest was revealed during the resolution, where Sophie’s grandmother reveals herself and tells her the truth about her family, shown in her quote ‘Your grandfather wanted so badly to tell you everything. But things were difficult between you two. He tried so hard. There's so much to explain. So very much to explain." She kissed Sophie's forehead once again, then whispered in her ear. "No more secrets, princess. It's time you learn the truth about our family.’ Instead of using the quest for the Holy Grail to uncover the truth about the Grail or to reconcile family members, Dan Brown uses the Holy Grail to symbolize Sophie’s
The Da Vinci code features Robert Langdon and Sophie Nevue travelling through France and London searching for the truth about the Holy Grail by following a trail of clues left by Sophie’s late grandfather, the grand master of an ancient order charged with protecting …show more content…
In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, mise en scene is used in the end of the opening sequence to show the disconnect between Indy and his father, even when young Indy brings back a priceless treasure. The fact that the father is seated facing away from young Indiana represents the divide between father and son. Young Indiana bringing back the archeological discovery acts as a foreshadow to later on when even the family’s mutual love of archeology does not help bring father and son back together. The reconciliation between the two is then represented by the truth of the Holy Grail, as Spielberg comments ‘the Grail is symbolic of finding the truth in one's life - the truth we are always looking for, consciously or unconsciously. For me, that was represented by Indy and Henry meeting...They actually go after the Holy Grail, but their quest is also symbolic of their search for each other.’ (Chapter 1: Completing a hat trick, n.d.) In comparison, Sophie and Robert’s unspoken quest was, instead of finding the Holy Grail, actually to uncover the truth behind Sophie’s family. This unspoken quest was revealed during the resolution, where Sophie’s grandmother reveals herself and tells her the truth about her family, shown in her quote ‘Your grandfather wanted so badly to tell you everything. But things were difficult between you two. He tried so hard. There's so much to explain. So very much to explain." She kissed Sophie's forehead once again, then whispered in her ear. "No more secrets, princess. It's time you learn the truth about our family.’ Instead of using the quest for the Holy Grail to uncover the truth about the Grail or to reconcile family members, Dan Brown uses the Holy Grail to symbolize Sophie’s