scene from the beginning of the movie, the Ark be-
ing shelved and locked away secretly by the Ameri-
can government, and the clever American shooting
his way out of a sword duel. The film also introduced
misconceptions about archaeology. Its popularity re-
sulted in the prequelIndiana Jones and the Temple of
Doom(1984), the sequelsIndiana Jones and the Last
Crusade(1989) andIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the
Cr ystal Skull(2008), and the television seriesThe
Young Indiana Jones Chronicles(1992-1993).
Further Reading
Gordon, A. “Raiders of the Lost Ark: Totem and Ta-
boo.”Extrapolation 32 (Fall, 1991): 256-267. A
look at the symbolism withinRaiders of the Lost Ark.
Looks at the cultural impact of the film and its re-
alism.
King, Cynthia M. “Effects of Humorous Heroes and
Villains in Violent Action Films.”Journal of Com-
munication50 (Winter, 2000): 5-24. Examines the
comic action film and explains the interest in
movies such asRaiders of the Lost Ark. Also looks at
how the violence in such movies is received by au-
diences.
Taylor, Derek.The Making of “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”
New York: Ballantine Books, 1981. Offers individ-
ual stories from the cast and crew, as well as an
overview of the making of the film. Contains pho-
tographs on location and information on the sets.
Daniel R. Vogel
See also Academy Awards; Action films; Archaeol-
ogy;Empire Strikes Back, The; Epic films; Film in the
United States; Ford, Harrison; Spielberg, Steven.
Rambo
Identification Fictional character
In the 1980’s, America began to come to terms with the so-
cial turmoil left by the Vietnam War. Attempts were made to
rehabilitate the reputations of both the Vietnam veteran and
the United States militar y in general, and Rambo became a
fictional spokesperson for these movements.
The character of John Rambo was created by David
Morrell for the 1972 novelFirst Bloodbut was intro-
duced to most Americans in a 1982 action film based
on the book. With Sylvester Stallone as Rambo, the
filmFirst Bloodbecame a modest hit and spawned
two bigger sequels,Rambo: First Blood, Part 2(1985)
andRambo III(1988). Stallone reprised his role in
the sequels; Morrell wrote the novelizations. There
were also Rambo video games and an animated se-
ries (1986).
The United States lost its first war of the modern
period in Vietnam, a conflict accompanied by civil
and political unrest at home and which was fought at
a time of increasing liberalism in America. By the
1980’s, both cultural and political liberalism had
waned and a new conservatism was developing, lead-
ing to President Ronald Reagan’s election in 1980.
Reagan, president until 1989, is credited with re-
building America’s military strength and confidence
after Vietnam, and it is no accident that he was called
a “Rambo” by his detractors at home and abroad.
The former actor even invoked the character in
speeches.
Rambo died in the novelFirst Blood, but he sur-
vived in the film. In an emotional speech before sur-
rendering to the authorities, Rambo vocalized feel-
ings that many Americans had about the war and
its aftermath—that American soldiers had been
treated more as villains than heroes when they re-
turned from the war and that the military could have
won if it had not been shackled by political forces.
The sequels reinforced these themes.
Vietnam War veterans were finally honored pub-
licly in the 1980’s by the Vietnam Veterans Memo-
rial. President Reagan addressed America’s loss of
military confidence by dramatically increasing de-
fense spending and by showing a willingness to exer-
cise military power, as in the 1983 Grenada invasion.
However, Reagan’s critics accused him of jingoism,
especially after he began referencing the Rambo
films in speeches directed at the Soviet Union and
its Cold War allies.
WhileFirst Bloodsympathetically portrayed Rambo
as a psychologically scarred Vietnam War veteran,
the sequels were much more violent and linked vio-
lence to patriotic themes. While the general public
enjoyed the mayhem, critics and many Vietnam vet-
erans felt that the violence was excessive and that the
films oversimplified the war.Impact The Rambo films were both an influence
on and a reflection of both the rehabilitation of the
American military, and—particularly for the two se-
quels—the rise in patriotic and aggressive feelings
within the United States during the 1980’s.796 Rambo The Eighties in America