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Perhaps no cinematic frame better encapsulates the insight that “the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom” than one near the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Harrison Ford – wiry, handsome, unarmed for once – and Karen Allen – girlish, lovely, clad in a white silk dress – hold hands in the gloom. They appear like a couple on their wedding day – frightened, humbled, oddly innocent.
But they’re not looking at each other. They’re staring away across a shadowy clearing to the glowing footstool of the Lord, the deity who has just massacred the enemy of his chosen people and left Ford and Allen unscathed. It’s a moment of revelation, but it proves short-lived for the characters.