Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writers:

Lawrence Kasdan (screenplay)
George Lucas (story) ...

Release Date:

12 June 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure

Tagline:

Indiana Jones - the new hero from the creators of JAWS and STAR WARS.

Plot:

Archeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the US government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis.

Plot Keywords:

Nazi | Escape | Ark Of The Covenant | Indiana Jones | Archeologist

Awards:

Won 4 Oscars. Another 24 wins & 21 nominations

Cast

Harrison Ford	...	Indiana Jones
Karen Allen	...	Marion
Paul Freeman	...	Belloq
Ronald Lacey	...	Toht
John Rhys-Davies	...	Sallah
Denholm Elliott	...	Brody
Alfred Molina	...	Satipo
Wolf Kahler	...	Dietrich
Anthony Higgins	...	Gobler
Vic Tablian	...	Barranca / Monkey Man
Don Fellows	...	Col. Musgrove
William Hootkins	...	Major Eaton
Bill Reimbold	...	Bureaucrat
Fred Sorenson	...	Jock
Patrick Durkin	...	Australian Climber

Also Known As:

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (South Africa: English title) (DVD box title) (USA) (video title)

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Hebrew | Spanish | Arabic | Nepali

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

USA:PG (edited for re-rating) (certificate #26345) | USA:R (original rating) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Italy:T | Iceland:12 | Finland:K-11 (DVD rating) | South Korea:12 | Brazil:Livre | Argentina:13 | Australia:M (DVD rating) | Australia:PG | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Israel:PG | Netherlands:12 (DVD rating) | Norway:15 (re-rating) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (2004) | UK:PG (video rating) (1987) | West Germany:16 | Canada:G (Quebec) (re-rating) (2003) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Bushey, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The instructions for the construction of the Ark are found in Exodus 25:10. The clothing that Belloq wears while acting as a High Priest during the ceremony at the end is found beginning in Exodus chapter 28.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Indy is holding onto the front of the truck with the wheel between his legs after being thrown out of the window, a shot of his back reveals the small wooden seat he is sitting on.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Satipo: [picking up poison dart] The Hovitos are near. The poison is still fresh, three days. They're following us.
Barranca: If they knew we were here, they would've killed us already.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Outing (1987)

Soundtrack:

A British Tar

When you're hungry, everyone believes you

There are only so many films in history that I can watch again and again, gaining new appreciation for, one of them is this film. I went from the movies to VHS, and finally to DVD. The availability and quality of this film keep raising the bar of what I can get from it.

I read someone posted that this is the king of B movies or something of that sort, while I honestly think in some scenes like when Indy is running from the Hovitos and he rises over the hill, the film had a really strange documentary feeling, like if a comic actually came to life and like in the Twilight Zone, you were stuck in it. It is great to see this film, now that I edit and produce small independent films, and have worked in post production in Los Angeles. I honestly think almost every scene in this film is better than what's coming out today in sci-fi/adventure. I might pull back that comment in regards to some nice visuals in Riddick, and maybe the new Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, but I'm not certain.

The amount of time and effort put into the comedy, adventure, and depth of each character dazzles me because I really can't tell it was filmed the same year Fame was. It really has a unique look to it. The key lighting in the piece is amazing, almost everything looks like it was perfectly worked out.

My only complaint is the attempt to visualize the opening of the Ark, as most of the other scenes don't deal with the supernatural except maybe a burning crate with a nazi symbol on it. George should redo that last scene in my opinion, and tighten it up, because I really think it wasn't coming together, however when I was a child it was so amazing and scary realistic. It's all perspective, but my point it that now in this modern filming era, the acting and film production is holding tight to this day.

I forward you to just enjoy this film and look for things like formulas on chalkboards, skeletons in classrooms, proper patches on Nazi gear, gun accuracy. Research the film's era and background, and it only gets better. That's the ability that Spielberg and Lucas have, attention to detail and clever twists on most of their bodies of work.

Watch this film again, it's worth it, I promise you.