Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

User Rating:

8.7/10   

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 | Ark Of The Covenant | Escape | 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)
Jakten på den försvunna skatten (Finland: Swedish title) (Sweden) [sv]
Les aventuriers de l'arche perdue (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
х.дФ. б ОНХЯЙЮУ ОНРЕПЪММНЦН ЙНБВЕЦЮ (Soviet Union: Russian title) [ru]
A la recerca de l'arca perduda (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Arka galduaren bila (Spain: Basque title) [eu]
Az elveszett frigyláda fosztogatói (Hungary) [hu]
Dobyvatelé ztracené archy (Czechoslovakia: Czech title) [cs]
Dobyvatelia stratenej archy (Czechoslovakia: Slovak title) [sk]
En busca del arca perdida (Spain) [es]
I predatori dell'arca perduta (Italy) [it]
Indiana Jones în cautarea arcei pierdute (Romania) [ro]
Indiana Jones - Otimaci izgubljenog kovcega (Croatia) [hr]
Indiana Jones e i predatori dell'arca perduta (Italy) (DVD title) [it]
Indiana Jones en busca del arca perdida (Spain) (DVD title) [es]
Indiana Jones i poszukiwacze zaginionej Arki (Poland) (DVD box title) [pl]
Indijana dzouns - Otimaci izgubljenog kovcega (Yugoslavia: Serbian title) [sr]
Jäger des verlorenen Schatzes (West Germany) [de]
Jagten på den forsvundne skat (Denmark) [da]
Kadonneen aarteen metsästäjät (Finland) [fi]
Kutsal hazine avcilari (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Los cazadores del arca perdida (Argentina) [es]
Os Caçadores da Arca Perdida (Brazil) [pt]
Os Salteadores da Arca Perdida (Portugal) [pt]
Poszukiwacze zaginionej arki (Poland) [pl]

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:

Steven Spielberg and Melissa Mathison wrote a script during shooting breaks on the location of this film. Mathison was there to visit her husband, Harrison Ford and Spielberg dictated to her a story idea he had; that script was eventually called E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982).

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Near the beginning, the plane shown flying toward the Golden Gate Bridge is actually traveling eastward, inland away from the ocean. This is apparent because the Fort Point Arch at the south end of the bridge is visible on the right of the frame.

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:

Spoofed in "Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy: Barry Gibb Rides a Roller Coaster (#1.9)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

A British Tar

Excellent movie and brilliantly crafted entertainment with a superb casting

I remember seeing this movie when I was young, and it may well have been in the cinema with my Father, I can't quite remember (if he does, then please post the answer), anyway I do remember seeing it and being thoroughly entertained and that feeling of excitement and total fun staying with me to this very day as that is the feeling that the movie conjures up whenever I think of it.

I think a part of that is down to the fact it's a complete retake on the old serial movies combined with obvious comic book style, and that is just perfect for kids and appeals to them no end, or rather it did then! So it was with excitement that I opened my presents on my birthday and found the boxset for the Indiana Jones Trilogy, and with even more excitement when I finally watched the first in the trilogy, Raiders of the lost Ark.

It was just as I remembered, fun, excitement, wise cracks, a tiny splattering of romance but with a manliness that kids would allow, and lots of stunts and action. It's a superb movie and captures that style of serials, adventure stories and comic books perfectly, how I know that for sure is only through repeats since I wasn't alive during those times.

The set pieces are fantastic, and although some of the wilder end sequences are slightly dated now, it hasn't lost the excitement factor. It's a perfectly crafted movie as well, moving from location to location without any distraction or superfluous scenes, it just feels like it's all there for a reason and that it belongs there.

Harrison Ford is excellent in the role, and I'm inclined to think he was more Indy than he was Solo, but that's a personal opinion. He has many more facial movements and voice inclinations in this early movie than he does nowadays, now he belongs to the moody, quiet school of acting, then he was dynamic, adventurous, strong and as wisecracking as the best of them.

There are some excellent movie making moments in this with George Lucas and Steven Spielberg showing talent galore just oozing out of every pore (where did all that go for Star Wars I to III Mr Lucas?), and they end up making an excellently entertaining movie.

Some could argue that there could be a bit more depth or seriousness to the story, but come on, it's a ripping adventure yarn, you don't need depth. Saving the Ark from the Nazi's, surely that's enough! An excellent movie and great fun too, without a doubt one of my favourite of all time.