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Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Raiders of the Lost Ark (original title)
In 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before Adolf Hitler's Nazis can obtain its awesome powers.

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writers:

Lawrence Kasdan (screenplay by), George Lucas (story by) | 1 more credit »
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Popularity
410 ( 49)
Top Rated Movies #56 | Won 4 Oscars. Another 34 wins & 24 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harrison Ford ... Indy
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 Bill Reimbold ... Bureaucrat
Fred Sorenson ... Jock
Patrick Durkin ... Australian Climber
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Storyline

The year is 1936. An archeology professor named Indiana Jones is venturing in the jungles of South America searching for a golden statue. Unfortunately, he sets off a deadly trap but miraculously escapes. Then, Jones hears from a museum curator named Marcus Brody about a biblical artifact called The Ark of the Covenant, which can hold the key to humanly existence. Jones has to venture to vast places such as Nepal and Egypt to find this artifact. However, he will have to fight his enemy Rene Belloq and a band of Nazis in order to reach it. Written by John Wiggins

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

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

Genres:

Action | Adventure

Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

In the script, Marion tells Indiana that she survived by working at the bar, "And I wasn't the bartender." George Lucas suggested at the script conference, "She started out maybe singing or being a call girl or whatever. Eventually she bought out the guy who ran the place, or he died." See more »

Goofs

Luggage rack detaches itself from the truck when Indy collides with the water trough, but it's fixed in subsequent shots. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Satipo: [picking up poison dart] The Hovitos are near.
[tastes the end of the dart, spits it out quickly]
Satipo: The poison is still fresh, three days. They're following us.
Barranca: If they knew we were here, they would have killed us already.
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Crazy Credits

Film ends with a man in a warehouse pushing a crate with the ark buried See more »

Alternate Versions

ABC edited 24 seconds from this film for its 1986 network television premiere. See more »

Connections

Referenced in General Hospital: Episode #1.13493 (2016) See more »

Soundtracks

A British Tar
(1878) (uncredited)
From "H.M.S. Pinafore"
Music by Arthur Sullivan
Lyrics by W.S. Gilbert
Sung a cappella by John Rhys-Davies
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User Reviews

 
Not perfect but close
1 January 2021 | by rbnlyns-08507See all my reviews

Saturday afternoon at the movies couldn't get any better.


7 of 7 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Hebrew | Spanish | Arabic | Nepali

Release Date:

12 June 1981 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Indiana Jones See more »

Filming Locations:

Yuma, Arizona, USA See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,305,823, 14 June 1981

Gross USA:

$248,159,971

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$389,925,971
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)| Dolby Stereo (35 mm prints)| Dolby Digital (IMAX version)| IMAX 6-Track (IMAX version)| Dolby Atmos (IMAX version)| Datasat (IMAX version)| SDDS (IMAX version)| Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1
See full technical specs »

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