Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

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)

Stars:

Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman

Top Rated Movies #56 | Won 4 Oscars. Another 34 wins & 24 nominations.

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	...	Bureaucrat
Fred Sorenson	...	Jock
Patrick Durkin	...	Australian Climber

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.

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Plot Keywords:

ark of the covenant | nazi | indiana jones | archeologist | damsel in distress | 

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Taglines:

The Return of the Great Adventure.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure

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Certificate:

13+

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the submarine pen, the German who comes upon Indiana says, in German, "Good day. Tired? Why do you sleep? Where's your shirt? Wash yourself, so that you don't look like a pig at your court martial." He is about to say "Stand upright", but he is cut off when Indiana kicks him repeatedly.

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Goofs

(at around 50 mins) When we see Indy's house, his fireplace is unnaturally lit from the flue, downward.

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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

The mountain in the Paramount logo dissolves into the mountain in the Peruvian jungle.

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Alternate Versions

DVD release cleans up numerous effects shots. The effects aren't replaced, but various visible riggings and matte lines were erased digitally including the reflection when Indy is facing down the cobra.

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Connections

Spoofed in Student Bodies: Bad Girl Emily (1998)

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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

User Reviews

"I'm making this up as I go"

I believe that there is no need to give a summary of the most legendary adventure film ever made. When you think of Harrison Ford, you think of Indiana Jones. And don't lie you think of "Star Wars". It may be a bigger and more popular franchise, but I bet Indiana is everyone's first association. A charismatic professor of archaeology who swings his whip in remote places of the third world, overcomes all obstacles with ease of a comic-book hero, a charmer who seduces women and audiences and who has marked childhood for many generations. Technically excellent, visually impressive (except for the quite silly special effects towards the end), atmospheric, with perfectly balanced elements of adventure, action, humor, and romance. It may not be a masterpiece of cinematography, but with its spirit and influence on the genre as well as on generations of viewers, it certainly deserves cult status.

8/10

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English German Hebrew Spanish Arabic Nepali

Release Date:

12 June 1981 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Les aventuriers de l'arche perdue

Filming Locations:

Yuma, Arizona, USA

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Lucasfilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

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