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Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

PG | | Action, Adventure | 12 June 1981 (USA)
Raiders of the Lost Ark Poster
Trailer
2:35 | Trailer
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 »

Stars:

Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman | See full cast & crew »
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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
See full cast »
Edit

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

Plot Keywords:

nazi | ark of the covenant | archeologist | indiana jones | egypt | See All (251) »

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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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 and the Raiders of the Lost Ark 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:

$390,133,212
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Lucasfilm See more »
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)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1
See full technical specs »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

Steven Spielberg originally wanted Danny DeVito to play Sallah, and DeVito was set for the role, but he had to drop out, due to conflicts with Taxi (1978). DeVito later appeared as a second banana to Michael Douglas in the Raiders tribute and derivative, Romancing the Stone (1984). See more »

Goofs

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. 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.
See more »

Crazy Credits

The mountain in the Paramount logo dissolves into the mountain in the Peruvian jungle. See more »

Alternate Versions

On the Laserdisc (widescreen) version, the sound effect when the staff lands in the map room after Indy drops it is different from all other versions.... See more »

Connections

Referenced in RiffTrax: Curse of Bigfoot (2012) See more »

Soundtracks

I am the Monarch of the Sea
(1878) (uncredited)
From "H.M.S. Pinafore"
Music by Arthur Sullivan
Lyrics by W.S. Gilbert
Sung a cappella by John Rhys-Davies
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Could the map room procedure have actually shown where the Ark was located?
Q: What is the golden head at the beginning?
Q: Was there really a long fight scene planned between Indy and the swordsman?
See more »

User Reviews

 
One of my faves
9 August 2018 | by lebowskirulz – See all my reviews

This film had a huge impact on my life. It (as well as Aliens) really introduced me to the films I love. The 80s and 90s were amazing for film while I was growing up. I love all the practical effects and wish they were still used a lot more than they are but cgi has taken over. Oh well. At least it has improved drastically over the years. Anyway, I feel like everyone should see this in their life and if you haven't....get on it
16 of 21 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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