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IMDbPro

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

Original title: Raiders of the Lost Ark
  • 19811981
  • PGPG
  • 1h 55m
IMDb RATING
8.4/10
953K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
185
159
Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Wolf Kahler, Ronald Lacey, and Terry Richards in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Watch Official HD Trailer
Play trailer2:35
22 Videos
99+ Photos
ActionAdventure
Archaeology professor Indiana Jones ventures to seize a biblical artefact known as the Ark of the Covenant. While doing so, he puts up a fight against Renee and a troop of Nazis.Archaeology professor Indiana Jones ventures to seize a biblical artefact known as the Ark of the Covenant. While doing so, he puts up a fight against Renee and a troop of Nazis.Archaeology professor Indiana Jones ventures to seize a biblical artefact known as the Ark of the Covenant. While doing so, he puts up a fight against Renee and a troop of Nazis.
IMDb RATING
8.4/10
953K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
185
159
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Steven Spielberg
    • Writers
      • Lawrence Kasdan(screenplay by)
      • George Lucas(story by)
      • Philip Kaufman(story by)
    • Stars
      • Harrison Ford
      • Karen Allen
      • Paul Freeman
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Steven Spielberg
    • Writers
      • Lawrence Kasdan(screenplay by)
      • George Lucas(story by)
      • Philip Kaufman(story by)
    • Stars
      • Harrison Ford
      • Karen Allen
      • Paul Freeman
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1KUser reviews
    • 278Critic reviews
    • 85Metascore
    Top rated movie #56
    • Won 4 Oscars
      • 38 wins & 24 nominations total

    Videos22

    Official HD Trailer
    Trailer 2:35
    Official HD Trailer
    Indiana Jones 4-Movie Collection
    Trailer 1:37
    Indiana Jones 4-Movie Collection
    Indiana Jones 4-Movie Collection
    Trailer 1:25
    Indiana Jones 4-Movie Collection
    Indiana Jones 4-Movie Collection
    Trailer 1:24
    Indiana Jones 4-Movie Collection
    Indiana Jones 4-Movie Collection
    Trailer 1:21
    Indiana Jones 4-Movie Collection
    Indiana Jones 4-Movie Collection
    Trailer 1:18
    Indiana Jones 4-Movie Collection
    Indiana Jones 4-Movie Collection
    Trailer 0:18
    Indiana Jones 4-Movie Collection
    Indiana Jones 4-Movie Collection
    Trailer 0:21
    Indiana Jones 4-Movie Collection
    Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures
    Trailer 2:22
    Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures
    Indiana Jones Collection
    Trailer 1:47
    Indiana Jones Collection
    Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark: All Four on Blu-Ray
    Trailer 1:15
    Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark: All Four on Blu-Ray
    Raiders of the Lost Ark
    Trailer 2:31
    Raiders of the Lost Ark

    Photos388

    Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
    Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Harry Fielder, and Alan Austen in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
    Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
    Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
    Harrison Ford, Terry Leonard, and Sergio Mioni in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
    Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
    Harrison Ford, Denholm Elliott, Don Fellows, and William Hootkins in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
    Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
    Harrison Ford and Denholm Elliott in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
    Vic Tablian in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
    Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
    Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Harrison Ford
    Harrison Ford
    • Indy
    Karen Allen
    Karen Allen
    • Marion
    Paul Freeman
    Paul Freeman
    • Belloq
    John Rhys-Davies
    John Rhys-Davies
    • Sallah
    Ronald Lacey
    Ronald Lacey
    • Toht
    Denholm Elliott
    Denholm Elliott
    • Brody
    Alfred Molina
    Alfred Molina
    • Satipo
    Wolf Kahler
    Wolf Kahler
    • Dietrich
    Anthony Higgins
    Anthony Higgins
    • Gobler
    Vic Tablian
    Vic Tablian
    • Barranca…
    Don Fellows
    Don Fellows
    • Col. Musgrove
    William Hootkins
    William Hootkins
    • Major Eaton
    Bill Reimbold
    • Bureaucrat
    Fred Sorenson
    Fred Sorenson
    • Jock
    Patrick Durkin
    Patrick Durkin
    • Australian Climber
    Matthew Scurfield
    Matthew Scurfield
    • 2nd. Nazi
    Malcolm Weaver
    Malcolm Weaver
    • Ratty Nepalese
    • (as Malcom Weaver)
    Sonny Caldinez
    Sonny Caldinez
    • Mean Mongolian
    • Director
      • Steven Spielberg
    • Writers
      • Lawrence Kasdan(screenplay by)
      • George Lucas(story by)
      • Philip Kaufman(story by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    The Life and Times of Harrison Ford

    The Life and Times of Harrison Ford

    Take a look back at Harrison Ford's movie career in photos.
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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The famous scene in which Indy shoots a marauding and flamboyant swordsman was not in the original script. Harrison Ford was supposed to use his whip to get the sword out of his attacker's hands, but the food poisoning he and the rest of the crew had gotten made him too sick to perform the stunt. After several unsuccessful tries, Ford suggested "shooting the sucker". Steven Spielberg immediately took him up on the idea, and the scene was successfully filmed.
    • Goofs
      In the flying scenes, the map lists several countries by their modern names instead of their 1936 names. Siam did not become Thailand until 1939. Transjordan did not become Jordan until 1949.
    • Quotes

      Marion: You're not the man I knew ten years ago.

      Indiana: It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage.

    • Crazy credits
      The mountain in the Paramount logo dissolves into the mountain in the Peruvian jungle.
    • Alternate versions
      ABC edited 24 seconds from this film for its 1986 network television premiere.
    • Connections
      Edited from Lost Horizon (1973)
    • 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

    User reviews1K

    Review
    Top review
    A wonderful movie, but I still prefer The Last Crusade.
    Rating: **** out of ****

    There is no doubt in my mind that Indiana Jones is the best movie series in the history of cinema. And the one start it all was Raiders of the Lost Ark, a fast-paced adventure packed with one death-defying cliff-hanger situation after another. To this day, Raiders remains one of the best action movies, holding up better than most of today's rapid-cut, MTV-style "thrill rides." Raiders relied on no CGI, no flashy editing, just pure, exhilarating film-making and storytelling, a combo of its kind that has only been surpassed by its second sequel, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

    Harrison Ford stars as Jones, an archaeologist who dresses in a brown coat and fedora, armed with a revolver and lion-taming whip. A delightful opening involving elaborate booby traps informs us he's used to these adventures (especially his even closer brushes with death in Temple of Doom, which was a prequel). When he returns to the states from his latest "excavation," he's informed by the military that the Nazis are after the ark of the covenant, an artifact that could possess the power to make the Nazis an invincible army. So Jones sets out to retrieve the ark first, in what will prove to be one of his greatest adventures.

    There's probably little doubt that Raiders is the fan/critical favorite of the trilogy, but there are a few things that I actually have to gripe about, blasphemous as it may be. For one, even though the story is excellent, it's not without its holes. Most perplexing is in the film's opening scenes, when we wonder why Jones bothered to bring along potentially traitorous porters when it's such a short distance from the river to the cave temple. Also (spoilers), one needs only to see the film once to realize that if Indy had never tried to intercept the Ark, the Nazis would a) have never found it or b) still would have suffered the same horrible fate regardless.

    The action sequences are superb, though an early bar shootout isn't quite as adrenaline-pumping as it could be and looks quite bland compared to the film's other action scenes. Thankfully, the following street chase is playful and exciting and keeps the joyous momentum flowing. Overall, I'd still argue that both Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade boast more inventive action but there's no questioning that the action scenes in Raiders are fantastic and likely superior to any film you may have seen the last few years.

    As bitchy as I may sound, I'm not trying to harp on Raiders, at least not too much. The movie does feature the famous (and deservedly so) truck chase, one of the most unbelievably thrilling and exhilarating action setpieces I've ever seen (and given an extra boost by John Williams' beautifully rousing score). To this day, even with the recent chase scenes in The Matrix Reloaded and Terminator 3, this sequence has yet to be surpassed.

    Other standout sequences include a sarcophagus almost entirely decorated with snakes, imposing statues, and well-preserved mummies, and Jones' mano-a-mano battle with a seemingly impervious Nazi mechanic. The finale takes the film dangerously close to the horror genre, climaxing things with a truly memorable (and quite frightening) light show for the ages. Every Indiana Jones film has a scene that scarred me as a kid and I think every one who's seen Raiders knows what I'm referring to (as well as its sequels)

    I've said it before, Harrison Ford is wonderful as Jones, embodying a hero that's cool beyond words, yet still entirely human and believable. The supporting cast isn't as up to par: Paul Freeman makes for a decent but not particularly menacing villain as Belloq and Karen Allen is somewhat annoying as Indy's love interest, but there are an equal share in gems, particularly Denholm Elliot as Marcus Brody and John Rhys-Davies as Sallah (The Last Crusade wisely gave these actors/characters more screen time).

    Raiders of the Lost Ark was revolutionary cinema, paving way for summer blockbusters that would attempt for the same winning mix of thrills and humor. Only its sequels matched and/or surpassed it, but some have actually come close (The Mummy). If you haven't seen Raiders yet, put it on the top of your list.
    helpful•113
    84
    • Li-1
    • Jul 16, 2003

    FAQ21

    • What are all these German soldiers doing in British controlled Egypt prior to World War II.? Appeasement aside, the British might be a little worried about a large group of armed Germans being in a League of Nations mandated British Protectorate.
    • Did Belloq actually eat the fly that landed in his mouth towards the end?
    • What is 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' about?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 12, 1981 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official Facebook
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
      • Hebrew
      • Spanish
      • Arabic
      • Nepali
    • Also known as
      • Indiana Jones
    • Filming locations
      • Sidi Bouhlel, Tozeur, Tunisia
    • Production companies
      • Paramount Pictures
      • Lucasfilm
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $18,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $248,159,971
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $8,305,823
      • Jun 14, 1981
    • Gross worldwide
      • $389,925,971
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 55 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Atmos
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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