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 31 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:

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

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Genres:

Action | Adventure

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Certificate:

13+

Did You Know?

Trivia

Producers limited the onscreen blood from gunshots during the truck chase by using fine red dust instead of liquid fake blood. Unfortunately, the only red dust available for the squibs was cayenne pepper, which caused a lot of suffering for the stunt crew.

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Goofs

During the classroom scene, the "MICHAELSON CHAPTER 4 and 5" written on the blackboard changes to "MICHAELSON CHAPTE 4 & 5" from shot to shot.

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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

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

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Connections

Referenced in Bob's Burgers: Paraders of the Lost Float (2017)

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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

Great

This movie has it all, action, romance, comedy, giant boulders and occult seeking Nazis. Story conceived by George Lucas and screenplay written by the same guy that wrote Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. If that doesn't sell it, then look no further than Steven Spielberg because he directed it. Awesome movie all around and definitely a genre classic. An absolute must see for any movie fan that likes fun.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA UK

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