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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
973K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
157
28
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
23 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
973K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
157
28
    • Steven Spielberg
    • Lawrence Kasdan(screenplay by)
    • George Lucas(story by)
    • Philip Kaufman(story by)
  • Stars
    • Harrison Ford
    • Karen Allen
    • Paul Freeman
    • Steven Spielberg
    • 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
    • 282Critic reviews
    • 85Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #56
    • Won 4 Oscars

    Videos23

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

    Photos391

    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
      • Steven Spielberg
      • 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.
    See more Harrison
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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
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Will stand the test of time forever.
    I've seen Raiders of the Lost Ark numerous times on TV, DVD and big screen. My local theatre had a special showing last night and the 400-seat screen completely sold out (as Indy films always do). Luckily for me and my pal, we got the last 2 tickets available! I can't think of many films that still sell-out 25 years after their original release. There's just something about Indy movies(iconic hero, affection, epic spectacle) that brings you back again and again.

    The only trouble with that is there are zillions of reviews, critiques and dissections of this movie already out there, so what I have to offer will probably not be anything new. I will however not go the way of the cliché and mention 1930's serials, Tom Selleck or the sword/gun fight.

    I will, however, ask you one question. Did you know that some of the more iconic, memorable sequences from Raiders owe quite a lot to Duck Tales? What? Surely it's the other way around? Well, no. The globe-trotting adventures of Scrooge McDuck, Huey, Duey, Luey and Donald in Carl Bank's Disney comic-books from the 50s came first. If you can find some of these then you'll surely notice the similarities.

    The hunt for the Ark of the Covenant is more than just an excuse for action. So many movies these days seem to come up with action first and string them together with some lame plot. Movies like this are quickly forgotten and one of the reasons Raiders holds up so well is because it works the Covenant story so well into the plot.

    The action comes in a succession of set-pieces. I do enjoy films that have to increasingly better themselves in every scene. Raiders introduced this as a standard that the sequels had to live up to. My fave scene has to be the massive truck chase through Egypt, which is made up of many of its own smaller sequences. One little idiosyncrasy I like about Indy is that even though he's a College Professor and Doctor, he has no beef killing people. So very far from the ubiquitous PC heroes of todays movies.

    You might think that it's rather geeky to hype up the editing and sound design, but they do stand out from recent action movies. The gunfire and punching seem to have a sort of 'Indy' signature sound to them, that I've not heard in any other films. And obviously, John William's classic score is one of those themes that just everybody in the world knows (though I prefer his score to Temple of Doom), truly one of the best movie themes ever. Better than Star Wars!

    I'm not sure if Spielberg planned on Raiders starting the Indy franchise but there's already enough in here to establish a whole universe of potential stories and character arcs. There's talk of a fourth movie at the moment, but I personally don't think it will happen and I don't want it to. It's perfect existing as a trilogy and a sequel that comes traipsing in 18 years after the last is just not going to feel right. Even if you are hungry for more Indy then there are loads of books and video games out there and then there's the Young Indiana Jones TV show (where are the DVDs?), which are official Indy canon and even starred Ford once (they bounced around in time).

    I am giving Raiders 9/10 because I just have a soft spot for Temple of Doom (which is obviously a 10/10 movie). Even 25 years after it first came out it still has the power to captivate the audience and provoke sheer excitement every time. And in 25 years it will still be far superior to almost everything.

    Now there's something you cannot say about The Fast and the Furious! Sigh, where did all the special movies go?
    helpful•136
    64
    • CuriosityKilledShawn
    • Sep 26, 2006

    FAQ22

    • 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 kind of hat does Indiana Jones wear?

    Details

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

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 55 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Atmos

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