1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- Raiders of the Lost Ark

#696- Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman
Directed by Steven Spielberg


Plot Summary: Indiana Jones is an infamous treasure hunter, as well as a teacher at Marshall College. He is informed by two Army Intelligence agents that the Nazis are searching for Indiana's old mentor Abner Ravenwood, who is in possession of the headpiece of the Staff of Ra. Indiana deduces that the Nazis are looking for the Staff of Ra so they can find the location of the Ark of the Covenant. Jones is sent by the agents to find and protect the Ark before the Nazis can get to it. When Jones travels to Nepal to find Abner, he finds out that his mentor has died and the headpiece is in possession of Abner's daughter Marion, who has bitter feelings for Jones thanks to a previous romantic affair with him. She refuses to sell the headpiece to him, but when the Nazis show up on her doorstep in search of the item, Jones saves Marion and they escape with the headpiece. In an effort to repay him for saving her life, Marion agrees to accompany Indiana Jones on his quest to find the Ark.


It was only a matter of time before we got to our buddy Indiana Jones. As one of the most legendary figures in the history of film, Indiana Jones has been one of the premier names and faces of the adventure genre and his debut film Raiders of the Lost Ark is an absolute classic in the minds and hearts of moviegoers everywhere. With Steven Spielberg directing, and a story written by George Lucas, Raiders of the Lost Ark is not only a good movie, not only a fun movie, but is also one of the most important box office phenomenons of all-time. Even if you have never sat through an Indiana Jones film, you know the basic premise, the theme song, the whip, the fedora, the leather jacket, Harrison Ford, and arguably the greatest opening scene in film history. So let's embark on an epic journey and discuss why people still love Raiders of the Lost Ark even to this day.

Harrison Ford stars in one of his most iconic roles (tied with Han Solo...let the debate begin) as Indiana Jones. First off, considering that Ford was alternating between playing Han Solo and Indiana Jones around this time, it's impressive he was able to deliver as two completely different types of characters for two big blockbuster franchises. What makes Indy different from Han is that he isn't the shoot first and ask questions later kind of guy. Indy is like James Bond or MacGyver, who gets caught up in these strange and elaborate situations and must rely on his brain and his resources to get out of them. He's also not in it for the money or the glory like Han Solo is in Star Wars, but rather values historical value in the artifacts he is helping to preserve. Indiana Jones is one of the greatest heroes in film history and is one of two main reasons Harrison Ford is the screen legend he is.

A hero is only as good as his sidekicks (I'm sure someone has said before...could be wrong...too lazy to check), and Indian Jones has some pretty good sidekicks in the form of Marion Ravenwood, played by Karen Allen, and Sallah, played by John Rhys-Davies. Both characters are not the most complex but they leave quite the impression. Marion is a no-nonsense, tough as nails character (with a soft spot for Indy), and Sallah is a loyal companion with a seemingly endless amount of resources to accompany Indy on his quest. Like I said, both characters aren't overly complex, but they are fan favorites and when they both show up again in later movies, they always get a smile out of me since they are familiar faces on Indy's journeys and are the most competent of allies he's had in these movies (not counting his father played by Sean Connery).

What better bad guys to have Indiana Jones battle but the Nazis? We have at least 3 main antagonists that ruffle Indy's feathers in the film (but more than surely get their comeuppance in gruesome fashion). The lesser of the three is Colonel Dietrich, played by Wolf Kahler, whose main role is to be a commander of the Nazis and be...well...a Nazi. Then we have the intimidating Major Arnold Toht, played by Ronald Lacey. Toht is this weaselly character with a memorable black trenchcoat, black hat, and round glasses. Something about the way he speaks is also captivating, getting under the characters' (particularly Marion's) skin by speaking mainly soft but stern. Finally, we have the brains behind the organization and one of Indy's biggest rivals, Dr. René Belloq, played by Paul Freeman. He has charm and wit, but is very greedy and arrogant. He is the antithesis of a character like Indiana Jones, focusing more on what the fame and glory than the history and knowledge that Indy values.

Like I said earlier, Raiders of the Lost Ark has arguably the greatest opening scene in film history. Even people who haven't seen the movie know this scene. Heck, it's the basis for the ride at Disneyland. With that epic John Williams score in the background, we see Indy hiding his face, shrouded in shadows. When someone tries to double cross him with a pistol, Indy snaps his whip to get rid of the gun, steps forward and we see Ford in all his glory as Indy. From then on, you can picture it all in your head: the temple, the golden idol, the poison darts, and the giant rolling rock. You've seen it, and it's been the source of parodies (my favorite being Weird Al's in UHF) and homages ever since. It's a great scene that sets the mood for the kind of character Indiana Jones will be. Now, of course it has NOTHING to do with the rest of the movie but I don't care because it's tons of fun and it keeps me entertained every time.

Everyone and their mother knows who Indiana Jones is and we have to thank Spielberg, Lucas, and Ford for that. I'm sure they thought it would be a good movie, but wouldn't become the iconic franchise that it is today. What started as their tribute to the adventure serials in the '30s and '40s became the resurgence of a genre. Granted, only Jones is able to pull it off since, but it definitely brought this kind of movie to the attention of a modern audience and they ate it up like crazy. If anything, Indiana Jones surpassed the genre it was based on and has become one of the most popular movies of the '80s and of Spielberg's career. In fact, of all the films I've seen from Spielberg these last two months, this would be the one that 50 years from now when we are looking back at Spielberg's career, this would be the one that moviegoers would remember the most.


Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Raiders of the Lost Ark will always be one of the most iconic movies in American history. It's an homage to the classic adventure stories told in serial format during the '30s and '40s and thanks to the collaborative efforts of Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Harrison Ford, we have one of the greatest movie heroes ever created. Any moviegoer alive has heard of Indiana Jones, making this film a no brainer to recommend in everyone's DVD collection.

Raiders of the Lost Ark and movie images are copyrighted by Paramount Pictures