Raiders of the Lost Ark – 1981
This was a great movie. It was fun and smart. It was a fantasy that had great action, great villains, an awesome protagonist, an awesome plot, a sense of humor, and fantastic special effects. Sure, I would have loved to see Raiders of the Lost Arc win the Award for Best Picture, but I know why it didn’t win. Unfortunately, the Academy rarely takes action, adventure movies seriously. It’s as if they think that movies like this are for kids because they don’t have any deep drama.
Harrison Ford plays Indiana Jones, a character that is so popular that he has become a staple of pop culture. He is an archeologist that specializes in ancient civilizations and the occult. But whereas most archeologists spend their time in the field, patiently digging or excavating a particular site, Jones spends his time stealing ancient artifacts from forbidden Peruvian temples or digging up buried treasure from Egyptian tombs. His adventures require weapons like a gun or his trusty bullwhip.
He has a nefarious rival who will stop at nothing to obtain mythical prizes they are both after. He is Rene Belloq, played by Paul Freeman. Jones is contacted by the U.S. government and told that the Nazis are looking for, and believe they are close to finding the biblical Ark of the Covenant. If Hitler gets the Ark, He and his armies will be invincible. They hire Jones to find it first.
And there’s the setup. Sounds simple, right? And in reality, it is. But the adventure plays out in such a fun and interesting way, like a video game with a linear plot. First you find the headpiece to the Staff of Ra. Then you find someone to interpret the markings on it. Then you go to the Map Room in the buried City of Tanis which is near Cairo. Then you plant the staff in the proper hole in the floor at the right time of day to learn where the Well of the Souls is. Then you get into the ancient tomb. Doesn’t is sound like a kid’s fantasy?
Sure it does, but that’s part of what makes it so fun. And we also get to meet some wonderful characters along the way. Karen Allen plays Marion Ravenwood, one of Indiana’s old flames who has the headpiece. Salah, played by John Rhys-Davies, is his friend in Cairo who knows someone who can interpret the markings on the headpiece. But the villains are just as awesome. The Nazis, of course, are always great bad guys. Wolf Kahier plays Colonel Dietrich, the ruthless man behind Hitler’s search for the Ark. And the best bad guy of all, Major Arnold Toht, played by Ronald Lacey. He is an interrogator for the Gestapo. He is physically creepy and evil the core. And then there is Belloq who is hired by the Nazis. Such a great cast of characters.
And then, of course, there is Jones, Himself. He is handsome, smart, physically fit, and bold. He is also dashing and witty, and charming. Ford plays him perfectly, though the part was first offered to Tom Selleck. Can you imagine? I also loved Rhys-Davies as Sallah. He was likable, loyal, and a great side-kick for Jones. Karen Allen did a great job as his love interest and partner. I like that she was not a damsel in distress who constantly needed to be rescued. She was a tough woman who could take care of herself.
The special effects were spectacular! In the film’s climactic scene. The Nazis have captured Jones, Marion, and the Ark. They take it to a secret island where Belloq plans to open the Ark and claim its power for himself. Dietrich and Toht are with him. The Ark is opened and the bad guys get more than they bargained for. Angelic spirits come out of the Ark and destroy all the Nazi’s video and recording equipment. But then their beautiful faces turn horrific as they reveal themselves as Angels of Death. Then the wrath of God himself comes out in the form of a pillar of fire that kills all the Nazis. Dietrich’s head shrivels to a withered husk, Toht’s face melts from his skull, and Belloq’s head explodes!
Such an exciting scene! Such an exciting movie! And it was all enhance by a fantastic and memorable score by the master, himself, John Williams. Who can forget that wonderful and thrilling main title theme? But for me, the magic of this movie’s music is the majestic and yet creepy music played whenever the Ark of the Covenant is discussed or shown. Such great film music! This is the kind of movie that was just plain and simple fun for the whole family.