Raiders of the Lost Ark

• Directed by Steven Spielberg
• June 12, 1981
• Based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman

A globetrotting archaeologist races against Nazi forces and a rival archaeologist to find the lost Ark of the Covenant and teams up with his tough former romantic interest to stop the Nazis from getting the Ark and the power within.

Remember, when you could go to the movies and watch a fun film and enjoy yourself? Raiders of the Lost Ark was one such film. It was a thrilling and character driven attempt to update the adventure serial format to the present day. With exciting escapes and edge of your seat thrills this was unlike anything else at the time. And it did indeed update the adventure serial format for modern audiences without losing anything. Lucas and Kaufman took a good look at the genre and worked on what needed to be worked on.

It made it more serious and much less silly without losing what made it what it was. Doing so in any instance is a tough balancing act, but George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and everyone else involved accomplished it perfectly. Wisely the film does not bring the story into the present but rather keeps it in the time those serials were popular. And truthfully, those movies only worked because of when they came out and being set in that very time.

The character of Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) was far from perfect, but he was more than capable of dealing with the threats at hand. He had enough in common with the adventure serial hero that you could see the connection yet there is plenty in the crafting of Indiana Jones that connected him to more modern characters. Ford uses the same roguish charm here that he used for Han Solo. When it comes to action our hero rarely uses a gun but will occasionally use fists and consistently uses a whip. He’s a thief, but only in the name of knowledge.

And what better villains to have than Nazis? Not only are they history’s most vile group, but the intertwining of truth and mythology around them makes them absolutely ideal for a hero of the time Raiders is set to face off against.

While the Nazis supply the evil, the main villain of the story is a rival archaeologist named Belloq (Paul Freeman). A reference to Moloch mentioned mostly in Leviticus? Not sure and that thought is based on the pronunciation of Belloq’s name. He is Indy’s intellectual and ability equal but as good and moral as Indy is, he is evil and not nearly as interested in knowledge as Indy is.

A lot has been made of Indiana Jones being ultimately unimportant to the resolution of the film. And I can certainly see that point of view. The Nazis would’ve been destroyed by the power of God after opening the Ark regardless of his involvement. But the Ark would not have found its way into safekeeping from Nazi hands or the hands of anyone else who might have nefarious designs on it if Indiana Jones had not been there to claim it. And maybe that was the point of his involvement after all.

John Williams was perhaps a near ideal choice for the music. It is rousing and thrilling and speaks of fun and adventure. There may have been one or two working at the time that could have pulled it off but only Williams, coming off of Superman AND Star Wars: A New Hope, had the skills down pat to definitely get it right.

Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) personality wise was the equal to Indy as well as all the other characters. As with other women in adventure serials, she was the damsel in distress, but she also had the ability to stand on her own. She was not some empty-headed twit that was barely better than furniture. Try though not to think about the implied reality that this rekindled romance started when Marion was too young and Indy was not. Creepy!

Raiders is a globetrotting adventure. It’s exotic locales. It’s everything that you want in an adventure. And much of this is done on sets with very little effects. Seriously. The only bit of special effects comes when they crack open the Ark.

And that helps drive home the epic power of God. You will certainly feel like an all-powerful being is raining Biblical destruction upon the Nazis. Spielberg teased it subtly and the payoff was well worth it.

Raiders of the Lost Ark is the rare first film in a series that gets things right the first time. It is a perfect Indiana Jones film as well as a perfect example of all the concepts used throughout the series. And the ending is absolutely perfect. I’m not talking about the whole Nazi disposition, but the simplicity of having the Ark locked away, and presumably lost in a warehouse amongst so many other things. Just an absolutely one of the most perfect endings in movies.

Raiders of the Lost Ark is a film classic of the action-adventure genre. It has thrills and chills and romance and exotic locations and pulse pounding action. And it is the first in a film series that is perfectly executed right off the bat. This is a must see!