Raiders of the Lost Ark: 40 Years Later

Released: June 12, 1981

Director: Steven Spielberg

Run Time: 115 Minutes

Rated PG

Distributor: Paramount Pictures

Genre: Action/Adventure

Cast:
Harrison Ford: Indy
Karen Allen: Marion
Paul Freeman: Belloq
John Rhys-Davies: Sallah
Ronald Lacey: Toht
Denholm Elliot: Brody
Alfred Molina: Satipo
Wolf Kahler: Dietrich

It’s really something special when you watch a movie on its 40th anniversary.  2017 was the 40th anniversary of George Lucas’ original Star Wars, and last year saw the 40th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back.  2019 saw the 40th year of movies like Alien and Star Trek: The Motion Picture.  When you look back at when these movies were made, it’s really quite astounding that a number of them stand the test of time.  I think the reason that these movies hold up so well after such a long period of time is because of how they were made.  These movies were made long before CGI was a thing, and certainly decades before social media and the internet existed, so you didn’t know that one of these movies existed until a trailer showed up, and even then you had to go see another movie to see that trailer.  Very different times.  One of the greatest action-adventure movies of all time and one of my absolute favorite movies ever, Raiders of the Lost Ark, is celebrating it’s 40th anniversary today: June 12, 2021.  Perhaps it’s fate, coincidence, or a perfect timing of Internet marketing, but earlier this week, it was announced that a fifth and final Indiana Jones film finally went into production.  After years of speculation and delays, it’s finally happening.  Also, the first four films have just been released in 4k ultra high definition.  There is no better time to revisit these classic films, and that’s what I’m doing.

The film opens in the jungles of South America as famed archaeologist Indiana Jones and a group of native guides navigate the jungle looking for a hidden temple.  After being betrayed by one guide, Jones finds the entrance to the temple and navigates the traps to find a golden idol.  Grabbing the idol causes the temple to start collapsing so Indy and his guide attempt to escape, only to be betrayed by his SECOND guide.  Indy escapes the temple only to be confronted by a group of native warriors led by rival archaeologist, Belloq.  After escaping Belloq, Indy is recruited by US Army Intelligence to locate the lost Ark of the Covenant, which is said to have been buried in the Egyptian city of Tanis.  He locates his former flame, Marion and recruits his long-time friend Sallah in a race against the Nazis to find the Ark.  The story here is very reminiscent of the old black and white swashbuckling serials of the 30s and 40s.  It was kind of an update on the old serials with a modern sensibility and film-making techniques.  It’s a race against time and the film’s MacGuffin is the legendary Ark of the Covenant.  What I love about the stories in these movies, is how they incorporate the supernatural into these films.  Indy is a skeptic when it comes to these things, but finds no explanation when he’s finally confronted with the reality of the situation.  The film wouldn’t have worked nearly as well if the characters weren’t memorable.

Before I go any further with the characters, I want to discuss something about the relationship between Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood.  Over the past couple of weeks, some people have been up in arms about the relationship between Indy and Marion.  See, in the film Marion would be about 24, 25, or 26 years old.  Ten years had passed since she and Indy first fell in love, which would’ve meant that she would’ve been a teenager when she first met Indy, and he would have been about 27 or 28.  Because of that age difference, people jumped to the conclusion that Indy was a pedophile.  First of all, the film doesn’t explicitly explain what had happened, and it was implied that Indy broke off the relationship.  What people fail to understand, and I had to do some research on this, was that the societal norms of the 1920s, which is when this relationship would have taken place, was very different than today.  So, some of these relationships were more common and considered more acceptable than others, even though the times were changing.  Would a relationship like that be okay today?  No, and it shouldn’t be because of the obvious power dynamics, but people seem to forget the societal and historical context of when Indy’s and Marion’s relationship occurred.  Here’s what I’m getting at:  People are trying to dig up controversy when there really isn’t any, nor was there any implied.  I can’t even believe that this needs to be a discussion.  Karen Allen herself had to come out and defend against these ridiculous notions.  Oh, and I forgot the most important part about all this:  It’s a movie.  That will be all that I’m going to say on the subject.

What THAT said, the chemistry between Indy and Marion is very strong, and her entrance is as memorable as Indy’s.  After seeing her in a drinking game in Nepal, she punches Indy right in the kisser.  It’s as amusing as it is emotional, considering their relationship.  Funny tidbit: Karen Allen actually made contact with Harrison’s chin about 4 times.  So, Marion is definitely a spitfire and just as tough as Indy.  Marion is one of my favorite female characters, because she doesn’t fit the traditional mold of a damsel in distress.  No, she fights back, and she fights dirty.  She’s also smart enough to outwit people.  She’s clearly a strong, independent woman, and Karen Allen was PERFECT for the role.  John Rhys-Davis plays Indy’s sidekick Sallah, and  Davies has a unique presence to add to the film.  Yeah, the character is a little goofy at times, but his generosity and kindness allow people to really sympathize with him whenever he gets into trouble.  Paul Freeman as Belloq is one of the series’ most memorable villains.  As Belloq put it, he is a twisted reflection of Indy.  While Indy is constantly covered in dirt, he does things for the right reasons, whereas Belloq is clean and well-groomed hiding that nasty interior.  Paul Freeman just nails it perfectly with that uptight and bizarre French accent.  Now, we came to Indiana Jones himself, played to perfection by Harrison Ford.  He’s an everyman that most of us can relate to.  He’s a teacher, which means he values a good education, but he also puts his knowledge of archaeology to good use when he’s hunting down relics around the world.  Indy is such a great character, because he’s not flawless.  He’s got a lot of imperfections.  He gets hurt.  He makes mistakes.  It’s like the character is actually…human.  That makes for a far more compelling hero than anything else, and Harrison Ford IS Indiana Jones.  It’s probably his most memorable character.  Yeah, Ford played Han Solo, but Solo was a fairly two-dimensional side-character.  I can’t imagine Indy being played by anyone other than Harrison Ford.

You really can’t describe the action in this movie without using the word “iconic.”  The opening sequence in South America is a hell of a way to start a movie, but not only does it set the tone for the rest of the film, it also sets up the antagonistic relationship between Belloq and Indy.  The bar fight in Nepal is also memorable.  Aside from Marion slugging Indy in the chin, where else can you see Indy taking on Nazis and a giant Sherpa at the same time?  When Marion gets kidnapped, there is a moment in that sequence that is cinematic gold.  It’s the showdown between Indy and the Arab swordsman.  There was initially a drawn-out choreographed fight that was supposed to take place between the two, but Ford got sick during this point in the production, so they just had Indy shoot the swordsman in what would become one of the greatest moments in cinematic history.  It also showed the sense of humor that abounded in the film.  There was the dust-up between Indy and a bald engineer(played by the late Pat Roach, who also played the giant Sherpa)which ended in spectacular fashion.  But the real action set-piece of the film is the desert chase scene.  Bar none, this is one of the most iconic scenes in action movies.  The only moment to come close to this was the tank chase in The Last Crusade.  The stunt-work and the driving are all second-to-none.  It’s all done with John Williams’ iconic music swelling in the background.  When that scene starts, you can’t help but stop and watch.  Now, I mentioned that these movies had a supernatural element to them, and Raiders of the Lost Ark doesn’t disappoint.  When the Nazis open the Ark at the end of the film, it’s one of the most haunting, spectacular and gruesome moments in an action movie.  This sequence, featuring melting Nazis and exploding heads, would’ve earned the film an R-rating, but through some clever camera and visual effects tricks, Steven Spielberg managed to garner a PG rating.  This was before the PG-13 rating was created as a result of an Indiana Jones movie, ironically enough: The Temple of Doom.

Everything about Raiders of the Lost Ark holds up after 40 years.  From the action sequences and characters to the music and special effects, not one moment of this film feels dated.  I have to give total credit to both George Lucas and Steven Spielberg for crafting one of the most memorable action movies in cinema history.  Yeah, it borrows from older movies, but it doesn’t feel cheap.  In fact, some moments feel like loving homages to some of these older moments like when Indy gets dragged under a truck.  That’s a clear reference to an old stunt when a stunt performer was dragged under a horse-drawn carriage.  The pacing is perfect, and the acting is outstanding.  The film doesn’t take itself too seriously and as far as I’m concerned, beyond reproach.  I reviewed this film back in 2014 and I gave it a perfect 10/10.  To that, I still hold, but considering the time between reviews, I’m not going to give this film a review score, because it doesn’t need it.  Raiders of the Lost Ark is a reminder that films can and should be fun.  It’s a ride from beginning to end.  Would I still recommend it?  Are you kidding?  If you haven’t seen this one yet, or don’t own a copy, I don’t know what I could do or say to convince you, aside from the fact that this movie is awesome.  40 years later, it still manages to impress.

My Final Recommendation: Do I really need to convince you on this one?  I didn’t think so.