"Well, Jones, at least you haven't forgotten how to show a lady a good time."

Rating: 10/10 (13 July 2007)

It seems utterly implausible that there exists anybody who doesn't love 'Raiders of the Lost Ark.' Undoubtedly one of the most riveting cinematic adventures every committed to screen, the film was released in 1981 to phenomenal critical and box-office success, and made the rugged, handsome, tenacious, whip-cracking treasure-hunter Indiana Jones a household name. The concept of the film was originally envisioned by producer George Lucas, hot off the release of 'Star Wars (1977),' who had wanted to homage and revive the cliffhanger adventure serials of the 1930s. He teamed up with rising director Steven Spielberg, who had also already hit it big with such successes as 'Jaws (1975)' and 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977).' Together, equipped with a story by Lucas and Phillip Kaufman, and a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan, they embarked on the production of perhaps one of the most exciting films ever made.
The story itself, which takes place in 1936, is deceptively simple. Dr. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford, at the time most noted for playing Han Solo in 'Star Wars') is a respectable tweed-wearing archeology professor at an American college. However, when he is not teaching rather dull lectures in which he represents archeology as a non-exciting profession, Jones is traipsing across the globe in search of treasured ancient artifacts with the goal of historical preservation, donating his pieces to the museum of Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott). We can only watch in awe as, in one of the most breathtaking opening sequences of any film, Jones navigates the perilous Peruvian jungle in search of the golden Hovito Idol, facing such pitfalls as an immense rolling boulder, poison darts and masses of deadly tarantulas. However, after acquiring the idol, Jones is outsmarted by his immoral and greedy French rival, Dr. Rene Belloq (Paul Freeman), ultimately leaving Peru with nothing.
After his return to America, Jones is approached by two Army Intelligence officers (Don Fellows and William Hootkins). The US military has intercepted a message from Cairo to Berlin, where the evil Fuhrer Adolf Hitler has ordered his men to uncover the legendary Ark of the Covenant, the sacred box reputed to contain the original stone tablets upon which are written the Ten Commandments. In his globe-trotting mission to discover the Ark before the evil Nazis can get their hands on it, Jones receives assistance from an old friend, Sallah (John Rhys-Davies) and an old flame, Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen). Once again, Jones finds himself coming up against his old foe Belloq, whilst a Nazi colonel (Wolf Kahler) and their resident torturer (a truly sinister Ronald Lacey) only add to his troubles.
In order for 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' to be such a success, everything needed to be done bigger and better than the audience had ever seen before. The film is essentially one lengthy action sequence after another, culminating in a terrifying, effects-driven climax when the Ark is finally opened. With the exception of this final scene (which was engineered by Lucas' company, Industrial Light & Magic, and is probably the only sequence that has begun to show its age), most of the film's daring moments were produced using old-school special effects and clever stunt-work. Interestingly, the brilliant, oft-cited truck chase sequence was actually filmed by the second-unit using Spielberg's extensive storyboards, with Harrison Ford's close-ups added later in production.
There's no doubt that countless similar films had been released in the past, and Lucas and Spielberg drew a lot of their inspiration from other works. So what makes 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' so damn amazing? Probably more than anything, it is the wry sense of humour. The film never takes itself too seriously, and the cast certainly looks as though they are having a grand time, with Harrison Ford greeting each of his character's new and perilous challenges with a soft sigh and an adjustment of his trademark fedora hat. The scene in which Jones nonchalantly blasts a cocky swordsman with his Smith & Wesson is one of the most memorable of all time, making you want to stand up and cheer for your favourite hero (the idea itself was conceived by Ford on the day of shooting, when, suffering from dysentery, he decided that he had had enough of filming that fight scene). An uplifting score from long-time Spielberg collaborator John Williams also helps make the film so very memorable.
Unlike your typical film hero, Indiana Jones is not an invincible superhuman, getting decidedly battered and bruised at every turn. At one point, his rival Belloq remarks that they are surprisingly alike, despite their antagonistic attitudes towards one another. This is quite accurate; both adventurers often use suspect means to acquire the treasures they seek, the main differences between them being the motivation: whilst Belloq is driven by greed, Jones is concerned with historical preservation of important artifacts. Likewise, Marion is not your typical damsel-in-distress, a proud, independent bar-owner who is (usually) able to take care of herself. At the 1982 Academy Awards, 'Raiders' was nominated for a total of eight Oscars (including Best Picture, though it lost to Hugh Hudson's 'Chariots of Fire'), and it left with four, including Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing and Best Sound. It also received a Special Achievement Award for its sound effects editing.
'Raiders of the Lost Ark' was followed by two extremely enjoyable sequels, 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)' and 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)' (the latter being my very favourite of the series), and, just a few weeks ago (June 2007), filming for a fourth Indiana Jones adventure commenced.