Raiders of the Ark was the film that started a beloved franchise and arguably one of Steven Spielberg’s famous films. It’s up there with Jaws, E.T., and Jurassic Park. With a fifth and final Indiana Jones film coming out, it seems like a good time to revisit the series.
Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is a brilliant archaeologist and adventurer. The American government approaches him to use his skills to find the legendary Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis do. This sets him off on a globetrotting adventure to Nepal, Egypt, and the Aegean Sea, and meets up with his old flame, Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen).
Raiders of the Ark hardly needs an introduction. It was the film that introduced one of the most famous characters in cinema, has some truly iconic scenes, and started a beloved series. Upon rewatching, it still holds up.
Raiders of the Ark was made when Spielberg’s career was at a low. It was made after the release of 1941 which underperformed with critics and at the box office and it’s generally seen as one of Spielberg’s weakest films. Spielberg needed a hit and he got to team up with old friend George Lucas who was riding high because of the first two Star Wars films.
The connections with Star Wars were deep. George Lucas was involved in the project, including having a story credit, and like Star Wars, the original three Indiana Jones films were influenced by 1930s serials. Star Wars and Indiana Jones were both elevating pulp fiction. Finally, The Empire Strikes Back’s screenwriter, Lawrence Kasdan, wrote the screenplay for Raiders of the Lost Ark.
The other influence on Indiana Jones was the James Bond franchise. Spielberg was a fan of the Bond franchise and EON did consider hiring the man but thought he would be too expensive. Lucas pitched Indiana Jones as Spielberg’s Bond and there were comparisons since Bond and Jones were cool men of action who were able to fight bad guys and get the girl. However, Jones was a more ragged hero due to the leather jacket, whip, and going around rough terrains like the Amazon Rainforest and the Sahara Desert.
The other Bond influence on Raiders of the Lost Ark was the opening. Raiders of the Lost Ark’s opening felt like a Bond pre-title sequence. It was an action-adventure sequence that introduced the character and his set of skills. There was a great build to the reveal of Indiana Jones because he was viewed from the back and his entourage was in awe of him before he was shown in full force. The opening sequence was one of the greatest action openings to a film as Indy avoids the traps, runs away from the boulder, and gets chased by some angry indigenous people. It has been referenced extensively in pop culture, from The Simpsons to Sonic Adventure. And like a pre-credit sequence in an early Bond film (i.e. Goldfinger and Thunderball), Indy’s adventure in Peru had little bearing on the rest of the plot. The most significant plot point during this sequence was establishing the rivalry between Indy and René Belloq (Paul Freeman).
Raiders of the Ark was not a copy of the Bond series. It was able to stand out because it was a pulp adventure made by top-tier talent. The film brought back an old genre and gave it new life because of its big budget and special effects. It was a rollicking adventure that had little let up in the action. This was a film filled with classic sequences. As well as the opening sequence, my favourite sequence was the morning fistfight. It was a fight that had many moving parts because Indy was fighting a large goon (Pat Roach) whilst Marion was trapped in a moving plane and a fire was about to engulf the airfield. It was an excellent example of great direction, editing, and stunt choreography that made this sequence so exciting. The ending was also iconic since it gave the villains a horror movie-style faith. It was gruesome for a film that was rated PG, although the rating has been upgraded to 12 in the UK.
The other added factor that made Raiders of the Ark was the period piece. It was set in the 1930s, so it was filled with the technology of the time. This setting allowed for the Nazis to be the villains and they were easy being the bad guys. This meant the film could have a simple story: stop the Nazis from getting the powerful artifact. An adventure film just needs a simple story that’s well told. Indy was such a great character that he made it so compelling to watch. He did feel pain when he thought the worst had happened to Marion.
However, Raiders of the Ark wasn’t faultless. The character of Marion was set up to be a tough young lady who could drink hard liquor like a sailor, but after her introduction, her role was simply to be captured. It was similar to what happened with Anya Amasova in The Spy Who Loved Me, someone was set up to be capable but needed a big strong man to save the day.
Raiders of the Ark and the rest of the series had a big impact. Plenty of films try to copy the formula, like Romancing the Stone and The Mummy which aimed to be archeologically themed adventures, whilst films like The Rocketeer, The Shadow and The Phantom have Indiana Jones’ 1930s serial feel.
Raiders of the Ark was simply a really entertaining thrill ride that still holds up. It’s an absolute classic and a joy to watch,
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