A Summary Of Raiders Of The Lost Ark

George Lucas first had the idea for Raiders of the Lost Ark around 1973. Immersed with his Star Wars project, he offered Steven Spielberg the chance to direct. Neither one of them expected this 1981 movie to be a huge success. They were wrong, and the film received five Academy Awards, spawning three additional movies revolving around the Indiana Jones character. The film was renamed Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark to keep it consistent with the others.

Harrison Ford was not the first choice to play the lead, primarily because he had already appeared in two George Lucas films, American Graffiti and Star Wars. Tom Selleck was chosen, but his commitments to his television series, Magnum P. I., led him to turn down the role. Several other actors were considered before the role was finally offered to Harrison Ford shortly before production was to commence. The role turned Ford into a certified box office draw and is generally credited with making him a star.

Debra Winger had first refusal for the part of Marion Ravenwood. Karen Allen was then signed to play the part of Marion, the daughter of Indy’s mentor, Abner. John Rhys-Davies was cast as Sallah, Indiana’s Egyptian friend. The museum curator Marcus Brody was portrayed by Denholm Elliott. Paul Freeman was cast as Belloq, the French archaeologist who is Indy’s nemesis.

Total budget for the movie was about twenty million dollars. By comparison, the first Star Wars movie, released in 1977, had an eighteen million dollar budget. Blade Runner, filmed a year later, carried a twenty eight million dollar price tag. Raiders grossed in excess of $380 million at the box office, the most of any film that year. Paramount, who had finally agreed to finance the film after every other studio turned it down, was no doubt pleasantly surprised.

Set in 1936, the plot centers around an archaeologist who, in between teaching classes at a university, travels the world to recover priceless artifacts. His journeys lead him into many harrowing adventures. As the film opens, he narrowly escapes several booby traps to retrieve a valuable idol from its jungle hiding place. His prize is forcibly taken from him by Belloq, who has recruited a native tribe to assist him. Indiana manages to escape and returns to the university. He is quickly approached by two federal agents, who inform him that Belloq is working for the Nazis and seeking the Staff of Ra. The staff is supposedly in the possession of Abner Ravenwood. Realizing that the Nazis are after the Ark of the Covenant, Jones travels to Nepal to track down Ravenwood. He finds his friend is dead, but Marion Ravenwood has the headpiece for the staff. The problem is, he is not on Marion’s list of favorite people, and before he can recover the item from her, the Nazis attack. They manage to escape with the headpiece. Following more adventures, near misses, and narrow escapes, they lose the Ark to Belloq and the Nazis. Belloq wants to open the Ark and test it before delivering it to Hitler. This destroys everyone in the area except Marion and Indiana, who do not look at it. In the end, the Ark is returned to America and placed in storage.

The film earned Oscars for Film Editing, Art Direction, Sound Effects Editing, Sound, and Visual Effects. It lost the nomination for Best Picture. Visual effects were furnished by Industrial Light and Magic, and Ben Burtt was in charge of sound effects. John Williams composed the score and was nominated for an Academy Award, but lost to Vangelis, who provided the score for Chariots of Fire.

Filming proved to be a challenge for the cast and crew. Tunisia stood in for the scenes set in Egypt, and many people became ill from dysentery and other diseases. It was particularly hot, and some of the scenes took a toll on the actors. The scene where Indy shoots the swordsman who has been displaying his prowess with the weapons was not in the original script. Ford was ill and did not feel up to playing the scene as written. He suggested shooting the character, and Spielberg agreed. Ford was also injured when an airplane wheel ran over his knee while filming a fight scene.

Since its premier, Raiders of the Lost Ark has been a perennial fan favorite. In 2008, a DVD version which included extras as well as correcting some errors was released. The film is also available in a boxed set.

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