MadCap's Reel Thoughts - "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981)

June 12, 2021 marks the 40th anniversary of the release of a little film known as the one I wrote the name of in the title of this post.

Indiana Jones. The very name invokes the feeling of globe-trotting adventure and excitement, of trekking through mysterious jungles to enter ancient tombs to recover ancient artifacts, and of punching Nazis. And throwing Nazis off of zeppelins. And watching Nazis rot at super speed after drinking from the wrong Gra-and we're getting ahead of ourselves.

Where does something like this come from? The childhoods of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Much like Star Wars was originally inspired by things like the old Buck Rogers movie serials of the 1930s and 40s, George Lucas wanted to do something that was inspired by other movie serials such as The Spy Smasher and wanted to blend it with his appreciation for archaeology. Hence, Indiana Smith was born. Eventually, after some rewrites and some discussions, Lucas, Spielberg, and writer Lawrence Kasdan came up with the surname Jones and it has stuck in the forty years since.

For those protozoa among you who don't know or don't care, Indiana came from the name of Lucas' dog...which is why we have an amusing brick joke in The Last Crusade, but that comes later. For now, let's look at the fruits of the first labor in the saga of Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark.

. . .because, much like Star Wars, the film was originally just called Raiders of the Lost Ark. It technically still is, so it has a leg up over A New Hope.

Anyway, we begin in 1936 South America and we get one of the best introductions for a protagonist ever as Henry "Indiana" Jones, Jr. (Harrison Ford) attempts to navigate the harsh jungle, deal with a traitorous member of his adventuring party, and avoid deadly traps left over by the natives to guard a peculiar golden idol. Unfortunately for him he gets betrayed again (by Alfred Molina, no less!) and we are introduced to Indy's evil counterpart, the Frenchmen Belloq (Paul Freeman), who manages to outplay our intrepid archaeologist and return to the United States.

There, at the college that he teaches at, Indiana is contacted by the U.S. government, who have intercepted a dire communication - the Nazis are searching for the Ark of the Covenant, as in the chest in which the original stone tablets on which were written the Ten Commandments are kept according the Christian lore. Fearing what will happen if Hitler gets his hands upon the Ark, Indy has been contracted as the one dude bad enough to save the President fight the Nazis, and all of this because of his relationship with his former mentor, Abner Ravenwood, who was an expert on the Ark. This leads Indy to go find Abner and Abner's daughter Marion (Karen Allen), who may hold the secret Indy needs to getting to the Ark before the Nazis do.

Okay, so...I'm saying without any exaggeration that this is one of the greatest adventure films of all time. Period. Every single bit of this scene is honestly pretty magnificent. The action is good, having a few set pieces such as Indy and Marion trying to navigate a dangerous marketplace in Cairo (complete with one of the greatest improvs in film history), Indy getting into a fist fight with a beefy Nazi and an airplane propeller getting involved, and more!

Indy is possibly the most likeable character that Harrison Ford has ever played, the man able to switch flawlessly between the learned Professor to the action hero to a man driven to the depths of grief and rage to complete and utter exasperation and everything in between those points. Even Indy's design, complete with the fedora, gives him a look that is instantly and immediately iconic.

Also, given his history with Marion, it doesn't hurt the romance subplot that Harrison Ford and Karen Allen have absolutely smoldering chemistry. I dare say it rivals his with the late Carrie Fisher as Han and Leia.

Speaking of Karen Allen, Marion is a complete badass. Unlike certain other people who are the only bad part of the next film in the franchise. While she doesn't share her father's vocation, she is a hard drinking, gun-firing, snark-dealing out badass who is able to think on her feet in attempts to get out of situations (not that she always succeeds at this). Sure, she does have to be rescued by Indy in a few cases...although in those cases he's often also rescuing himself, so I'm pretty sure even the pearl-clutchers will let this slide.

She does also have a few humanizing moments and, again, Karen Allen's chemistry with Harrison Ford is great to even the point of watching them argue is entertaining as all get out.

I guess, if you were to go with a third main character, it'd be Belloq. Belloq is a French archaeologist who is working for the Nazis in order to get the Ark because he wants to speak to God. As he says in the film, Belloq is indeed a shadowy reflection of Indy and it's clear that their rivalry has been going on for quite some time as of this point. He does see Jones as a worthy rival, however, and is both cordial and even charming in many of the scenes he's in. He also sees the Nazis as a means to an end rather than an employer to be respected...which isn't going to keep him from getting turned into fried eggs by the Ark.

Yeah, he's in this movie and not in the next two. Pretty sure it should be obvious that this rivalry wasn't meant to last.

There are also the characters of Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliot) and Sallah (John Rhys-Davies), who are a Dean at the college that Indy teaches at and a digger at the excavation site for the Ark, respectively. They're both pretty good and both hold the distinction of showing up in this film and in Last Crusade, but not in this one. They do pretty good as supporting characters, Elliot giving the film some much needed gravitas as he waxes philosophical with Indy early on about the nature of the Ark. Sallah is some exposition, but also a bit of comic relief here and there, but without getting into full on buffoon territory...in this film, anyway.

To wrap things up, Indiana Jones has a solid cast with good chemistry, a good plot, a bunch of great and memorable quotes, and the perfect blend of action and exposition. Throw this in a pot with a score by the fantastic John Williams (who has made at least three franchises that either are connected to or have involved Spielberg by now), and you have an epic that is unparalleled.

While it drew inspiration from Old Hollywood, it's really become a thing all its own and has spawned countless imitators because of that. It was a fantastic film in 1981 and it remains a fantastic film in 2021 and likely will remain so until the heat death of the universe. I know I say this often but, if you're one of the three people who hasn't seen it, get out from under your rock and see this movie.

There is so much more I could talk about. So much more that I could praise about this movie even unto the final frames of the film. Even a recorded video review feels like it would be inadequate to really fully review this movie, and just a few days after it's 40th anniversary, no less!

(Damn my self-imposed release schedule!)

Seriously, though. Go see this movie.

Right now.

Raiders of the Lost Ark is brought to us by Lucasfilm and Paramount.