Raiders of the Lost Ark – Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Directed by: Steven Spielberg | 115 minutes | action, thriller, adventure, romance | Actors: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliott, Alfred Molina, Wolf Kahler, Anthony Higgins, Vic Tablian, Don Fellows, William Hootkins, Bill Reimbold, Fred Sorenson, Patrick Durkin

Exciting, whirlwind action film that became a classic in cinema history and ensured a successful film series and the definitive status of Harrison Ford as a film hero. ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ is a masterpiece of the first order and a film that is an essential part of any respectable DVD collection.

The character Indiana Jones and his adventures were conceived by George Lucas during the same period as ‘Star Wars’, but this film could only be realized after the overwhelming success of the space epic. Together with his good friend Steven Spielberg, who directed ‘Raiders’ and the following parts, he caused a sensation. This is due in no small part to Ford’s charismatic lead role as Indiana Jones. Crazy and constantly improvising, he tries to work his way out of the most precarious situations. Time and again he gets into trouble up to his ears, partly thanks to his own rashness, but in a magnificent display of bravado, luck and perseverance, he manages to get out of it, albeit not unscathed. The combination of superhuman efforts, which at the same time remains within the believable, together with the ironic humor that Ford puts in the role, make Indiana ‘Indy’ Jones one of the most beloved movie characters of all time.

The other actors are also not indifferent. Karen Allen stars as Marion Ravenwood, the daughter of Indy’s mentor Abner, and is definitely not a kitty to handle without gloves. For “Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” Allen, as well as Ford himself, returned as the same character after 27 years. With affected arrogance, Paul Freeman plays the unscrupulous French archaeologist René Bellocq, who annoys Indiana wherever he can. John Rhys-Davies has a funny supporting role as the bumbling Sallah, who often has to overcome a lot of trepidation to help Indiana, but always does.

Furthermore, Ronald Lacey has a wonderful role as villain Toht (although his name is not mentioned in the film). With his long leather Gestapo coat (even in the middle of the desert!) and his sinister appearance, he terrifies everyone. Hilarious is the scene in which he seems to take a kind of strangle sticks from his bag, which turn out to be something completely different.

The film is almost perfect and although only made for a relatively small budget in 1981, ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ remains exciting from start to finish. Not all special effects have survived the test of time, but a moan who pays attention to that. Especially given the homage that Spielberg and Lucas wanted to pay to the cheap adventure films from the 1930s and 40s, it is in itself appropriate that an extra old-fashioned touch is given to the film.

Supported by the brilliant score of John Williams, with his triumphant and oh so recognizable theme music, the energetic camera work of Douglas Slocombe and the good editing of Michael Kahn and Lucas themselves, ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ has just the right vibe. The script is full of inventive ideas, good dialogues and strong one-liners, so that there is no superfluous scene.

From start to finish, the film is full of memorable and iconic scenes, small and large. From the booby traps and rolling ball at the opening in South America, the monkey giving the Hitler salute, the drinking contest between Marion and a couple of bar-goers, Indy’s fight with the German mechanic (Pat Roach) at the take-off plane to the opening of the Arke itself: it’s actually too much to mention. If the phrase “roller coaster ride” applies to a movie, it’s this one. As is known, there have been several sequels (and many fakes), but the quality of the very first Indiana Jones film is at a lonely height.