Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Raiders of the Lost Ark
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan; story by Gary Lucas and Philip Kaufman
1981/US
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Amazon prime renta

Marion: You’re not the man I knew ten years ago!
Indy: It’s not the years, honey, it’s the mileage.

Still thrilling after all these years.  I had forgotten how sharp the screenplay is.

It is 1936.  Indiana Jones is an archeology professor.  In his off time, he searches for historically significant relics.  This is dangerous work but Indy is proficient with the bullwhip and is incredibly lucky at all times.  We begin the story in an old Amerind temple where Indy snags a cursed solid gold fertility statue, escaping from collapse of the temple and poison arrows by the narrowest of margins.

He is visited by some officials who say that Hitler is obsessed with the original Ark of the Covenant which he believes will endow the owner with incredible powers.  The US Government wants to deny him that prize.  Indy immediately recognizes the significance of this and prepares to leave for the Kathmandu, the last known location of his old professor who possesses a vital clue needed to discover the Ark.

During this visit, Indy must perforce meet again with his professor’s daughter, ex-flame Marion (Karen Allen).  The father is dead and she has the clue.  Despite her cold reception, danger brings them back into each other’s arms.  She will be his partner in his future adventures, in addition to serving as a damsel-in-distress.

The action continues in Egypt where many more incredible adventures await.  The whole thing is capped off by an explosive finale.

This remains a ton of fun.  Movies like this one and Star Wars came as a breath of fresh air to movie lovers who were stuck with a lot serious and depressing material in the seventies.  The screenplay is wonderful in blending fantasy with wit and romance.  The score is classic.  I kind of like that the sets remind me of something out of a theme park.  It emphasizes the escapist tone of the whole thing. Easy to see why this would get the kind of sequels it did.

Raiders of the Lost Ark won Academy Awards in the categories of Best Art Direction-Set Decoration and Best Sound.  It was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Cinematography.  John Williams got gypped, though I suppose he got quite enough awards during his career.