August Archaeology: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

With the 40th anniversary of Raiders of the Lost Ark this year, the release of the 4K box set (finally!), and the franchise’s omnipresence on Showtime the past few weeks, The Cinema King has come down with a bad case of Indy Fever. Having already reviewed the films some time ago, let’s try something a little different this month. In the tradition of the “Grand Marvel Rewatch,” let’s dig around the Indiana Jones franchise and see what comes up.

 

First up, from 1981, it’s Raiders of the Lost Ark. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is tasked with finding the fabled Ark of the Covenant, a biblical artifact of unspeakable power, before the Nazis unearth it. Indy enlists the help of former flame Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), and the race is on across continents as old rival René Belloq (Paul Freeman) dogs Indy’s every move.

1. The music. You don’t need me to tell you that John Williams is the greatest film composer of all time. Just listen to the iconic and unforgettable “Raiders March,” thrill to the spectral and mystic “Miracle of the Ark,” and swoon to “Marion’s Theme.” Williams famously drafted two separate themes for Indiana Jones, uniting them both at the suggestion of director Steven Spielberg. Yet the two themes gel so well together, melding the triumphant march with a sense of the hard work it takes to get there. Each musical motif swirls into the film as though Williams is speaking a language all his own, commenting on the plot and driving us furiously into the action.
2. Speaking of the action… I can’t count how many times I’ve seen Raiders, but it’s tremendously exciting every time. From the pulse-pounding opener, which puts one very much in mind of a James Bond pre-credits sequence, through the climactic desert chase, Raiders gets the blood pumping. The best part about the action is how often it’s used to develop and humanize the characters, as when a tired Indy laconically guns down an overeager swordsman. Ditto for the small beats where Indy catches himself enjoying the violence, only to wince and remember that he’s been shot in the arm. Raiders practically reinvented blockbuster movie pacing, and it’s not hard to tell why.
3. What a world! The world-building in Raiders makes writing look easy; I should only hope to write a story this good. The film effortlessly introduces Indiana Jones as a superheroic archaeologist and a world-renowned scholar, and it gives him such a richly textured background filled with fascinating characters who have their own complicated history with Dr. Jones. When we meet Marion or Belloq or Sallah (John Rhys-Davies), we can tell immediately how they know Indy, what each thinks of the other, and what might happen next time they’re in a room together. Moreover, Spielberg deftly introduces the Ark into the film’s world through sophisticated lighting tricks and audio cues (like soft winds or, yes, Williams’s score). It’s an overall unified narrative where no piece is wasted – smart filmmaking at its smartest.
4. Is this the best supporting cast of all time? Harrison Ford rightly takes up a lot of oxygen when we talk about great performances in Raiders, but everyone else nails their roles. Karen Allen is superb in all the moments where she refuses to be the damsel in distress, and it’s only too bad that she wasn’t in more Indy films (or, put another way, that there weren’t more Indy films for her to join). Meanwhile, Paul Freeman dials up the smug smarm of the enemy archaeologist Belloq, a walking moral compromise; he sells the competitive rivalry with Indy almost immediately. Then there’s the stalwart John Rhys-Davies and Denholm Elliott, about whom I’ll say more in two weeks. (So to answer my question, I’m sure I’m forgetting another movie, but Raiders has to be in the conversation somewhere.)
5. The formative years. My dad brought home a copy of Raiders on VHS back during a McDonald’s promo circa 1991, and the more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that Raiders was a seminal moment in my moviegoing career. For my money, it’s everything a movie should be – a brisk adventure that puts well-crafted characters in impossible situations with nothing less than the fate of the universe at stake. It’s also a period piece, which helps explain my obsession with movies like The Rocketeer and The Mummy. It’s unlikely I saw this before Star Wars, but it’s possible; either way, it set a high bar for every subsequent movie to come. You don’t get on the Personal Canon any other way.

What more can one say about one of the greatest movies ever made? Sound off in the comments, and tell me your favorite part of Raiders of the Lost Ark. We’ll be back next week – back in time, that is – with the prequel Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. 

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Here's the difficult thing about reviewing a staple like Raiders of the Lost Ark: I've seen this film so many times that two very distinct things make reviewing it impossible. First, I've already made up in my mind that this is an excellent movie. But secondly and perhaps more importantly, the movie loses some of its magic because it feels as though it's going through the motions. Maybe that's a commendation on the caliber of the film, that I've forgotten very little over the years that I've loved the movie.

But "it's not the years, honey, it's the mileage."

After 27 years and three sequels, Raiders of the Lost Ark holds up reasonably well. Obligatory plot summary follows, for those who have no idea what an Indiana Jones is or why he's raiding some ark that's been lost. The product of the Spielberg-Lucas filmic powerhouse, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford, as if I needed to clarify that) is pitted against Nazis and French rival archaeologist Rene Belloq (delectfully wicked Paul Freeman) in the cross-continent race to find the Ark of the Covenant, an Old Testament artifact that channels the power of God.

Steven Spielberg often says he set out to "make a B-movie, but better," yet I'd argue that he's made a full-fledged A-List movie that's every bit as enjoyable as it was when it first debuted. Perhaps I shouldn't fault the film for cooperating with my photographic memory by being so gosh darned memorable. Perhaps I should rather be commending the convincing performances, the artful direction, the impeccable John Williams score, and the chill that runs down my spine when the Nazis open the Ark.

It says a great deal about the movie that a lot of its third sequel, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), takes cues from this one. Note the return of Karen Allen, whose performance as the spunky Marion Ravenwood was so unmatched in the other Jones films that Spielberg didn't even try to find a new girl for Indy in the fourth film. Also note the return of the Ark Theme in the fourth film's opener - as well as a split-second cameo by the Ark itself! Finally, take note of the similar ways in which the film's villains acquire the MacGuffin and have it lead to their quest's ultimate failure. Rip-off, derivative, homage, or tried-and-true formula?

This film and its threequel, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), both share the similar structure of Nazis seeking religious artifacts, and there's something grounded in fact about that combination that makes this film work better than its sequel-prequel Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The villians, though slightly exaggerated, are not cartoonish and serve as perfect foils to the straightlaced professor of archaeology.

What's more, Raiders is funny. Of course the standout scene here is the one in which Indy meets an expert swordsman... and irritatedly shoots him dead. The humor would later be amped up in Last Crusade, but it's a marvelous tension-breaker here when the action scenes get too intense - which, believe me, they do. Though on this, what must be the 50th viewing of the film, I didn't gasp in horror during the epic car chase sequence as I surely did the first time, I still Oohed and Aahed at all the right places. I even laughed at punchlines I remembered when I decided I wanted to watch this one again.

It's not the years, it's the mileage. My only complaint about this film is that it's so memorable that it holds few surprises for multiple viewings. Other than that, it's a perfect thrill ride from start to finish. And of course any movie that ends with an homage to Orson Welles's Citizen Kane (1941) can't be all bad.

Visual Language In Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

This isn't a review per se, and it definitely isn't written by me. But I thought this blog could open itself up to critical analysis, both from myself and from others.

http://www.cineobscure.com/visual-language-raiders-of-the-lost-ark/

This chap (or chapette, I suppose) has deconstructed one of the less remembered moments from the first Indiana Jones movie, and as someone who's taken classes that delve into film analysis, I think this article opens our eyes up to the unconscious ways that filmic vision guides our understanding of film.

Interested to know what you think...