Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark 1981 Movie Review w/Spoilers


From the far reaches of the Milky Way Galaxy, It's Retro Nerd Girl with a film review for you.

Today I'll be reviewing the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark released in 1984.

Starring:
Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman

Directed by:
Steven Spielberg

Genre:
Action, Adventure

Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) Rating:
PG

Budget:
$18,000,000 (estimated)

Current IMDb Rating When Reviewed:
8.4


The Synopsis is:
The Ark of the Covenant is being actively pursued by Nazis in the 1930’s.  Professor Indiana Jones is assigned to intercept their acquisition and save the world from what they might do with such a power.


Story:
In his youth, it is well known that George Lucas was inspired by the 1930’s "space operas" like Flash Gordon as well as television shows like Space Ranger, Captain Video and Rocky Jones.  These were all televised in the 1950’s and early sixties.  Somewhere between then and the 1970’s he came up with the idea for two stories, a space opera that would eventually be called Star Wars and an action adventure treasure hunter flick with the lead character, Indiana Smith.  Indiana was the name of his then wife, Marcia Lucas' dog, who also inspired the creation of the iconic Star Wars character, Chewbacca.  The naming of Indiana Smith was also influenced by the film, Nevada Smith (1966).

The predecessors to this film and possible influences from the genre include, The Mummy 1932, She 1935, The Mummy's Tomb 1942, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 1948, Secret of the Incas 1954, The Mole People 1956, and The Pink Jungle 1968.

George was also heavily influenced by the comic books, Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge stories written and drawn by Carl Barks, originally published between 1942 and Barks' retirement in June 1966.  Many of those comics were about mysteries that included treasure hunting and adventure.  Some of the titles included Donald Duck: The Old Castle’s Secret (1948),  Donald Duck: Lost in the Andes (1948), Uncle Scrooge: The Seven Cities of Gold (1954), Uncle Scrooge: The Lost Crown of Genghis Khan (1956), Donald Duck: The Black Pearls of Tabu Yama (1957), and Uncle Scrooge: The Mines of King Solomon (1957).

That could explain his fascination with anthropomorphic ducks, like “Howard The Duck” which he directed in 1986.

Within all of the influences I’ve mentioned you can clearly see a little bit of Indiana in them all.

Some time during the 1970’s George Lucas began working on the story with Philip Kaufman most famous for directing Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978),The Right Stuff (1983) and Quills (2000).

Philip Kaufman was set up to direct the film and added the wonderful idea to have the story’s MacGuffin be the Ark of the Covenant. (MacGuffin is the thing that the characters in a story are chasing.)

Kaufman left project in order to direct The Outlaw Josie Wales in 1976 starring Clint Eastwood who had become a sensation at the time.

After the production of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) was finished George Lucas went to Hawaii to relieve some stress and was joined by his friend Steven Spielberg.  While building a sand castle together, Steven told George that he always wanted to make a James Bond film.  Imagine a James Bond film directed by Steven Speilberg.  OMG, that would have been awesome.

Lucas offered him an alternative action adventure project in the Raiders of the Lost Ark.  And so movie history was made…

When they returned home, Steven introduced George to Lawrence Kasdan, who was a rising screenwriter at the time.  The initial treatment was hand written by George Lucas with simple details such as the Indiana Smith character who carried a bull whip and wore a Fedora hat.  Steven didn’t like the name Smith for the main character and so it was changed to Jones.  And I think that was a wise decision because it did sound too closely to the movie that inspired the name.  It might have even caused confusion from fans of Nevada Smith.

Lucas originally wanted him to be like James Bond, a ladies man and that is perhaps why he has a different love interest in each movie.  However, the character is overpowered by the influence of Spielberg and Lawrence Kasdan who pushed for Indiana to be more about the mission than being a womanizer.  As well, another character trait that was subdued was from Spielberg who imagined Jones as an alcoholic but that detail fell away.  You can see a hint of it in one instance where Jones believes that his love interest, Marion had died.

Marion was to be a Nazi spy, and just imagining this is so interesting.  As the script became more defined, she became the daughter of Indy’s mentor and the idea was saved for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).

The three hashed out more details for the story and George enjoyed working with Kasdan so much that he hired him immediately to write the sequel to Star Wars, the Empire Strikes Back 1980.

You would think that a project with George Lucas and Steven Spielberg collaborating together would get snatched up in Hollywood, but on the contrary.  The film was rejected by every studio and only after a great deal of coaxing, Raiders got the green light from Paramount Pictures.

When you look at the deal that Lucas made with the studio, I think it’s safe to call him the master of the Hollywood deal, at least at that time.  I don’t know what he says or does in these negotiation meetings but he made an incredible arrangement by getting the studio completely finance the film's budget and yet own over forty percent of the film.  After the studio grossed an agreed amount return on their investment he collected almost half of the profits.  Wow!

The actual story is pretty straight forward.  It’s a linear story with a beginning, a middle and an ending, but there aren’t any deep nuances or messages for the audience to glean.  

There are some comedic moments in the film that are not jokes, but appropriate humor naturally sprinkled for fun.  It’s stupid simple, not clunky and complicated.  It works because life is funny even when things aren't going perfectly.


Pacing:
At one hour and fifty-five minutes, this is the shortest Indiana Jones movie and in my opinion, it works excellently without giving the audience adrenaline fatigue.



Challenge:
The challenge in this film are the Nazis of the 1930’s seeking the Ark of the Covenant hoping that it will give them a leg up on their world domination plan.  They may also be looking to use it as a super weapon to destroy their enemies.

Their key operatives are Colonel Dietrich and Commander Arnold Toht (pronounced like Tod) who are looking for the headpiece of an ancient Egyptian artifact known as "the Staff of Ra" that will reveal to them the location of the Ark of the Covenant.  Arnold Toht in particular is more like a torturous inquisitor that uses a heavy hand to unscrupulously get what he wants by the most brutal means possible.  His name is the German word for Death and he’s truly terrifying.  The character was based on Heinrich Himmler, the real life head of the SS in Nazi Germany who was instrumental in the terrible crimes during the Holocaust.  That gives me the chills.

The funniest thing is that Indy never faces direct contact with Toht or Dietrich.

Indiana does have an archenemy in the rival archaeologist René Belloq, whose methods of acquiring antiquities is to have Indy do all the hard work for him and then pointing a gun in his face taking home the spoils.

The film excellently demonstrates this in the opening scene where Indiana is in Peru to retrieve a golden fertility idol. Indy goes through so much just to get the idol, but he is forced to give it up to Belloq, while just barely escaping with his life.

Belloq is an interesting villain because he isn’t the most terrifying and he is susceptible to human emotions.  The one that rules him is greed.  This is why he is helping the Nazis.  As well, the film implies that he has personal plans for it.

And perhaps he pursues his greed in order to attain the “finer things in life”, such as good wine, and women.  He’s a bit of a romantic, in the way that he keeps trying to seduce and even sometimes protect, Indy’s girlfriend in this film, Marion.  The film humanizes the character as a person who is a stone’s throw away from being on the side of good.  He just doesn't have a reason that is strong enough to change his perspective on life.

Perhaps a villain like that is the most dangerous of all.  They get close to you before they strike.


Empathy:
Although we don't know much about Indiana Jones in this film, the empathy for the character happens almost immediately because we see him go through so much in that wonderful opening action adventure scene in Peru.  He’s scared, he’s worried, he’s careful, he’s double crossed, he chased, he just barely makes it and immediately we care about him!  We identify with him and want to know more about this character and his world.

That scene is about the most backstory as we get, mainly to set up his rivalry with Belloq, but it tells us so much about the lengths to which Indy will go to acquire rare artifacts.  His job is important to him and it’s worth risking his life for.  That is his purpose for everything he does in the film.  The audience can really understand him.  It’s not that anything he does is predictable, he can still surprise us, but again, we know that whatever he does, it’s coming from a place we understand.

This is where there is a strong connection to James Bond, a man sent out on complex missions that stops the bad guys from using a MacGuffin to gain power or control.  Both characters are ruled by their high purpose, which governs every action they make.

Indiana doesn’t experience an arc during the film, there’s a sense that this is just one adventure of his interesting life.

I mentioned that Indy has a girlfriend in the film, Marion Ravenwood. She is the daughter of his deceased mentor, Abner Ravenwood who had the headpiece to the Staff of Ra that the Nazis were after.  The story goes that 10 years prior when she was approximately 15, 16, or 17 and he was ten years older.  They had a love affair which broke her heart when he left.  And it’s interesting because it's definitely icky situation to imagine that.  I’m not sure if this was a 1930’s 1950’s kind of thing because there were many songs about under aged girls and older men that were popular then.  But you can see they were setting up Marion to be a very hurt character that was abandoned by both her first love and eventually, her father when he died and left her to fend for herself.

With Indiana being a likable hero, this is telling of his attitude towards women.  He doesn’t hate them or anything like that, but he’s not really a ladies man.  They find him attractive but he is not actively seeking anything serious because he’s got bigger things on his mind.  That’s also another similarity he has to James Bond.

Originally, Indy was initially written to be more of a playboy.  Steven Spielberg thought that being a playboy did not fit Indy's character.  Indiana is only reckless if he has to be, it’s never intentional.  Breaking young girls hearts is not really his thing.  It just happens. His focus is on his work.

The relationship that he has with Marion is very testy because, Marion is just a little tougher than your typical damsel in distress.  She fights back and she has an ax to grind with Indy.  Indy’s response to her is subtly dismissive.  I wonder if sometimes he still thinks of her as a child.

It’s a cute relationship and we get to care about what happens to Marion throughout the film.


Technical:
Technically, the film pushes the envelope creating an immersive roller coaster ride for the audience.  It is filmed so viscerally real and practical that it holds up much better than so many other films of it’s time.  It hardly feels dated.

There are many scenes that are simply in their own level in this film and the beginning opening scene is one of those memorable scenes that you can never unsee as it has been copied and parodied throughout pop culture since the 1980’s.

That scene in particular was heavily borrowed from the comic books, Uncle Scrooge: The Prize of Pizarro (June-August 1959) of which both Lucas and Spielberg were fans of and Uncle Scrooge: The Seven Cities of Cibola (September 1954). 

The bar fight scene was quite a spectacle, which took nearly two weeks to film.

The desserts in Tunisia was utilized for the scenes in Cairo, Egypt, which George Lucas filmed the Tatooine scenes in Star Wars 1977.  It was incredibly hot and most of the crew got sick from the food and water there, all except Steven Spielberg, who brought his own cans of Spaghetti-O's.

However, it motivated the speedy completion of the shoot in four and a half weeks instead of the intended 6.


Indiana Jones’ trademark outfit is not original by any means.  The weathered flying jacket and dusty fedora hat was worn by Charlton Heston in the film Secret of the Incas (1954) where he played a treasure hunter  who uses a beam of sunlight in a "map room" exactly as Indy did. 

Scenes from Secret of the Incas was also cycled in the sequel, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984).

On the topic of Indy’s look for the film, it was perfect for Indiana Jones, keeping in mind its practicality and necessity in the story.  In fact all of the costumes for the film were beautifully weathered and textured for maximum realism that could be achieved at the time.

There was one small incident of a time traveling pedestrian (most likely to be explained in Indiana Jones movies somewhere in the future), but for the most part, they did an excellent job.


The Well of Souls sequence was one of my favorite scenes because what you don’t know about me is that I love ancient Egyptian history and artifacts, so needless to say, I was paying close attention in fascination.  

The scene was filmed on the Elstree set of the memorable Overlook Hotel in The Shining (1980).  The idea for the scene was going to be to use mechanical snakes, however it would not have the same impact as real snakes would.  So they set out to acquire real snakes from every pet shop in London and the south of England.  They used legless lizards and even cut hoses to create a scary mass of them, terrifying snake phobics (the clinical term is ophidiophobia) far and wide. 

Steven Spielberg said that watching the snakes being prepared for the scene nauseated him, however, both he and lead actor Harrison Ford are not afraid of the creatures. This is doubly amusing because Harrison’s character, Indy says the famous line in the film, "Snakes! Why did it have to be snakes?" with a rather foreboding look of dread on his face.

That scene was a monster to pull off, but it has to be one of the most memorable moments in cinema with a little bonus.  One of the pillars on the set had an  engraving of R2-D2 and C-3PO from Star Wars depicted on it.  And you might find some other nods to Star Wars in the film.  This was the beginning of the infamous fan theory that Indiana Jones movies are just dreams that Han Solo is having while frozen in carbonite between Empire Strikes Back 1980 and Return of the Jedi 1983.

The opening of the Ark was another memorable scene that was both mystical and graphic garnering the film an initial R-rating.  Layers of fire in front of the image of an exploding head was all it took to tone down the gore and get that sweet sweet PG rating they were after.  

In the modern age, I have heard many comments refer to the effects in this scene as cheesy and corny, but in 1981, this was an achievement of astronomical proportions.  

Steven Spielberg said that the melting head effect was the most impressive effect he'd ever seen. As well special effects/make-up artist Chris Walas got calls from fellow special effects artists and fans asking him how it was done.  What an ingenious effect.

It’s debatable whether it has held up over time, but I guess for me it has.

There are just so many epic level moments in the scene that really still just astound me, even knowing how it was all done in detail.  I love it.

Another extremely difficult and simply astounding scene is the truck sequence which took five difficult weeks to film.  The scene was partially inspired by Yakima Canutt's stunt in John Ford's Stagecoach (1939).   This scene is filled with incredible action and believe it or not, emotion as our hopes rise and fall with Indy’s losses and wins.  This leaves a lasting impact on the audience and it is the secret to why a character we barely know becomes so beloved.

This is the same with the plane lot scene when Indy has to fight a German mechanic played by famous henchman actor Pat Roach.  There are so many technical elements being dispatched simultaneously to pull that scene off, but instead of confusing the audience, we root for our protagonists harder as they barely escape their doom.  It’s just so beautifully executed and the timing is not fatiguing.

A big part of the Indiana Jones experience is the sound in the film, which was due to sound designer Ben Burtt’s unique talent for seeking out the proper audio.  The sound of rear tires on a gravel road was used for the giant boulder.  Fingers inserting a  cheese casserole and sponges sliding over concrete was used for slithering snakes.  A baseball bat swung into a pile of leather jackets was used for the body blows in the film. The movement of a toilet cistern was used for the ark’s lid.  All of the hard work paid off helping the audience to feel immersed in the world.  As well Ben Burtt, and Richard L. Anderson won and Oscar for Best Sound Effects Editing and the entire sound team won an Oscar that year for Best Sound.

Stephen Spielberg and George Lucas films always seem to have outstanding sound and music, which creates a hyper realistic experience for the audience.
The "Raiders March", performed by the London Symphony Orchestra composed by John Williams was incredible and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score.   The “Raiders March” is synonymous with the Indiana Jones franchise and is regarded as one of the most recognized pieces of music in cinema history.  


Performances:
A lot of actors were considered for the role of Indiana Jones which included Paul Le Mat, Christopher Guest, Bruce Boxleitner, Barry Bostwick, Sam Elliott, Mark Harmon, Nick Mancuso, Peter Coyote, John Calvin, Michael Biehn, Sam Shepard, and David Hasselhoff.  No one got closer than Tom Selleck who actually landed the part, but came into conflicts with his schedule while filming his TV show, Magnum P.I..

The strangest part of the story is that his show did not go into production until after the filming of Raiders of the Lost Ark wrapped.  There is much debate as to whether Tom could have pulled off the role and to me the answer is absolutely.  Magnum, P.I. was on air from 1980–1988 as a testament to his ability to tell a story for an audience.  Tom Selleck even had a bit of fun when he parodied his near miss at the role in an episode, Magnum, P.I.: Legend of the Lost Art  in 1988.  Mind you, that episode was done for laughs and not how he planned to play the part.

Harrison Ford was who Stephen Spielberg wanted to play the part from the beginning, however, George Lucas didn't want Ford to become limited by a reputation for only working with one filmmaker, since he was in three of Lucas’ prior films, American Graffiti 1973, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope 1977 and Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back to be released the same year this was being filmed 1980.

Harrison Ford loved the script and was signed up for three movies just less than three weeks before principal photography began.  Harrison had wonderful body doubles for his stunts but also did a lot of the physical stunt work you can actually see him perform in the movie and that really helps to sell the believability.  Every wince and every punch is felt with not only his own sacrifice for the production but talent as an actor.  He plays Indy a lot like Han Solo, with a casual swagger.  Han is really out to help himself and his friends because they matter to him.  Indy is out to protect and preserve humanity and culture.  It’s a subtle difference, but Harrison really nails it.

There is also a bit of levity in the character that he inserts, such as his suggestion to simply shoot a character rather than engage in a long sword fight.  This stemmed from the real life issue of being sick in Tunisa as most of the cast was.  This kind of charm is also what makes the character of Indiana Jones so likeable.

Karen Allen was selected to play Marion after Steven saw her in National Lampoon's Animal House (1978).  She plays the role with a hint of innocence and spice.  She improvised a large chunk of her scenes, providing more call backs and reasoning for her character’s presence in the film where it was not written. 

This was Alfred Molina's first credited screen role and on his first day of filming he was covered with tarantulas.  Wow, welcome to showbiz!  Thank goodness this didn’t deter him from acting on the big screen.


Best Scenes:
  1. Opening in Peru
  2. Bar fight rescue
  3. Map room
  4. Well of Souls / Snakes
  5. Plane sequence
  6. Truck sequence
  7. Opening the ark
  8. The room of artifacts


Enjoyment:
First of all, let's talk about that fantastic poster illustrated by Richard Amsel.  Wow!  Combined with an amazing trailer in 1981 audiences were rushing to see this film and they weren’t disappointed as it was full of action and adventure in a fantastic high quality production for the time.

Raiders of the Lost Ark was 1981's top-grossing film. It won 5 Academy Awards and it was recognized and nominated for eight in total. It’s among the American Film Institute's 1998 list of the Top 100 Greatest American Movies and it was added in the U.S. Library of Congress' National Film Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".  It was also included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

The film was the only Indiana Jones without the name Indiana Jones to the title until 2008 when it was changed to "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark" on merchandise to keep the continuity.

George Lucas’ licensing genius helped Indiana Jones’ popularity to serve the fans through novels, comics, video games, toys, collectibles and the list goes on. 

Indiana Jones's kangaroo-hide bullwhip was sold in December, 1999 at Christie's auction house in London for $43,000. His jacket and hat are on display at the Smithsonian.

I think the success of the film really came as a surprise to Steven Spielberg who was quoted as saying: "I made it as a B-movie. I didn't see the film as anything more than a better made version of the Republic serials."

Many people have critiqued the film and have said that Indiana Jones is a weak character because he doesn’t affect the final result in the film.  

I don’t agree with that statement.  The Nazi’s only learn of the location of the headpiece because they follow him.  He saves Marion twice.  Once at her bar, because the Nazi’s were going to kill her after they tortured her for the headpiece.  Then he saves her again on the mountain top when he told her to close her eyes when the ark was opened. 

He brings the ark back to the US government for safe keeping.  Without Jones, it would be up for grabs to anyone who may have stumbled upon it and also saved the lives of those people who would have opened it.  By the end of the film, there is a feeling that it’s “safe” now.

Even though Indiana Jones is not responsible for dispatching the bad guys, I say that, that might be the most realistic part of the film.  Sometimes you try and you lose, or you win, but not the way you thought you would.   As well, Indy isn’t a superhero, he's a man, he’s allowed to fail and grow.  

The focus of the story is about Indiana Jones’ lifestyle, whether he saves the world or it’s saved by other means, the story serves its purpose by telling us a harrowing situation he survived.  This is only one experience in a lifetime of adventure.

There are so many outstanding scenes in Raiders of the Lost Ark that really shine and this roller coaster ride has about 7 of them, that you simply can’t shut up about after seeing them.  

It is a brilliantly choreographed visceral action adventure spectacle designed to thrill audiences of all ages.  It is impossible not to rank it high on the list of all time movie greats.


My Rating:
9.9





That sums up my review.  I hope you liked it. If you did, I’ve got over 100 of these so go on and browse the blog to see more reviews from me like this. This is Retro Nerd Girl signing off!

Take care movie lovers!  I'm off to the next review!


If you enjoy my content and want me to continue you can help at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/retronerdgirl 
Follow Retro Nerd Girl on twitter: https://twitter.com/Retro_Nerd_Girl 
Like Retro Nerd Girl on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/retronerdgirl 

No comments:

Post a Comment