Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (Special Edition)
starring: Karen Allen, Ishaq Bux, Anthony Chinn, John Rhys-Davies, Patrick Durkin
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It's said that the original is the greatest, and there can be no more vivid proof than Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first and indisputably best of the initial three Indiana Jones adventures cooked up by the dream team of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Expectations were high for this 1981 collaboration between the two men, who essentially invented the box office blockbuster with `70s efforts like Jaws and Star Wars, and Spielberg (who directed) and Lucas (who co-wrote the story and executive produced) didn't disappoint. This wildly entertaining film has it all: non-stop action, exotic locations, grand spectacle, a hero for the ages, despicable villains, a beautiful love interest, humor, horror… not to mention lots of snakes. And along with all the bits that are so familiar by now--Indy (Harrison Ford) running from the giant boulder in a cave, using his pistol instead of his trusty whip to take out a scimitar-wielding bad guy, facing off with a hissing cobra, and on and on--there's real resonance in a potent storyline that brings together a profound religious-archaeological icon (the Ark of the Covenant, nothing less than "a radio for speaking to God") and the 20th century's most infamous criminals (the Nazis). Now that's entertainment.--Sam Graham
Description:
Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is no ordinary archeologist. When we first see him, he is somewhere in the Peruvian jungle in 1936, running a booby-trapped gauntlet (complete with an over-sized rolling boulder) to fetch a solid-gold idol. He loses this artifact to his chief rival, a French archeologist named Belloq (Paul Freeman), who then prepares to kill our hero. In the first of many serial-like escapes, Indy eludes Belloq by hopping into a convenient plane. So, then: is Indiana Jones afraid of anything? Yes, snakes. The next time we see Jones, he's a soft-spoken, bespectacled professor. He is then summoned from his ivy-covered environs by Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott) to find the long-lost Ark of the Covenant. The Nazis, it seems, are already searching for the Ark, which the mystical-minded Hitler hopes to use to make his stormtroopers invincible. But to find the Ark, Indy must first secure a medallion kept under the protection of Indy's old friend Abner Ravenwood, whose daughter, Marion (Karen Allen), evidently has a "history" with Jones. Whatever their personal differences, Indy and Marion become partners in one action-packed adventure after another, ranging from wandering the snake pits of the Well of Souls to surviving the pyrotechnic unearthing of the sacred Ark. A joint project of Hollywood prodigies George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, with a script co-written by Lawrence Kasdan and Philip Kaufman, among others, Raiders of the Lost Ark is not so much a movie as a 115-minute thrill ride. Costing 22 million dollars (nearly three times the original estimate), Raiders of the Lost Ark reaped 200 million dollars during its first run. It was followed by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1985) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), as well as a short-lived TV-series "prequel."
It's said that the original is the greatest, and there can be no more vivid proof than Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first and indisputably best of the initial three Indiana Jones adventures cooked up by the dream team of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Expectations were high for this 1981 collaboration between the two men, who essentially invented the box office blockbuster with `70s efforts like Jaws and Star Wars, and Spielberg (who directed) and Lucas (who co-wrote the story and executive produced) didn't disappoint. This wildly entertaining film has it all: non-stop action, exotic locations, grand spectacle, a hero for the ages, despicable villains, a beautiful love interest, humor, horror… not to mention lots of snakes. And along with all the bits that are so familiar by now--Indy (Harrison Ford) running from the giant boulder in a cave, using his pistol instead of his trusty whip to take out a scimitar-wielding bad guy, facing off with a hissing cobra, and on and on--there's real resonance in a potent storyline that brings together a profound religious-archaeological icon (the Ark of the Covenant, nothing less than "a radio for speaking to God") and the 20th century's most infamous criminals (the Nazis). Now that's entertainment.--Sam Graham
Description:
Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is no ordinary archeologist. When we first see him, he is somewhere in the Peruvian jungle in 1936, running a booby-trapped gauntlet (complete with an over-sized rolling boulder) to fetch a solid-gold idol. He loses this artifact to his chief rival, a French archeologist named Belloq (Paul Freeman), who then prepares to kill our hero. In the first of many serial-like escapes, Indy eludes Belloq by hopping into a convenient plane. So, then: is Indiana Jones afraid of anything? Yes, snakes. The next time we see Jones, he's a soft-spoken, bespectacled professor. He is then summoned from his ivy-covered environs by Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott) to find the long-lost Ark of the Covenant. The Nazis, it seems, are already searching for the Ark, which the mystical-minded Hitler hopes to use to make his stormtroopers invincible. But to find the Ark, Indy must first secure a medallion kept under the protection of Indy's old friend Abner Ravenwood, whose daughter, Marion (Karen Allen), evidently has a "history" with Jones. Whatever their personal differences, Indy and Marion become partners in one action-packed adventure after another, ranging from wandering the snake pits of the Well of Souls to surviving the pyrotechnic unearthing of the sacred Ark. A joint project of Hollywood prodigies George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, with a script co-written by Lawrence Kasdan and Philip Kaufman, among others, Raiders of the Lost Ark is not so much a movie as a 115-minute thrill ride. Costing 22 million dollars (nearly three times the original estimate), Raiders of the Lost Ark reaped 200 million dollars during its first run. It was followed by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1985) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), as well as a short-lived TV-series "prequel."
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - EXCITING HIGHLY FORMULATED ADVENTURE
[[ASIN:B0014Z4OMU Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (Special Edition)]
Steven Spielberg at HIS BEST. Another movie from my Dad's Collection. The action never stops and there's a carefully calculated high-point every 15 minutes at least. The effects are well co-ordinated, and the film is easily Spielberg's most genuinely riveting. The film is produced by George Lucas. Harrison Ford, discovered by Lucas, for STAR WARS, plays the title character, who is BOGART, FLASH GORDON and HAN ... Read More
Rating: - Best Indiana Jones movie
I just bought this film yesterday, and I can see why it is considered to be one of the greatest action films ever made.I've only seen parts of this film prior to purchasing this one.It has the most action.I think it is the best out of all the Indy movies that I've seen.Earlier I said that The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull was the best, but I now that I have seen this one, I feel that this one is the best, and Kingdom of The Crystal Skull wasn't that good.Kingdom of the Crystal Skull had a ... Read More
Rating: 
- The Adventure Begins...
Due to the recent release of the fourth installment, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", in the long-time trilogy, now turned ongoing "Indiana Jones" series; I felt the need to go back and re-watch all the classic original films that started this whole franchise. Without further ado, let us begin with the 1981 adventure flick that made Harrison Ford even more of a household name, with his second most iconic character's first film, "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark".
Read More
Rating: - Stop it! This movie is just too good, stop it!
You want perfection in your action adventure movie? Then look no further. I have to yell "Stop it!" at my TV, because just when you thought it could not possibly get any better, it does! That's when I start throwing my popcorn at the TV because I can't believe what I'm seeing and I almost pass out. This movie rocks!!
Rating: - Great, great, great, great, great!
The start of a great series! And few films have managed to be quite as great. SEE IT!
- EXCITING HIGHLY FORMULATED ADVENTURE[[ASIN:B0014Z4OMU Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (Special Edition)]
Steven Spielberg at HIS BEST. Another movie from my Dad's Collection. The action never stops and there's a carefully calculated high-point every 15 minutes at least. The effects are well co-ordinated, and the film is easily Spielberg's most genuinely riveting. The film is produced by George Lucas. Harrison Ford, discovered by Lucas, for STAR WARS, plays the title character, who is BOGART, FLASH GORDON and HAN ... Read More
- Best Indiana Jones movieI just bought this film yesterday, and I can see why it is considered to be one of the greatest action films ever made.I've only seen parts of this film prior to purchasing this one.It has the most action.I think it is the best out of all the Indy movies that I've seen.Earlier I said that The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull was the best, but I now that I have seen this one, I feel that this one is the best, and Kingdom of The Crystal Skull wasn't that good.Kingdom of the Crystal Skull had a ... Read More
- The Adventure Begins...Due to the recent release of the fourth installment, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", in the long-time trilogy, now turned ongoing "Indiana Jones" series; I felt the need to go back and re-watch all the classic original films that started this whole franchise. Without further ado, let us begin with the 1981 adventure flick that made Harrison Ford even more of a household name, with his second most iconic character's first film, "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark".
Read More
- Stop it! This movie is just too good, stop it!You want perfection in your action adventure movie? Then look no further. I have to yell "Stop it!" at my TV, because just when you thought it could not possibly get any better, it does! That's when I start throwing my popcorn at the TV because I can't believe what I'm seeing and I almost pass out. This movie rocks!!
- Great, great, great, great, great!The start of a great series! And few films have managed to be quite as great. SEE IT!
