Director Report Card: Steven Spielberg (1981)

9. Raiders of the Lost Ark

When it comes to George Lucas’ most famous creations, I’ve never be quiet about which one I preferred. I enjoy most of the “Star Wars” and hold no ill will towards the franchise. For me, however, it’s always been Indiana Jones. From the moment I first saw “Raiders of the Lost Ark” on VHS as a very young child, I loved it. I loved the hero, the sense of adventure, and the effortless way the film mixed World War II history with ancient religious beliefs. While it didn’t quite match Lucas’ previous massive franchise, the Indiana Jones series has become widely beloved. And rightfully so because “Raiders of the Lost Ark” is awesome.

The year is 1936. Adolf Hitler and his Nazi forces have took an interest in occult artifacts, in the hopes of turning the tide of the war in Europe. U.S. Army Intelligence now believes that the Nazis are frighteningly close to discovering the Ark of the Covenant, the ancient Hebrew artifact said to contain the Ten Commandments and the power of God. The government drafts one man to retrieve the Ark before the Nazis can: Indiana Jones, the archaeology teacher at Marshall University. After meeting up with Marion Ravenwood, the daughter of an ally of Indy’s and an old flame, he finds that staying one step ahead of the Nazis is more difficult then imagined.

The popular conception has it that, if “Star Wars” was George Lucas’ extended homage to the sci-fi serials of the thirties and forties, “Indiana Jones” is the filmmaker giving the same treatment to the adventure serials of the same era. Of course, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” does draw extensively from those older stories. Indiana was directly inspired by Charlton Heston’s character from “Secret of the Incas” while other inspirations where drawn from “Treasure of the Sierra Madre” and Carl Banks’ Uncle Scrooge comics. “Raiders,” however, doesn’t merely pay homage to classic cinema. It updates it, using the money and technology unavailable in the thirties and forties to create a film that lives up to its awesome poster art. “Raiders” is more accurately described as a distillation of vintage adventure serials.

This is perfectly illustrated in the film’s opening sequence, which is rightly regarded as one of the best of all time. The misty jungle setting emphasizes a sense of mystery, as does holding off on revealing the hero’s face for as long as possible. Before Indy steps into the light, he unarms an opponent with his whip, establishing him as a man of action. Yet the way he quickly deduces each trap in the temple also shows his intellectual side. Moreover, the opening is an amazing series of set pieces: The darts, the swing over the pit, the immediately iconic giant rolling boulder. Each is hugely famous for a reason. That boulder is especially brilliant because, after setting up how dangerous the temple is, Indy is forced to run back through the danger or be crushed.

Steven Spielberg originally envisioned Indiana Jones as a James Bond style figure, a cold-blooded, womanizing man of action who drinks too much. Lucas suggested that, as an archaeologist, Jones should be more of an intellectual. Aspects of the two concepts were combined in the final character. Indiana is both an adventurer and a professor. Though more then willing to charge into action and fight bad guys, Indy is perhaps better suited to the classroom. One of my favorite moments has the hero admitting he’s making things up as he goes along. Indy isn’t afraid to run into danger, especially when the lives of his friends are at stake, but he rarely does so with a plan. That attitude has him tossed through the windshield of Jeeps, badly beating by a German mechanic, or dragged across a desert road. Jones may be an action hero but he’s deeply human. Harrison Ford’s boundless movie star charm matches this humanity with humor and dashing charisma. (His phobia of snakes does this too.)

“Raiders of the Lost Ark” may be inspired by the adventure serials of the thirties but the film doesn’t take place inside some meta-fictional version of the decade. Nazis often appeared as the bad guys in serials. Yet, by making the MacGuffin an artifact of Abrahamic beliefs, the context is changed. Yes, the Ark of the Covenant figures in Christian beliefs too. But we can’t forget that Steven Spielberg is Jewish. When the Nazi Swastika spontaneously burns off the crate containing the Ark, it’s not just a cool visual. A high ranking Nazi officer expresses disgust at the Jewish rituals used around the Ark. During the famous climax, an act of God strikes down an entire Nazi squadron. It’s not just “God,” as a vague religious concept, but specifically the Jewish God. As a scientist, Indy is motivated by a quest for knowledge and is initially skeptical of the supernatural. By the end, he's seen concrete evidence for the existence of God. While a popcorn adventure flick, “Raiders” has some clear ideas about good, evil, and where faith stands on these issues.

While Indiana Jones is an excellent hero, and Ford is a natural in the part, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” wouldn’t be as great as it is without its fantastic supporting cast. Indy’s allies are as fully formed and personable as he is. Marion Ravenwood might be captured by the bad guys but she’s not a helpless damsel. Karen Allen is immediately likable in the part, exuding a spunky determination. She’s introduced drinking a grown man under the table, a skill which becomes important later. She’s tough, freely trading fisticuffs with the villains. As a romantic pairing, Karen Allen and Harrison Ford have powerful chemistry, which is easily displayed in their quasi-love scene on the boat. 

Also helping the hero out is John Rhys-Davis as Sallah. Rhys-Davis’ booming voice and barrel-chested physique makes him a memorable presence. The personality he gifts Sallah with is surprisingly vivid, given how small his role actually is. He stands by his friend on his adventure while remaining more cautious. That cautious quality saves Indy’s life at least once while Rhys-Davis reading of the line “Bad dates” has become oddly iconic. Rhys-Davis has an easy charm well suited to the part. I also like Denholm Elliot as Marcus Brody, the museum curator who doesn’t share Indy’s thrust for adventure. Also notable is Alfred Molina, as the cowardly and treacherous assistant in the first, long before he would become well known as a character actor.

If there’s any criticism one could level against “Raiders” – aside from the literal deus ex machine ending, I suppose – it’s that the film doesn’t have a villain equal to its hero. Rene Belloq is a rival archaeologist working with the Nazis, representative of what the search for knowledge can do without guiding ethics. Paul Freeman is well utilized in the part, a glad handing bad guy hiding his villainous intentions behind a big grin. Yet Belloq is not hugely threatening. Better filling that part is Ronald Lacey as Major Toht. The wire glasses, black trench coat, and wide-brimmed fedora makes him visually unforgettable. Lacey’s slow speech and creepy accent go a long way. Yet Toht is not developed enough to be a proper villain. Wolf Kahler as Colonel Dietrich lacks even more definition. Together, the film’s central trio of bad guys form a functioning whole. Yet it’s slightly disappointing that Lucas, Spielberg, and Lawrence Kasden didn’t think up an adversary that could match their hero in every way.

The visual design of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” has been hugely influential. Aside from that opening run from the huge boulder, the map shots are the most parodied element from the film. Aside from smartly condensing traveling scenes (and sometimes covering continuity errors), the map shots help characterize Indy’s world as one of adventure. Moreover, “Raiders” is a great looking film. Spielberg heavily utilizes shadows during the shoot-out in Marion’s bar or the exploration of the ancient temples. The Egyptian desert has rarely look more beautiful on film then it does here. The obviously excellent set design doesn’t need any additional praise. The Well of Souls is a fabulous creation.

Of course, all of these points are reasons why “Raiders of the Lost Ark” became such a huge box office hit. However, I suspect audiences in 1981 were most impressed by the film’s massive action sequences. The shoot-out in Marion’s bar features some impressive close quarters firing and punching. The constantly growing flames emphasize how much danger the heroes are in. The chase through the Cairo marketplace deftly combines action and humor. That moment of Indy casually shooting a flailing swordsman best illustrates this. The biggest sequence in the film might be the vehicle chase across the desert. Indy swings around a moving vehicle, punching his way in and out of danger. It’s all beautifully orchestrated stuff, hugely exciting while maintaining a brilliant balance of fun and violence.

That balance is especially important, as “Raiders of the Lost Ark” gleefully pushes the PG rating as far as it could’ve gone in 1981. Bad guys are shot in the head, blood dripping from their faces. In an especially brutal moment, a vicious fist fight between Indy and a hulking German mechanic is bluntly ending with the Nazi collides with a plane propeller. The most infamous moment of gore in “Raiders” comes at the very ending. Behold the power of God: It melts people’s face. I’m pretty sure “Raiders of the Lost Ark” is the only PG-rated movie to feature an exploding head. I’m surprised the invention of a new rating wasn’t suggested until the next film in the franchise. Maybe Spielberg’s ability to balance humor with heavier content should be even more praised.

For “Star Wars” and “Jaws,” John Williams created probably the most famous cinematic scores of all time. Somehow, the composer kept thinking up new scores that were immediately recognizable, unforgettable from the moment they’re heard. The “Raiders of the Lost Ark” score invokes adventure from its first note. The memorable main reframe, that perfectly hummable dun-da-dun-DUN, is so ingrained with the character that you can’t imagine one without the other. Wiliams’ other work, such as the mysterious theme for the Ark, is also excellent. 

In my eyes, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” is the pinnacle of blockbuster filmmaking: Often imitated, rarely surpassed. The perfect mixture of action, adventure, humor, heart, and thematic substance piles up to create a staggering cinematic achievement. Indiana Jones would have more adventures, some of them nearly matching the original. Yet “Raiders of the Lost Ark” stands as a masterpiece of popcorn filmmaking, a breathlessly pleasurable film that thrills and entertains audiences as much now as when it was new. [Grade: A]