Raiders of the Lost Ark Review

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Release Date: 13th August 1981 – Australia


Production Companies
Paramount Pictures (presents)
Lucasfilm Ltd.

Distribution

Paramount Pictures Australia


Genre: Action/Adventure

Rating: M

Runtime: 115 minutes


Budget: $18,000,000

Box Office Gross: $389,925,971 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary
In 1936, an archeologist/professor Indiana Jones searched for a rare treasure in the South American jungle but narrowly avoided a treacherous booby trap in accomplishing his task. After being told about a religious artifact known as The Ark of the Covenant, he sets off on a new adventure across the globe. Along the way, he must combat a rival archeologist named Rene Belloq and a group of Nazis.


Cast
Harrison Ford – Indiana Jones
Karen Allen – Marion Ravenwood
Paul Freeman – Dr. Rene Belloq
Ronald Lacey – Major Arnold Toht
John Rhys-Davies – Sallah
Denholm Elliot – Dr. Marcus Brody
Wolf Kahler – Colonel Dietrich
Alfred Molina – Satipo
George Harris – Captain Katanga
Anthony Higgins – Major Gobler
Vic Tablian –  Barranca/
Monkey Man
Don Fellows – Colonel Musgrove
William Hootkins – Major Eaton
Fred Sorenson – Jock
Patrick Durkin – Australian
Climber
Pat Roach – Giant Sherpa/

1st Mechanic
Christopher Frederick – Otto
Tutte Lemkov – Imam
Ishaq Bux – Omar
Kiran Shah – Abu
Souad Messaoudi – Fayah
Terry Richards – Arab Swordsman
Eddie Tagoe – Messenger Pirate

Frank Marshall – Pilot (Cameo)

Dennis Muren – Nazi Spy on

the Airplane (Cameo)

(Uncredited)

Michael Sheard – U-Boat

Captain (Uncredited)

Frank Welker – Special Vocal Effects (Uncredited)

Crew
Director – Steven Spielberg
Story/Executive Producer – George Lucas

Story – Philip Kaufman
Screenplay – Lawrence Kasdan

Associate Producer/

Production Manager (Uncredited) – Robert Watts

Executive Producer – Howard G. Kazanjian
Producer/Second Unit Director (Uncredited) –

Frank Marshall

Associate to Mr Spielberg – Kathleen Kennedy
Casting Directors – Jane Feinberg,

Mike Fenton and Mary Selway

Production Designer – Norman Reynolds

Production Illustrator – Ed Verreaux

Production Artists – Ron Cobb

and Michael Lloyd

Illustrator: ILM – Ralph McQuarrie

Art Director – Leslie Dilley

Assistant Art Directors – Ken Court,

John Fenner, Fred Hole and Michael Lamont

Set Decorator – Michael Ford
Costume Designer – Deborah Nadoolman

Armorer – Simon Atherton

Special Makeup Effects: ILM – Chris Walas

Director of Photography – Douglas Slocombe

Additional Photography – Paul Beeson

Operating Cameramen: Second Unit –

Wally Byatt, Jerry Dunkley and David Worley

Assistant Cameraman – Robin Vidgeon

Production Supervisor – Douglas Twiddy

Assistant Production Manager – Patricia Carr

First Assistant Director – David Tomblin

Second Assistant Directors – Roy Button

and Patrick Cadell

Second Assistant Director: Peru/Hawaii –

Louis G. Friedman
Second Unit Director – Michael D. Moore

Stunt Coordinator – Glenn Randall Jr.

Stunt Arranger – Peter Diamond

Mechanical Effects Supervisor – Kit West
Visual Effects Supervisor – Richard Edlund

Art Director: Visual Effects, ILM – Joe Johnston

Assistant Art Director: ILM – Nilos Rodis-Jamero

Production Supervisor: ILM – Thomas G. Smith

Effects Cameraman: ILM - Jim Vellieux

Camera Operators: ILM – Don Diew and Bill Neil

Modelshop Foreman: ILM – Lorne Peterson

Pyrotechnics: ILM – Thaine Morris

Visual Effects Editorial Supervisor: ILM –

Conrad Buff IV

Matte Painting Supervisor: ILM – Alan Maley

Matte Artist: ILM – Michael Pangrazio

Matte Photography: ILM – Neil Krepela

Matte Photography Assistant: ILM – Craig Barron

Optical Photography Supervisor: ILM –

Bruce Nicholson

Supervising Stage Technician: ILM – Ted Moehnke

Stage Technicians: ILM – William Beck,

Dick Dova, Bob Finley III, Pat Fitzsimmons,

Edward Hirsh, John McLeod and Peter Stolz

Editor – Michael Kahn

Assistant Film Editor: ILM – Duwayne Dunham

Assistant Film Editors – Bruce Green,

Phil Sanderson and Colin Wilson
Sound Design – Ben Burtt

Supervising Sound Effects Editor/Sound Effects

Recording (Uncredited) – Richard L. Anderson

Sound Effects Editor – Stephen Hunter Flick

Sound Effects Editor/Recording (Uncredited) –

Mark A. Mangini

Supervising Dialogue Editor – Curt Schulkey

Re-Recording – Bill Varney,

Steve Maslow and Gregg Landaker

Foley Editor – John Dunn

Sound Effects Recording – Gary Summers

Music – John Williams

Music Supervisor – Lionel Newman (Uncredited)

Supervising Music Editor – Kenneth Wannberg


Awards

1982 Academy Awards
Best Art Direction – Norman Reynolds,
Leslie Dilley and Michael Ford (Won)
Best Sound – Bill Varney, Steve Maslow,
Gregg Landaker and Roy Charman (Won)
Best Film Editing – Michael Kahn (Won)
Best Visual Effects – Richard Edlund,

Kit West, Bruce Nicholson and Joe Johnston (Won)
Special Achievement Award for Sound Effects

Editing – Ben Burtt and Richard L. Anderson (Won)

--------------------------
Best Picture – Frank Marshall (Nominated)
Best Director – Steven Spielberg (Nominated)
Best Cinematography – Douglas Slocombe (Nominated)
Best Original Score – John Williams (Nominated)


Review
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK is a successful collaboration between George Lucas and director Steven Spielberg and is a terrific and enjoyable adventure movie with lots of action and humour. It makes you feel that you are in an underground temple in Cairo full of traps and danger. What made RAIDERS so unique was its inspiration from pulp magazines and old Saturday morning film serials, as most of you were probably too young to remember that stuff. It is due to its pre-World War II setting and the battle against the evil Nazis.

Besides the action sequences, the stunts and visual effects draw you into the adventure as Indy has to stop the Nazis from claiming the Ark. I liked the acting of Harrison Ford, who is terrific for the part of the main hero, Indiana Jones and Miss Karen Allen as the love interest Marion. John Williams' truly breathtaking music score is the other factor in RAIDERS. It evokes the atmosphere heard in the old action/adventure serials of the 1930s and the early 40s, which brings back the classical compositions of Hollywood.

This film contains memorable scenes, such as Indiana getting chased by the boulder in the opening sequence. Indy descends into the snake pit (despite his fear of snakes), and a fight scene between Indy and a bald and burly German mechanic.

RAIDERS was a brilliant start to the franchise and is unforgettable to the series' fans. It's one of my top favourites. I highly recommend watching it before you see the other Indiana Jones films.

Star rating: (5/5) Best Movie Ever

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