No. 6 - Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

INDIANA JONES - the new hero from the creators of JAWS and STAR WARS.

Rated: PG (Parental Guidance) for violence and disturbing scenes

Director: Steven Spielberg; Screenplay: Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas, Philip Kaufman

Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliott

Movie Introduction: The story follows intrepid archaeologist Indiana "Indy" Jones (Ford), as he searches for the Lost Ark of the Covenant, pitting himself against the Nazis, led by rival French archaeologist Belloq (Freeman). They must find the relic before Hitler can use it to wage war in Europe. Out of necessity, Indy partners with ex-sweetheart Marion Ravenwood (Allen). They venture to Egypt and there seek help from old friend Sallah (Rhys-Davies). They find themselves in constant peril as they get closer to finding the Staff of Ra.

Defining Moment: "... always knew someday you'd come walkin' back through my door."

To find the Ark, Indy needs the headpiece of the Staff of Ra, last owned by his mentor, the late Amber Ravenwood. Jones tracks down his daughter, Marion, in Nepal. There she runs a seedy, isolated bar, high in the mountains. Still hurting from their brief fling years ago, she wants nothing to do with the scoundrel and sends him away.

A few minutes later, several men enter the dive. The group's leader, clearly a German, demands that she turn over the headpiece. When Marion refuses, they hold her down, and prepare to employ the trusty old "red hot iron to the face" treatment to extract the information. In an instant, Indy is there, pistol in hand, with the simple command, "Let her go!". The ensuing, and unforgettable, melee sets the tone for the rest of the film. (Enjoy the scene in YouTube)

Something subtle you might have missed:  darn monkey

When Indy and Marion reach Egypt, they are immediately befriended by a stray pet monkey. The locals basically tolerate the harmless little fellow. The audience, however, quickly learns that the chummy chimp is loyal to a dubious, eye-patched Bedouin who is likewise employed by agents loyal to the Nazi cause. All seems to be working out well for the simian spy, as he alerts the Nazis to Marian's location resulting in her capture. However, the pesky primate has a "date" with destiny that he won't soon forget...

Memorable Quotes:

"The Ark, if it is there at Tanis, then it is something that man was not meant to disturb. Death has always surrounded it. It is not of this earth." - Sallah

"Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?" - Indiana Jones

Dad's Review:

I instantly fell in love with this movie, like most people. I could not wait to get my Mom's opinion on it. I popped in the rented VHS tape, and we watched it at home. I could hardly contain myself, waiting for the end, to hear her how much she enjoyed this action blockbuster.

As only Elsie could, she flatly responded, "Well, it was OK... nice, I guess... it was just like one of those old action serials we used to watch. I'm not sure what all the fuss is about."

I was never so deflated. "OK"? "Nice?" She did not utter the words "blown away!", "incredible!", or "exhilarating!" like I did. Mom, could always disarm you with her brutal honesty.

Well Mom, we're going to have to agree to disagree. It is my opinion that Raiders of the Lost Ark is film perfection. It was the first great pairing of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Mom was correct, the film does pay homage to the action serials of the 1930's, and it is a welcome resurrection of the genre, especially at a time when most action films were either about space operas or gritty detective tales.

The story follows the adventures of an American archaeologist, Dr. Henry Jones, known simply as "Indiana". In one of cinema's most exciting opening scenes, Dr. Jones recovers a golden idol from a cave in the darkest jungle and narrowly escapes. This sets the stage for a series of similar action sequences, each one out-doing the next.

Every scene in this film is brilliant.

The meat of the story centers on uncovering the clues to find the fabled "Ark of the Covenant", the vessel that contained the stone tablets upon which the Ten Commandments were inscribed. The Ark, according to legend, possesses great destructive power. However, it has been lost for a thousand years. Hitler, who is obsessed with finding new ways to conquer the world, demands that his minions find the artifact for his war designs

Harrison Ford, as only he can, gives our tough hero a certain vulnerability. There is something completely honest about his performance. Ford plays him as inpatient, grumpy and beat up. He's arrogant and grumpy. Yet we overlook those traits because he's just such a noble guy. Spielberg saw that immediately and uses it at every turn in the film. Everyone remembers the famous fight scene where the Berber crowd parts, Indy looks up, and a black-cloaked henchman brandishes his massive scimitar. The pirate executes a few nifty sword maneuvers meant to intimidate our hero. Exhausted, Jones casually draws this pistol and shoots the man dead. This is one of the film's iconic moments. (Watch it here on YouTube)

The supporting cast is splendid. Karen Allen is perfect as the spunky Marion Ravenwood. Denholm Elliot and John Rys-Davies are wonderful as Indy's cohorts (we luckily get to see more of them in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). Finally, Paul Freeman is the perfect foil, playing Indy's rival archaeologist, who has opted to sell his soul to evil.

Raiders was the top grossing film of 1981 both nationally and internationally. I took home five Oscars, notably for Art Direction, Editing and Sound. Spielberg prefers Raiders to the other Indiana Jones films. He said it is the one film in the series where he would not change a thing.

Mr. Spielberg, neither would I.

Onto No. 7...Everlasting Ray of the Unblemished Intellect