Raiders Of The Lost Ark

With the recent release of the Indiana Jones series on blu-ray, some cinemas have been screening 'Raiders Of The Lost Ark'. It was the perfect opportunity to relive this classic film.

There are many memories I have of my dad taking me to see movies when I was young. I remember him taking my brother and myself to see 'Raiders Of The Lost Ark'. It was screening as a double feature at my local cinema with 'Foul Play'. I remember being petrified throughout 'Foul Play'. Being so young I don't think I knew it was meant to be a comedy. I think I just found the big albino man really scary. It is amusing to note that I think I found 'Foul Play' scarier than 'Raiders'.
For me there are some films that are the very definition of the perfect film. The perfect mix of all elements that comes together to create perfection. It is simply the greatest action/adventure film ever made. Writer Lawrence Kasdan has crafted a brilliant script from a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. The character of Indiana Jones is so perfectly realised that he comes fully formed in the film. All his back story is cleverly woven into the film so that you do not notice it. This is mostly done through his relationship with Marion. Some action heroes can be arrogant in their approach but Indy feels so humble that despite his uncanny ability to get out of any situation he comes across as a very average guy. It is also great to see that he has a strong female character to work with. Marion is a tough woman who can handle tough situations. But she occasionally needs Indy's help. The villain Belloc is also very well written too. The great thing is that he is not really the film's major threat. You could think of Hitler as an unseen bad guy who Belloc is working for. Belloc is not unlike Indy but is just passing the Ark onto a bad man. The story is also cleverly done and keeps getting interesting as it goes along. You certainly learn about The Lost Ark from watching the film. The twists and turns that Indy has to go through in protecting the Ark are fun and exciting. Which brings me to the direction. For me this is my all time favourite film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film has a wonderful playfulness which makes the film incedibly fun. Despite the fact that I have seen it numerous times I still get a great thrill out of seeing it. The action scenes especially are what make 'Raiders' so iconic. They are so brilliantly staged and shot. The sound effects are so great to that I always associate them with this film. I should also mention the wonderful music score by John Williams. Everyone knows that theme.
It is hard to imagine that Tom Selleck almost played Indiana Jones. Such is the brilliance of Harrison Ford that he was able to bring that everyman quality to the role, that he will forever be known as that that character. Some will say that he is also Han Solo, but for me he never got any better than he does as Indy. I am surprised that Karen Allen did not do all that much after this film. Her performance as Marion is sublime. While she is almost playing a damsel in distress who Indy has to rescue, Karen manages to still make the character strong enough that she can handle fighting along side Indy as well. John Rhys-Davies is equally as good as Indy's friend Sallah. He provides much of the film's humour and is wonderful at it. As mentioned above Belloq is not really the main villain. But Paul Freeman manges to make Belloq less of a traditional villain. Despite the fact that he plans to give the Ark over to Hitler, he is not all that different to Indy. He does have a very scary henchman played by Wolf Kahler.
Movies do not get any better than this. Simply perfection. Seeing it on the big screen only makes it greater.