Can you believe it’s been 40 years since Raiders of the Lost Ark first arrived in theatres? The supernatural action/adventure film was a throwback homage to the Saturday morning serials of the 1930s.
Coming from the team of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg it seems hard to believe that they had trouble finding a studio to back the film. But Lucas’ asking price of $20 Million, while demanding no interference from the studio, and Spielberg’s history of going over budget, made it a hard sell. Luckily for everyone, including us, Paramount took the chance.
What we got became the gold standard for the PG action film. Indiana Jones became the template for the everyman hero. He was a hero in the vein of James Bond, the rugged individual standing up for what’s right, against insurmountable odds. But he’s also without the refinement. Jones answers to no one but his own moral fiber, an example of American Exceptionalism, for better or worse. It is very much a product of the 1970s, especially with its broad characterization/ethnic stereotypes, which can make rewatching it a little cringing, but its core is solid. Lucas, Spielberg, and screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan (The Big Chill, The Empire Strikes Back) created an adventure where the heroes are heroes and the villains are villains. They made a generation of children want to grow up to be archeologists.
Raiders of the Lost Ark’s strength comes from its performances, specifically leading man Harrison Ford. Try to imagine an actor other than Ford in the role. It seems impossible. But he was famously not the original choice. (That honor belonged to Tom Selleck. Selleck’s contract for the TV series Magnum PI would not allow him the time off for filming.) Ford’s take on Jones, a gruff, cynic with a strong sense of what is right and wrong, helped to make the film the smash hit it is to this day.
The rest of the cast plays up to Ford’s level. Karen Allen as Jones’ former mentor’s daughter/love interest, Marion Ravenwood, stands toe to toe with Ford in their scenes together. The pair did many of their own stunts (including the bar fight in the Himalayas). She shows she can give as good as she gets in the action department. John Rhys-Davies adds one part voice of reason and one part comic relief in the role of Sallah, the Egyptian archeological digger with a history with Jones.
Luckily for us, the original film hasn’t been hidden away in some secret warehouse archive. Raiders of the Lost Ark, and the complete Indiana Jones series, is available to stream on Paramount+ and is available in a brand new Indiana Jones 4-Movie Collection. All the films in this new 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray set are also available on Digital to Download & Keep from Lucasfilm Ltd. and Paramount Home Entertainment.
The untitled 5th entry to the series began filming this month. Along with Ford, it stars Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Kretschmann, Shaunette Renée Wilson, and Boyd Holbrook.
Indiana Jones 5 arrives in theatres on July 29, 2022.