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Raiders Of The Lost ArkRaiders of the Lost Ark is a feature film released by Paramount Pictures in 1981. Directed by Steven Spielberg, it is a fantasy adventure and the first in a series of film and TV productions about the adventures of the heroic fictional archaeologist Indiana Jones, who was played by actor Harrison Ford. Indy is a professor of archeology and also acquires artifacts for Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott), who works for a museum. On his adventure he is accompanied by Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) and Sallah (John Rhys-Davies). His bte noire is Rene Belloq (Paul Freeman). Plot Set in 1936, the US Army intercepts a cryptic Nazi message that mentions a Prof. Ravenwood. Indy, a former student of Ravenwood, helps interpret the message as an indication that the Nazis are close to finding the Ark of the Covenant — a powerful object that Hitler could use to render his army invincible. Furthermore, they believe that Ravenwood has the headpiece of the Staff of Ra needed to pinpoint the Ark's resting place. Indy flies to Nepal to speak with Marion Ravenwood, the professor's daughter, only to find that her father died and that she's reluctant to part with the headpiece. A Nazi who had followed Indy to Marion tries to take the piece from her, which forces Marion to team up with Indy. They go to Cairo where the Nazis are currently digging and, with the help of Indy's friend Sallah, Indy finds the Ark. Belloq takes the Ark and leaves Indy and Marion to die in a snake-infested pit. They escape, retake the Ark, and sail with it on a ship bound for England. A Nazi U-boat stops the ship and takes the Ark and Marion, but Indy covertly follows the sub. It docks at an island base where Belloq opens the Ark, killing everyone on the island but not Indy and Marion because they do not watch the ritual. Back in the United States, the Army representative tells Indy that "top men" are studying the Ark, but in dramatic irony the Ark is sealed in a wooden crate and stored in a warehouse of countless similar crates. Production George Lucas originally became involved in the project in 1977. Like Star Wars he saw it as an opportunity to create a modern version of the serials of the 1930s and 1940s. The early 1970s had been dominated by action films either with a certain gritty realism, such as the Dirty Harry series or that were massive productions with huge casts and elaborate special effects such as The Poseidon Adventure. By contrast Raiders of the Lost Ark is comic book-like in tone, with a glamorous heroine, over-the-top villains, and impressive stunt work combined with moments of comedy. It was also limited in its ambitions as it was made in only 73 days, the plot is rather straightforward, and there are only a few principal characters. Lucas had conceived of the idea in discussion with Philip Kaufman who had worked on a treatment. While on holiday with his close friend Steven Spielberg the pair worked out the basis for the film. At the time Spielberg's career was suffering due to the expensive bomb 1941 so it was agreed that Lucas would produce and Spielberg direct. A new screenplay was commissioned from Lawrence Kasdan. 'Raiders' was conceived by Paramount Pictures as a star vehicle for Tom Selleck but he was not available due to other commitments so Harrison Ford was cast instead. Reaction The film was a huge success, becoming the year's highest grossing film. The box office success of the film led to a prequel — Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and a sequel Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). A fourth, as yet titleless, movie is apparently in preproduction for 2006. The Indiana Jones franchise eventually expanded to books, games, a television series, and even theme park attractions. (See Indiana Jones for more information.) Raiders of the Lost Ark was nominated for eight Academy Awards in 1982 and won four (Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration). It won numerous other awards including seven Saturn Awards. In 1999 the film was deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. Newer videos of this movie are titled Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. Credits - Direction: Steven Spielberg
- Cast: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies, Alfred Molina, and Denholm Elliott
- Writing credits: George Lucas (story), Philip Kaufman (story) and Lawrence Kasdan (screenplay)
- Composer: John Williams
- Editor: Michael Kahn
- Sound effects editor: Richard L. Anderson, who included the Wilhelm scream in the film
- Producers: Howard Kazanjian, George Lucas, Frank Marshall, Robert Watts
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