Everything about Steven Spielberg’s 1981 adventure film, “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” is iconic. From the unforgettable lines that are so easy to quote, to the brilliant characters saying them and the pitch-perfect actors playing them, to the countless scenes full of adventure and danger, to John Williams’ score, to Jones’ hat and whip. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — on this week’s episode as we start our Indiana Jones series and talk about the influence this film had on our childhoods and how it still plays an important role in our moviegoing sensibilities.
Indiana Jones has a Beginning
We talk about the origins of the story with George Lucas and Philip Kaufman, how it transitioned to Lawrence Kasdan, and how Spielberg joined in. We discuss the script and how well it works, particularly because of the great characters that all feel fully fleshed out, as well as how some of those characters unfortunately get a short shrift in the sequels. We discuss the special effects and how well they work, even if the techniques are a bit dated for today’s audiences. And we chat about the interesting nature of the protagonist and antagonist, and how similar they are in this film. It’s one of the greatest adventure films out there, one we’ve seen innumerable times, and certainly a movie we like. It makes a worthy start in our series on the films of Indiana Jones. Listen in!
Film Sundries
- Watch this film: iTunes • Amazon
- Script Transcript
- Original theatrical trailer
- Original poster artwork
- Flickchart
