WoodCop: Scraps: Favorite Movies: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Raiders Of The Lost Ark

Year of release: 1981.
MPAA rating: PG.
Run time: 115 minutes.

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Synopsis
      "Action-packed and adventure-filled, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK is director Steven Spielberg's loving homage to the Saturday matinee cliffhanger serials of his childhood. When the Allies discover the Nazis are planning to use the Lost Ark of the Covenant as a weapon, the U.S. government enlists archaeologist-adventurer Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) to locate the biblical treasure chest where the remains of the broken tablets of the Ten Commandments were placed.

      En route, Jones and his feisty ex-girlfriend, Marion (Karen Allen), must escape the clutches of evil Nazis, duplicitous "natives," and a nest of venomous snakes--not to mention the wrath of God. The groundbreaking special effects and furious, never-ending pace make for a stylish whirlwind of a movie, topped off with a fabulous sense of humor. This bare-knuckled, barnstorming, pot-boiling, eye-popping bucket of Technicolor popcorn became Paramount Pictures’ highest-grossing film, and deservedly so -- RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK is quite simply one of the most enjoyable movies ever made."

Commentary
      This is the perfect old-fashioned, action-adventure movie. Harrison Ford is superbly cast as the smart and tough Indiana Jones. There are exotic locations, a colorful supporting cast, an interesting plot and great stunts. Indiana Jones is the quintessential movie hero and Raiders Of The Lost Ark is what adventure movies are supposed to be!

Cast Harrison Ford - Indiana Jones
Karen Allen - Marion Ravenwood
Paul Freeman - Belloq
Ronald Lacey - Toht
John Rhys-Davies - Sallah
Denholm Elliott - Marcus Brody
Alfred Molina - Satipo
Wolf Kahler - Dietrich

Crew
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Director: Steven Spielberg
Producer: Frank Marshall
Screenwriter: Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas & Philip Kaufman
Art Director: Leslie Dilley
Cinematographer: Douglas Slocombe
Composer: John Williams
Editor: Michael Kahn
Executive Producer: George Lucas & Howard Kazanjian
Production Designer: Norman Reynolds
Sound Design: Ben Burtt
Special Effects: Industrial Light and Magic
Story: George Lucas & Philip Kaufman
Visual Effects Supervisor: Richard Edlund

Awards
Academy Awards - 1981
Best Art Direction - Norman Reynolds & Leslie Dilley
Best Art Direction - Michael Ford
Best Editing - Michael Kahn
Best Sound - Steve Maslow & Roy Charman
Special Achievement - Ben Burtt & Richard L. Anderson
Best Visual Effects - Richard Edlund, Joe Johnston, Bruce Nicholson & Kit West
Best Sound - Gregg Landaker & Bill Varney

Academy Award Nominations - 1981
Best Picture
Best Cinematography - Douglas Slocombe
Best Director - Steven Spielberg
Best Score - John Williams

British Academy Awards - 1981
Best Production Design/Art Direction - Norman Reynolds

American Film Institute - 1998
Chosen as one of the 100 Greatest American Movies

Credits
Information gathered from numerous websites including:
www.reelclassics.com
www.turnerclassicmovies.com
www.movies.yahoo.com
www.us.imdb.com