In the decade between 1975 and 1985, producer/directors Steven Spielberg and George Lucas dominated the box office.
It was inevitable that Lucas and Spielberg would eventually cross paths on a project, since they had the greatest skill at putting together blockbuster action/adventure films. Lucas supplied the original story, based on the 'B' serial films that filled Saturday matinees when they were both children. Spielberg had the more difficult task of bringing Lucas' vision to the camera, while adding his own interpretation to the production.

The result was a better film than either of them could have hoped for. Originally intended to be a low budget film, by their standards, the production costs eventually tripled to $22 million. Of course, the film went on to gross ten times that amount in American theaters alone.

The film also established Harrison Ford as a major star. While he had already been in the enormously successful first two Star Wars films, he was a second banana in those films to Mark Hamill. Raiders of the Lost Ark proved that he could carry an adventure film on his back alone, and he would do so again in the film's two lesser sequels, The Temple of Doom (1985) and The Last Crusade (1989).

Harrison exudes a laconic and practical manner, and has been criticized throughout his career for having a 'narrow range'. Yet he always seems to fit whatever his role requires, whether it be comedy, action, romance, or drama. He's fared best with adventure films, perhaps because his humble character never seems quite up to the challenge by himself, and requires the support of the supporting cast (and the audience) to get him through.

The curious aspect of his character is how shy he is as a University professor, when compared to his derring-do when he has a whip at his side. When the college co-eds bat their eyes at him, he is at a loss for words, when assumedly this is a daily occurrence for him there. Yet this same man is willing to be dragged behind a truck that is travelling sixty miles per hour.

Which brings us to the obvious 'problem' with Raiders of the Lost Ark. The story is completely implausible, from beginning to end. In the opening segment, Jones knows which tiles to step on, and where all the booby traps are. He can outrun an enormous boulder, and he never gets bit by a snake when the pit is full of them. He can hitch a ride on a submarine that travels across an ocean. He knows that he should close his eyes when the spirit of vengeance emerges.

But perhaps the most ridiculous scene has Karen Allen winning a drinking contest with a man who is at least twice her size. Five minutes later, she is not even drunk. The Nazis are no more than menacing men with rifles.

But the film unquestionable works so well that these 'problems' must in fact somehow be assets. This harkens to the spirit of the serials, in which outlandish escapes were the norm. But the serials weren't very good, perhaps because they were hastily made by hardened men who were working with miniscule budgets.

Spielberg thrives in contrast, because he is in control of everything, and he knows when to tinker with the elements until they fit together. The action has a heavy dose of comedy, and the suspense rises whenever plans almost inevitably go awry. Jones suffers countless setbacks throughout the film, and finally loses the Ark of the Covenant to the Federal bureaucracy.

The film is as great as it is because it is as much a comedy as an adventure film. The rapid pace of the film fools the audience until the punchline arrives. The monkey gives the funniest Nazi salute since that of The Thinker statue in Chaplin's The Great Dictactor. While a Middle Eastern audience will recognize the racist connotations in Jones' shooting an Arab swordsman from a safe distance, this doesn't mean that the scene isn't funny. Less successful is another mildly racist episode, which has Jones satisfying the rage of Egyptian merchants by dropping some coins onto the ground.

Raiders of the Lost Ark did win five Academy Awards, but four of them were in technical categories: visual effects, film editing, sound, and sound effects editing. The film did win for Best Art Direction, a somewhat prestigious category. It was nominated for several trophy Oscars (picture, director, cinematography) but lost in each of those categories.

Raiders of the Lost Ark has stood the test of time not just because it is entertaining, but because it expertly combines comedy and action. Spielberg would reproduce the magic a few years later, as a producer for Back to the Future (1985). (80/100)

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Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8