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Writer/Executive Producer George Lucas Screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan Associate Producer Robert Watts Associate To Spielberg Kathleen Kennedy Actress Karen Allen Actor Paul Freeman E-Mail me (Earl) at earlrock@ihug.co.nz Click for bigger pics:
Tom Selleck and Sean Young auditioning
Deleted scene: Sallah faces execution
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Set during the 30s, Raiders Of The Lost Ark follows 'Indy' as he travels the globe searching for the legendary Ark of the Covenant, which, according to the bible, contains the remains of the 10 Commandments. The Ark is supposed to wield unimaginable power, and Adolf Hitler has ordered his agents to locate it. Aided by his one-time love interest Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) and loyal sidekick Sallah (John Rhys-Davies), Indy must stay three steps ahead of the Nazis, decipher the clues to the Ark's resting place and escape from more perilous situations than James Bond and Bill Clinton combined. Also in the cast was Paul Freeman, as Indy's villainous arch rival, Belloq. The late British character actor Denholm Elliott played Marcus Brody, museum curator and Indy's friend. Elliott, who received an Oscar nomination for his work in A Room With A View, reprised the role of Brody in the 1989 sequel. Wolf Kahler and Ronald Lacey played a pair of Nazi bad guys, and William Hootkins, who previously played a Rebel pilot in Lucas' Star Wars, played Major Eaton, who brings the quest to Indy in the first place. Alfred Molina, who would go on to become an impressive character actor in such films as Boogie Nights, took on the small part of Satipo, a South American guide who makes the mistake of betraying our hero. Released in June, 1981, Raiders grossed $8, 305, 823 in it's opening weekend, and proceeded to make $242,374,454 in the US, and $383,900,000 worldwide. Today, a film that opens at $8 million is unlikely to gross much more than $50 million, showing that Raider's appeal had audiences lining up around the block for weeks. Raiders received Academy Awards for visual effects, art direction/set decoration, film editing, sound, and a special achievement Oscar for sound effects editing. It was also nominated for best picture, director, cinematography, and for the legendary John Williams' score. Of course, Indy spawned a pair of blockbuster sequels, Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom (1984) and Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989). Although considerably inferior to Raiders, both were entertaining adventures nonetheless. In the 90s, Lucas also launched an elaborate TV series, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, which failed because of lackluster ratings. |
A daredevil archaeologist by the name of Indiana Jones burst on the
screen in 1981's Raiders Of The Lost Ark, and the movie quickly
became one of the most successful of all time. Designed by
writer/executive producer George Lucas and director Steven Spielberg to
a loving tribute to the serial adventures of their youth, Raiders took
audiences on an astoundingly fast paced and action packed ride.