Raiders of the Lost Ark

Summary

“Snakes… why’d it have to be snakes?”

Paramount Pictures has recently released the entire collection of Indiana Jones films on the 4K UHD format. These films are widely considered to be some of the greatest adventure films ever made. They also rank as some of the most influential. I should mention that I am only referring to the original trilogy of films, because the fourth film in my opinion is an unmitigated disaster that should have never happened. Some people disagree with me on this point (including Roger Ebert for some reason,) but I feel confident that they are wrong. 

Since I first purchased my UHD player, I have patiently been waiting for the release of these films. I have been a fan since I was just a child. In fact, Raiders of the Lost Ark was shown to my entire Sunday school class when I was about ten years old. I had already watched the film a few times with my family, since my dad and mom were fans of Harrison Ford, but I vividly remember the Sunday school showing as they held up cardboard to cover up the vivid violence that ensues during the final denouement when the Ark is opened. As a child, this sequence was prohibited but I was allowed to listen to it, which always made me feel a little like Indiana as he screams to Marion to look away. 

When my 4K UHD set arrived, I immediately popped in the Raiders disc so that my two boys (aged six and eleven) could watch the film with me and share that experience together. The film has aged well and my boys were just as enthused by the film as I was. I had watched the film a few years back with my oldest son, but it was nice to see how it inspired the imagination of my youngest.

As the film begins, archeologist Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) treks his way through a jungle in South America. The year is 1936 and he is in search of a Peruvian fertility idol made of gold. Many of his helpers turn away as he enters a boobytrapped cavern, but one helper named Satipo (Alfred Molina) continues with him. Through a course of spectacular events, including the famous sand balancing sequence and rolling ball sequence, Jones emerges from the cavern with the idol just in time to be held up by the villainous French archeologist Rene Belloq (Paul Freeman.) Belloq has employed an indigenous tribe with poisoned arrows to keep Indy at bay, but when he speaks to them in their native tongue to kill Indiana, Indiana makes his escape to a seaplane. Inside the plane is a snake, which Indiana readily admits he hates. Arriving back in America, Jones is approached by two army intelligence officers at the museum where he teaches and works. They explain that the Nazis, under the orders of Adolf Hitler, have begun to gather artifacts of the occult. Their most recent expedition has been taking place in Tanis, Egypt. They are searching for the rumored well of lost souls with hopes of locating the lost Ark of the Covenant. Jones explains that in order to locate the Ark, he must first locate an amulet that is in the possession of Marion (Karen Allen) – a former lover who was the daughter of a fellow archeologist and colleague. Indiana heads to Nepal where Marion owns a tavern. When he arrives, Marion has just finished a drinking contest with one of the local men. After punching Indiana in the face for his prior abandonment, she asks him to leave the bar. He complies. Just then, the insidious baldheaded and bespectacled gestapo agent Arnold Toht arrives with his own plans to steal her medallion. Indiana Jones intervenes before Toht can harm Marion. As the bar begins to burn to the ground, Toht grabs the scalding hot medallion. He runs outside and dips his hand into the ice outside. Having rescued Marion, Indiana takes her with him to Cairo where they agree to split the credit when they locate the Ark. They team up with an Egyptian named Sallah (John Rhys-Davies,) who warns that Belloq is helping the Nazis. Indiana and his friends work towards thwarting the Nazis and Belloq, while fearing that the Ark if located may give the Nazis unspeakable powers otherwise.

When George Lucas set out to create a film series that harkened back to the serials that were popular in the Thirties and Forties, he worked on a story with director Philip Kaufman. This was just after the success of his film American Graffiti. Kaufman had other commitments and was unavailable to direct the film. Lucas was still busy completing the Star Wars trilogy, so he asked friend and fellow filmmaker Steven Spielberg, fresh off of his successful films Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Jaws, to direct. Spielberg was an excellent choice to bring the script to life and he recommended a screenwriter. Screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan was tasked with developing the story into the final script based on Spielberg’s recommendation. After some reworking of the script with Lucas, the final draft was completed in 1979. With the Hiring Harrison Ford for the lead, already an icon for his performance as Han Solo, the film was set to be filmed in 1980, after Spielberg had spend six months in preproduction. The resulting film was an international sensation when released and its popularity has never faded in the years since. 

Raiders is not just the greatest Indiana Jones film, it is also the greatest adventure film ever made in my opinion. All one needs to do is watch the incredible opening sequence to the film – possibly the greatest expository opening sequence of any film – to know that Raiders is a different film from all the adventure films before it. The action sequences are so well paced and so well edited that they feel completely seamless. There is simply no fat to trim in this film. The dialogue by Kasdan is clever and humorous without failing to stay serious. Add to that the brilliance of Spielberg’s large scale directing style with at times hundreds of extras in foreground and background shots. The film feels like a universe unto itself – a truly transportive experience that takes the viewer into the world of 1936 – but it is a world full of humor and excitement. If you think of any given sequence in the film, it is hard to find a scene that is not beloved. The sequence where a swordsman demonstrates his prowess to Jones only to be gunned down or the sequence where Indiana punches a Nazi and catches the hat for his disguise are just a couple moments that stick in the mind. The film is full of moments as good or better than those. The character building is simply extraordinary.

Harrison Ford has rarely been better than in Raiders. You can argue that he equals his role as Han Solo, and I love Ford as Deckard in Blade Runner, but it is hard to argue that any role of Ford’s fits the actor’s persona better than here. It’s a truly iconic performance, and I can’t imagine another actor in the role (even though Tom Selleck was almost cast!) Karen Allen is great as the feisty but sensitive Marion. This would be her signature role. Paul Freeman is an amazing villain as the diabolical Belloq. Ronald Lacey is unforgettable as the sadistic Gestapo man Toht. John Rhys-Davies is a great asset to the film as Sallah, which he would reprise again in The Last Crusade. The cast is a fantastic ensemble.

The cinematography in the film is pretty incredible. This is a true large scale action adventure film and Spielberg fills the wide angled frame as often as possible. The stunt work in the film remains incredibly impressive. Watching the film, I was struck by how much these stunts impact the viewing experience in comparison to the deluge of CGI that we are currently bombarded by. The reality of watching a man hanging from a moving car with real danger can simply not be equaled by green screen entertainment despite everyone’s best intentions. Even Spielberg has moved too far in the direction of the CGI laced action, which has caused his more recent films to suffer somewhat. Raiders remains as thrilling as it was on the day that it was released.

Raiders of the Lost Ark is a film that can not be improved upon. It remains a truly perfect film in my estimation.

Video

A few years back, Paramount released a box set of the films on Blu-ray. I actually purchased the films individually at the time. Raiders looked pretty great on that format to my eyes, but I am happy to report that the new 4K HEVC/H.265 transfer from Paramount Pictures looks even better. Fine detail is improved from prior releases. In many ways, the improved level of detail reminded me of the similar experience I had when I watched the Blu-ray in comparison to the DVD. This is definitely a film that takes full advantage of the increased clarity and definition from the UHD format. I have seen this film numerous times, and this is the best the film has ever looked. Sequences in the final third of the film where hundreds of extras are in the background in particular shine here. The film’s color palette is fairly muted, but the finale in particular is more colorful and more eye popping than ever before. I recommend that you not look away from this beautiful presentation.

Audio

Paramount Pictures have updated the DTS-HD MA 5.1 track for this release to a new Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track. While the sound design itself is probably the issue here, I did find that the track was surprisingly lacking in oomph at times. Clarity is excellent and the track is fairly immersive, but it just does not hit with the amount of volume that I had expected. I ended up watching most of the film with the volume turned very high, and it still did not blow my speakers off the wall. While it still sounds great, it did feel like it did not quite meet my expectations fully.

Supplements:

The supplements featured aside from three trailers are only found on the bonus Blu-Ray disc included in the set. This is the same special features disc that was included in the original Blu-ray set. That said, the amount of special features on that disc is quite extensive. I have listed the full list of features on that disc below.

• On Set with Raiders of the Lost Ark
  • From Jungle to Desert
  • From Adventure to Legend
• Making the Films:
  • The Making of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
  • The Making of Raiders of the Lost Ark
  • The Making of The Temple of Doom
  • The Making of The Last Crusade
  • The Making of The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
• Behind the Scenes:
  • The Stunts of Indiana Jones
  • The Sound of Indiana Jones
  • The Music of Indiana Jones
  • The Light and Magic of Indiana Jones
  • Raiders: The Melting Face!
  • Indiana Jones and the Creepy Crawlies
  • Travel with Indiana Jones: Locations
  • Indy’s Women: The American Film Institute Tribute
  • Indy’s Friends and Enemies
  • Iconic Props
  • The Effects of Indy
  • Adventures in Post Production

Overall Scores: 

Video – 5/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 4.5/5

Overall – 5/5

Raiders of the Lost Ark is a perfect film above reproach. The entire action/adventure genre owes a tremendous amount to this one film. If the entire Indiana Jones franchise had ended after this film, it would still have its place in history. I will always consider Raiders in particular to be one of the best films ever made. The script by Lawrence Kasdan based upon the story from George Lucas and Philip Kaufman is one of the most wonderfully inventive and entertaining scripts ever filmed by a major studio. Spielberg directed the film brilliantly and secured his auteur status with this wonderful film. It is simply a joy to watch. The 4K UHD Blu-ray is a big leap in quality from the already excellent Blu-ray, but it is worth noting that the sound on the disc is a little underwhelming compared to other 4K remasters. This is a mandatory purchase for anyone who loves cinema, and earns my highest recommendation.

This 4K UHD edition of Raiders of the Lost Ark is only available currently in the Indiana Jones 4-Movie Collection. That release is well worth picking up to grab the first three films! I plan to work my way through the rest of the films and update the site accordingly.