Remember the Classics

‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (1981)

No matter how many times I’ve seen “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” I’m struck by how incredibly engrossing it is. Most action/adventure films—if they don’t peter out before they end for the first time—can only be watched once, because the characters and events aren’t worth revisiting; even the most amazing stunts and gun battles lose their luster once they’ve been viewed. But one can watch “Raiders” a hundred times over and still be exhilarated by it. Absolute, inescapable peril occurs every ten minutes or so, and it never lets up, ever. Perhaps because it is such an unprecedented and unequaled success on a level of pure entertainment—and is often lauded as such—some may wish to dig deeper into the film, into what makes it great entertainment.

But it may take more than a few viewings of the film to approach that position, because its structure almost discourages an analytical perspective. Even the most academic and serious critics will find themselves confounded by “Raiders,” which is so preoccupied with fun that few will have time to give it much thought beyond that. After all, the film’s primary inspiration, the matinee serials that director and producer George Lucas watched in their youth, were composed almost entirely of cliffhangers, to entice the audience to come to the picture shows week after week.

In smashing about nine or 10 different serial episodes into one package, the movie’s ambitions are nothing less than epic. They extend to its plot: daredevil archeologist Dr. “Indiana” Jones (Harrison Ford) is charged by the United States government to locate the Ark of the Covenant, the vessel which (supposedly) kept the original Ten Commandments sent from God. It seems that Hitler has a vested interest in attaining the Biblical relic, believing that its mythical power will lead him to worldwide victory. Whether or not the legends are true, it’s obvious that Indy has to beat the Nazis to the punch (even if not true, this should be incentive enough). He looks to an old flame, Marion (Karen Allen), to aid him on the quest; meanwhile, the Nazis have found a temporary ally in devious Frenchman Rene Belloq (Paul Freeman), Jones’ archenemy and competitor in archeology.

And so begins a spectacular journey around the globe, full of flying bullets, impossible booby traps and other numerous close calls; Indy only just barely makes it through each of them, with a few cuts and bruises but no worse for the wear. His narrow survival doesn’t ever feel like “dumb luck” or as a deus ex machina intended to be ignored; it’s the movie that keeps him alive, and it wants you to know that, through obvious script conveniences and visual cues. When Indy sneaks around a German U-Boat, he makes a vital move just as a Nazi guard turns his head away; if embroiled in a gunfight, he’ll always take a bullet in the shoulder, so that he seems more on our mortal level (more so than James Bond), but is never taken out of the action for more than a few seconds.

But so many of the movie’s unspoken pleasures take place in between the action, when we’re given time to breathe and take in the beauty of the specifics of its world. The scene where Indy is briefed by the government agents—but ends up offering more information to them—truly exemplifies why Ford was so perfect for the role. He is not a mere vessel for action, as he proves in this scene; he exudes boyish excitement when he expounds on the history of the Ark, which only escalates when it becomes clear that he’s the only one who can go in and save the day. It’s the same joy that overtakes us when we realize that we will follow him on the adventure, and certainly the same joy that guided Spielberg’s and Lucas’s hands to make it.

Similarly, the scene in which Indy is forced into a bar-side meeting with his arch-nemesis Belloq is the perfect example of Paul Freeman’s mastery over his role: delightfully evil, and perhaps a little too smart for his own good. Belloq and Indy only mention the Ark in passing; in a wonderful, unbroken shot, Belloq torments Indy in describing their similarity. “I am a shadowy reflection of you. It would only take a nudge to make you like me, to push you out of the light.” Belloq is a largely passive character, only surfacing after action scenes to taunt the hero, but like any great villain, he knows which strings to pull and which buttons to push.

Other characters represent other unforgettable traditions of the movies. The tall, jolly Sallah (John Rhys-Davies), the “best digger in Cairo” who has been hired by the Nazis to find the Ark, fulfills the hero’s need to have someone on the inside to feed him information to launch him into action. Karen Allen’s Marion gives Indy a sidekick and love interest, certainly meant to share barbs, thrills and kisses with him, but also to provide a proper hostage for Indy to rescue. It offers Indy a more personal connection to the proceedings, because, after all, having the world isn’t always enough, is it?

There’s no doubt that even in its imitation of adventure movies of the past, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” became an originator for action movies to come. Unfortunately, these efforts would misinterpret its storytelling and homage qualities as plotlessness, and subsequently turn their action scenes into mindless assaults on the senses. The inherent stupidity of the impersonators make us forget that sometimes we just want something very primal from the films we watch; sometimes, we just want to see the hero haul off and punch a Nazi. “Raiders” provides that, no doubt, but for all of its fun, it still invites other theories for why we love it unconditionally—its enaging characters, its 1930s movie fantasy world, and even the very fact that someone would make a film so tailored to our desires.