The original release of "Raiders of the Lost Ark"

What the hell. Who remembers it? Was Harrison Ford a big sex symbol? Was surprised and pleased to learn that it received both Best Picture and Best Director nominations. I think part of the pleasure of watching this movie is that is was filmed in locations around the world with sets and crowds and landscapes. That doesn't happen anymore - everything is computer animated. Raiders is a wonderful relic of really epic moviemaking - when authenticity mattered.

http%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D0ZOcoxjeUYo



• Indy.

  http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Admin/BkFill/Default_image_group/2012/9/20/1348157547313/RAIDERS-OF-THE-LOST-ARK-010.jpg

• Wasn't around at release time. Just bumping to get something non-political at the top of the front page.

• I caught it in a sneak preview (advertised with a small ad in the local paper as "new George Lucas film") and it was one of the most fun, satisfying nights I'd enjoyed at the movies. By the end, we'd all realized it was something special, and applauded loudly. (And this was in Columbia, SC).

• *of course I meant to say "New Steven Spielberg film".

• I was actually first in line to see this with my then high school buddy. I had no idea what the film was about so it was a big surprise how fun it was. It's the *only* Spielberg film I like. Harrison was already a hunk with Star Wars films so that wasn't new but the real revelation was Karen Allen who's career went nowhere after this (she apparently dissed Spielberg in some interview back then). A real crowd pleaser and a real classic. I recently saw it in HD and the cinematography is amazing. Gorgeous, unlike today's films. They used actual film back then. Arf.

• [quote]What the hell. What the hell? What OP? It was a huge, lines around the block, plays for months hit. Grossed almost $400 million in 1981 dollars which was about $5.00 adult ticket. What's not to understand.?

• So much fun! A shame all the sequels were overblown disappointments.

• I saw it 8 times in the theater when it came out. Everyone already knew Harrison Ford as Han Solo, but his turn as Indy took him to Leading Man Status. The first collaboration between Spielberg (already huge because of "Jaws" and "Close Encounters") and Lucas was eagerly anticipated, and it did not disappoint in any way. And the bullwhip was cool.

• Such a great movie. Its a cliche, but they really don't make them like that anymore, ESPECIALLY Spielberg.

• Longest laugh I ever heard in a movie theater was when Indy pulled out his gun and shot the guy with the sword.

• That was me, R10, I adored that moment. I was a teenager, and in those days kids' heroes made a point of never using guns. So for years I'd been wondering why some clever bad guy didn't just shoot Batman or Bruce Lee in the face, so... Did you know that moment was Harrison Ford's idea? Spielberg actually had an extended fight planned, but Ford had dysentery and wasn't looking forward to it, so he said "Let's just shoot the fucker".

• Everybody on that movie got sick in Egypt, or wherever the hell they filmed those scenes. Several things were changed around because the actors were so sick. Great, great movie, and I'm not really a Spielberg fan. Karen Allen was fantastic - why didn't she have a film career? Temple of Doom was godawful, with the exception of one or two scenes. That annoying kid and the ever-annoying Kate Capshaw were just cringe-inducing.

• [quote]Harrison was already a hunk with Star Wars films so that wasn't new but the real revelation was Karen Allen For straight guys of a certain age she had already made a huge impression as the girlfriend in Animal House.

• I heard that Spielberg got pissed at Allen, which is why the character was not a part of TEMPLE OF DOOM. His excuse was it was a prequel, but the characters had "history" together, so she could just as easily have been in it.

• If Karen Allen had been in TEMPLE OF DOOM, Spielberg would have never met his future wife.

• I've never seen Raiders or Star Wars, maybe I'll check it out finally.

• Yes, Raiders for sure, r16. We saw this because the new 007 movie "Moonraker" was sold out and we wanted to see something. One of the adults had seen a review of "Raiders" and said it sounded good. Was it ever! I remember thinking it was like a roller-coaster ride and it was exhilarating! I still love it to this day and recite entire scenes of dialogue with my brother. Drives my mom nuts.

• [quote]I've never seen Raiders or Star Wars, maybe I'll check it out finally. Well do yourself a favor but you'll miss the excitement of seeing them in a dark room with another thousand people laughing and enjoying the ride. BUT be sure you at least see them on a wide screen TV and good sound as they were meant to be seen.

• Harrison Ford was the big sex symbol out of "Star Wars" and he solidified that in "Raiders of the Lost Ark".

• [quote]We saw this because the new 007 movie "Moonraker" was sold out and we wanted to see something. Oh dear R17. Moonraker was released in 1979.

• R17, it was For Your Eyes Only, not Moonraker, which, like R20 wrote, was released in '79

• "filmed around the world with sets and crowds and landscapes. That doesn't happen anymore - everything is computer animated. Raiders is a wonderful relic of really epic moviemaking - when authenticity mattered." All big movies were made that way then, like the great spectaculars Bel Hur, El Cid, Cleopatra, Spartacus, Fall of the Roman Empire etc. You knew those crowds and sets were there which gives the films a depth you just dont get with CGI films like that Troy or even Gladiator.

• Karen Allen was also a big deal.

• It was Spielberg's tentative return to the director's chair after '1941' was a major bomb. Fortunately, 'The Empire Strikes Back' was such a triumph that the studio greenlighted 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'.

• Saw it back in the day and it was amazing. Harrison was fine in the Star Wars films but hottest in Raiders. And the final scene with the Ark is still amazing.

• Probably my favorite movie of all time. It sounds silly and cliche, but it really is fun for the whole family, it could be enjoyed by people of any age. I saw it multiple times in the theater in'81, when I was 13. (It didn't hurt that I had a massive crush on Ford.) Action, comedy, drama, romance, Sci-fi... I love how it successfully checks all the boxes. I didn't mind the two sequels, they had their moments, but definitely didn't measure up. The more recent edition was great from a nostalgic point of view, reuniting Ford and Allen, but was average at best.

• I opted for 'Clash of the Titans' that opening weekend.

• Raiders truly is a perfect movie.

• Saw it in a sneak preview with my sister, who at one point was a step ahead of the rest of the audience and yelled out at the top of her voice, "It's a coat hanger!!!!" I remember that moment every time I see the film.