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Raiders of the Lost Ark
Promotional image © LucasFilm/Paramount
Release Date	June 12, 1981
Genre	Adventure
Director	Steven Spielberg
Screenwriter	George Lucas Philip Kaufman Lawrence Kasdan
Stars	Harrison Ford Karen Allen Paul Freeman Ronald Lacey John Rhys-Davies Denholm Elliott Alfred Molina Wolf Kahler
Studio	Paramount Pictures

Raiders of the Lost Ark premiered in the summer of 1981 and became the movie success story of the year.

Harrison Ford plays the hero of Raiders, an archeologist named Indiana Jones. Indy is a bit of a treasure hunter but otherwise a straight shooter, a pun famously made visual in a scene that makes the audience expect Indy to respond to the taunts of a villainous henchman by grabbing his bullwhip and throwing down in a long-drawn-out fight scene. Instead, Indy pulls out a gun and makes short work of the situation. The movie spices its action-packed sequences with humor, varying the pace and keeping suspense high at all times.

The story takes place in 1936. Indy learns that the Nazis are pursuing a mystical artifact, the Ark of the Covenant, which may offer untold powers to their forces. It's up to Indy to find it first. He flies to Nepal to enlist the help of Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), and the two make their way to Cairo to consult with another expert. Nazis kidnap Marion. Indy finds the Ark, only to be taken prisoner by the Nazis and thrown, along with Marion, into a snakepit to die.

They escape, and after a thrilling chase scene, retake the Ark and set sail for England. But a Nazi U-boat disrupts their return. Indy disguises himself as a German soldier but eventually gives himself up to his enemy, Rene Belloq (Paul Freeman). When the Ark is opened, all those who are watching die horribly, but Indy and Marion keep their eyes averted and are spared.

Raiders of the Lost Ark received numerous awards, including four Academy Awards, for Best Film Editing; Best Sound; Best Art Direction--Set Decoration; and Best Effects, Visual Effects. Paramount Pictures and Lucasfilm Ltd. released two sequels, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in 1984, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989, both with Harrison Ford reprising his signature role.

External Links

• Raiders of the Lost Ark at IMDB.com
• Indiana Jones Wiki