Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) ★★★★★

Humpo Show Rating | 9.5

IMDb Rating | 8.5

Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies, Ronald Lacey, Denholm Elliott, Wolf Kahler

Director: Steven Spielberg

Plot Summary: Archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis. (IMDb)

This classic film needs no introduction…but I’m going to give one anyway! Raiders of the Lost Ark is the first film of the Indiana Jones franchise that has spawned 3 sequels and has raked in over a billion dollars at the box office. This film received 5 Academy Awards and it also solidified Harrison Ford as a leading action actor following on from his success as Han Solo in the Star Wars films. Harrison Ford is my subject topic for my entry in Thoughts All Sorts and Weegiemidget’s blogathon Then and Now. This film was released in 1981 and my second entry in the Now and Then post is Ford’s film Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull which was released 27 years after.

Harrison Ford is at his swashbuckling best as the adventurous archaeologist as he travels to Nepal, Egypt and an Aegean island in an exciting battle with the Nazis for the Ark of the Covenant. The Nazis believe that if they possess the item, their armies will become invincible. The US Government employ Jones to prevent the Nazis from obtaining the Ark and thus the story begins, and it becomes one of Ford’s defining films, as well as one of the most popular action films of all time.

There are so many iconic moments in this film, from the opening balancing act concerning a golden idol which introduces Ford as the loveable Jones, to the boulder racing after him. These moments are ingrained on millions of film fans across the world; Ford donning his fedora, brown leather jacket and with his whip by his side has become an image of an adventurer that has defined the genre.

1981 was a great year for films, with films such as Chariots of Fire and Das Boot being released, but the film that blew them all out of the water was Indiana Jones and the Lost Ark– a film that has been inducted into the US Film Registry, and regularly features in the Best of…lists. Ford’s role is performed expertly and his status as an action and as a sex symbol is established, perfectly summed up in the above gif.

Thank you to Thoughts All Sorts and Realweegiemidget Reviews for hosting this fun blogathon! Be sure to check out their blogs and everyone’s entries in the Then and Now blogathon.

The Humpo Show | Richard

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