Line #24 YMMV/RaidersOfTheLostArk


1	!!Film
2	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
3	** Did {{God}} spare Indy and Marion in the climax because they closed their eyes when His Ark was opened, or because they are fundamentally good? Similarly, did Indy tell Marion not to look into the Ark because he knew they would be killed, or so she wouldn't have to see the Nazis all die in horrible ways? The former makes sense, since the Ark is an Old Testament artifact (and God in the Old Testament is not hesitant to hand out fatal punishments to those who incur His wrath), but the latter fits in better with the more overtly New Testament themes and imagery of ''[[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade The Last Crusade]]''.
4	** Regarding the issue of Indy calling Creator/AlfredMolina's character "Sapito" as he leaves his dead body when he's credited as "Satipo," some fans theorize that it indicates Indy doesn't feel any attachment to these particular local allies until they've proven trustworthy friends like Sallah, and so doesn't bother to properly learn their names. Alternatively, he actually called him "stupido", as this was after Satipo had betrayed him and got himself killed. The music and sound effects playing over the line might have obscured it.
5	** Did Belloq really want Indy dead after their first confrontation in the film, or did he actually expect Jones to escape the Hovitos? There are several points where he could simply have Indy killed, but leaves him to get away if he can. Is this an indication that he really does consider Jones a kindred spirit and is reluctant to outright murder him?
6	** Why does Colonel Dietrich call Captain Katanga a "savage"? Did he call Katanga that because Dietrich is [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain a xenophobic and racist Nazi]] like most of his troops, [[EvenEvilHasStandards or because he really bought Katanga's lie that he was going to sell Marion into sex slavery and found it too disgusting]]? There's a good chance it's both at once: the Nazis didn't have much problem with employing slave labor themselves (even ignoring UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust, which hadn't happened yet in this film, Sallah complains in the first Cairo scene about the low pay on the Tanis dig and mentions [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghaiing "shanghaiing"]]), but the idea of a white woman being enslaved by a black man would definitely raise his hackles.
7	** Is Belloq right in his NotSoDifferentRemark, that he's just a shadowy reflection of Indy and that it wouldn't take much for Indy to become exactly like him? We see throughout the series that Indy has some questionable ethics, but he also shows an underlying humanity at times that is probably [[EvilCannotComprehendGood lost on Belloq]].
8	** Why does Indy not destroy the Ark when he has the chance? Belloq accuses him of being just as curious to see what's in the Ark as himself, which might be true. But it is also implied throughout the film that Indy doesn't believe in the supernatural, and the Ark is just an important piece of history but not a superweapon that can help the Nazis take over the world, in which case there would be little reason to blow up the Ark. Notably in this scene, Indy at least offers to let them have the Ark if they let Marion go (which Belloq refuses).
9	** Website/TheEditingRoom offers an interesting take on Sallah:
10	--->'''Karen Allen:''' John, you're okay? Last we saw, the Nazis had you at gunpoint. They just let you go?
11	--->'''John Rhys-Davies:''' Er, yes. But let's not worry about that. And let's also not worry about how they track down the boat that I'll put you on, later in the movie. Or how they knew that you were in Cairo in the first place. Or how I manage to support a wife and twelve kids doing menial labour. Ha, ha ha.
12	* AluminumChristmasTrees:
13	** Modern archaeologists cringe at our hero's antics, tromping over ancient cultural landmarks with the apparent sole intention of stealing valuable artifacts to add to his university's collection[[note]]Modern archaeology places an immense premium on causing as little disturbance to a site as possible, partly out of respect, but also because leaving things alone allows later archaeologists to study a (relatively) pristine site for new information, possibly with newer, more advanced technology that will uncover things they can't, but would be lost if moved or touched[[/note]]. But back in the day, there really was little difference between archaeologists and graverobbers. They were also employed by intelligence services.
14	** There was a real Nazi organisation that travelled the world looking for ancient artefacts, the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahnenerbe Ahnenerbe]].
15	** While it did not open until May 1937, the majority of construction was finished on the Golden Gate Bridge in 1936.
16	* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail:
17	** Despite having the dream team of Creator/GeorgeLucas and Creator/StevenSpielberg behind the film, it was initially turned down by every studio in Hollywood. Only after much persuasion did Creator/{{Paramount}} agree to do it.
18	** Creator/MichaelBay was working as an intern at Lucasfilm at the time and thought the film would stink. He ate his words when he saw the final film, and watching it even inspired him to get into film-making.
19	* AntiClimaxBoss:
20	** One of the rare great examples, if the number of tropes referencing the WeaponTwirling scene with the Swordsman is any indication.
21	** Belloq and the Nazis may also count given that Indy is tied up, surrounded by goons, his arch rival has the artefact they were competing for (again) ... and he essentially "wins" simply by closing his eyes as the Ark wipes everyone else out. Of course, this is literally a DeusExMachina - a case of God Himself smiting the villains, so let's face it -- ''anything'' is this trope compared to ''that'' kind of power.
22	* AwardSnub:
23	** A pretty minor one, considering it lost the Best Picture UsefulNotes/AcademyAward to a good movie like ''Film/ChariotsOfFire'', and was up against a major epic like ''Film/{{Reds}}'' and well-received dramas ''Film/OnGoldenPond'' and ''Film/AtlanticCity''. But of those films, ''Raiders'' has made a far more lasting impact (on summer blockbusters, adventure films as a respectable money-making genre, Creator/HarrisonFord's bankability outside of ''Franchise/StarWars'', etc.)
24	** Creator/StevenSpielberg losing Best Director to actor Creator/WarrenBeatty (for ''Film/{{Reds\|1981}}''). Those who support Creator/StevenSpielberg note that, while Beatty is a respectable director with a decent career, Spielberg was at the height of his powers directing incredibly well-made action movies. However, this is refuted by some who find ''Reds'' to be a directorial achievement above all else (and a labor of love took Beatty years to get off the ground), and many cite his win (the only Oscar he ever earned in his long career) as one that was justified both in context and by merit. It would get worse when Spielberg lost the following year over ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'' (after which is when he started making serious drama movies). That being said, he did win for ''Film/SchindlersList'' and ''Film/SavingPrivateRyan'' later on, which are both considered to be two of his greatest works.
25	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The soundtrack composed by Music/JohnWilliams for this movie is among the most revered in his career.
26	* CommonKnowledge:
27	** Creator/GeorgeLucas has been known to use the phrase "pointer scene" on DVDCommentary when comparing an {{Infodump}} in another film to the scene where Jones explains the history of the Ark to the government men. The closest thing to a pointer in the scene is Jones drawing on a blackboard with chalk, but so many parodies of the film include presentation pointers that fans tend to (think they) remember seeing one in the original film.
28	** Most people assume the shifty guy on the plane hiding behind a copy of Life magazine is Toht, due to being dressed identically and having his face hidden. He isn't, this guy is actually played by the movie's special effects artist Dennis Muren, not Toht's actor Creator/RonaldLacey.
29	** The notion that Indiana Jones is inconsequential to the story, since the Nazis after the Ark [[SelfDisposingVillain all get wiped out once they open it]]. Apart from all the work he puts in towards finding the Ark, if Indy hadn't been there to collect the Ark after the Nazis were all killed, the Nazis would have just sent another expeditionary force to retrieve it and likely figured out, if they hadn't already, that opening it was not a good idea.
30	* CrossesTheLineTwice: Spielberg likes to mention regarding this film that Nazis make ideal movie villains, as you can do any horrifically violent thing you want to them and no one will get upset.
31	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
32	** Sallah, thanks to his loyalty and usefulness to Indy. It's rather telling that Sallah returned in ''The Last Crusade'' and ''Dial of Destiny'' to much fanfare because of his being a well-liked character.
33	** The nameless German mechanic Indy fights by the plane, due to his impressive brawling skills preventing Indy from directly defeating him. So memorable was the character's physical presence by the late Creator/PatRoach that ''Temple of Doom'' featured Roach playing a similar character in the Slave Driver, and Colonel Dovchenko in ''Crystal Skull'' was modeled after him.
34	** The Cairo Swordsman, thanks to his role as an AnticlimaxBoss getting shot after a grand entrance serving as one of the film's funnier scenes.
35	* FanPreferredCutContent: A regrettably unreleased DeletedScene where a young {{Mook}} is tasked with executing Sallah but can't bring himself to do it has a lot of defenders, even among the cast and crew, who think it should have stayed in.
36	* FirstInstallmentWins: ''Raiders'' is an undisputed classic. [[ContestedSequel The sequels are more varied]], though ''[[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade Last Crusade]]'' is the least contested largely because of its similarity to ''Raiders''.
37	* FourthWallMyopia: The oft-heard complaint that "Indy doesn't affect the plot!" and "should have just let the Nazis take the Ark back to Berlin!" is a classic example of this; it hinges on retroactive fourth-wall knowledge that the viewer who has already seen the entire movie at least once has (that the Ark will take exception to the blasphemy of Belloq and the Nazis and melt them) but that the actual characters in the story have no idea about until, well, they reach the end of the story. As far as Indy is concerned for most of the movie, the Ark is a powerful supernatural weapon which must be kept out of Nazi hands at all costs, and he clearly only figures out that something like what eventually transpires will happen mere seconds before the Ark is opened.
38	* HarsherInHindsight:
39	** As Indy speaks with Marcus while packing for his trip, Indy says "You sound just like my mother" as he dismissively speaks of the Ark's powers (which turn out to be very real). In ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'', we learn that Indy's mother passed away during his childhood, and his relationship with his father fell apart afterwards. And he grew to hate his father for being so obsessed with the Holy Grail, rather than focusing on Indy.
40	* HilariousInHindsight:
41	** [[Film/SnakesOnAPlane "There's a big snake in the plane, Jock!"]]
42	** In his film debut, Creator/AlfredMolina has spiders crawling all over him. Years later, he stars as Doc Ock, ComicBook/SpiderMan's nemesis in ''Film/SpiderMan2''.
43	** Marion refers to the [[spoiler:spy]] monkey as her and Indy's baby. Then ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull'' comes around and we have [[spoiler:Indy's and]] Marion's son, Mutt Williams, swinging on vines with monkeys.
44	** Paul Freeman's character, Belloq, ends the movie being killed by and his remains sucked into an ArtifactOfDoom. [[Film/MightyMorphinPowerRangersTheMovie Fourteen years later]], he'd emerge from a different ArtifactOfDoom as Ivan Ooze.
45	** This wouldn't be the last time Ronald Lacey (Toht) would be [[Recap/BlackadderS2E4Money shoving a poker with a red-hot tip at someone with the intent to torture them]].
46	** In this movie, Creator/JohnRhysDavies plays an ally of the hero. A couple years later, he starred in the ''Indiana Jones''-ripoff ''Film/KingSolomonsMines'', as one of the main villains.
47	** A psychopathic black-dressed and glasses-carrying villain (Toht) who horribly dies by melting away. We surely won't see anything like that again. [[Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit Or will we ?]]
48	* IconicCharacterForgottenTitle:
49	** Upon its original run, the movie did not follow the "Indiana Jones and the X" naming scheme that sequels did; it was simply titled ''Raiders of the Lost Ark''. However, in later home media releases, it was retrofitted, i.e.: ''Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark'', even though that doesn't really make sense, as Indy ''is'' one of the titular "raiders".
50	** Interestingly, even video boxes that feature the "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark" logo still refer to the film as simply "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in the verbiage and billing on the back of the box, so although some media and retail outlets do list the movie under the revised title, there's an implication that it's simply a marketing label and that the "real" title of the film remains "Raiders of the Lost Ark." With this in mind, it's possible to interpret the revised logo as referring to both the series/character and the film itself, as in "[It's] INDIANA JONES and [this is] the [film known as] RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK."
51	* LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt: Even a lot of the people who first saw the movie as kids likely didn't buy that it would introduce Marion as a fun character with a complex backstory and connection to Indy, make a big deal about her becoming his partner, and then kill her off almost immediately.
52	* MemeticMutation:
53	** For a while, it was popular to juxtapose the scene where Indy is running away from the boulder with the Music/Apollo440 song "Stop the Rock".
54	** "Top... Men" gets invoked on internet messageboards as a deliberately vague and humorous answer.
55	** Toht's face melting makes for an effective "Do Not Want" reaction gif.
56	** The "Indy was irrelevant to the story" argument. A common criticism towards the movie (notably popularised by ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'') is that everything would have played out the way it did even if Indy had never gotten involved in trying to claim the Ark (or ''better'', if the Nazis had taken the Ark to Berlin and opened it in front of Hitler). [[https://collider.com/indiana-jones-doesnt-matter-theory-is-bad/ A rebuttal of this theory can be found here.]] [[WordOfGod Spielberg and Lucas have spoken against the argument]], saying that Hitler would've been smart enough to ''not'' open the Ark, and Belloq just wanted to open it to rub it in Indy's face.
57	** Did Belloq just [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvQWnVAPl1U eat a fly]]?
58	** Indiana Jones[=/=]Series/MagnumPI mashups are common, due to Creator/TomSelleck having been the original choice to play Indy.
59	** "[[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids Rated PG]]!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Because PG-13 wasn't an available rating yet, this film managed to squeak by with a PG rating with a few alterations. The "Rated PG" comment is almost always paired with the surprisingly graphic face-melting shots at the end of the movie, which ''did'' get the film an R rating before Belloq's death was partially obscured by a wall of fire.[[/labelnote]]
60	%%** "Bad dates".
61	* MisaimedFandom: George Lucas has been very clear that Indiana Jones is an {{Antihero}} verging on being a VillainProtagonist, with his actions in the opening meant to be outright theft of cultural artifacts. A lot of people missed the point entirely and believed Indiana's "it belongs in a museum" attitude justified his actions completely. ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' is meant to be a redemption story where Indiana rediscovers things to believe in.
62	* {{Narm}}:
63	** While the opening of the Ark is a pretty terrifying scene, Dietrich's expression when the ghosts attack is pretty [[https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4ifrG5gzkAI/maxresdefault.jpg over the top.]]
64	** "THE TORCH IS GOING OOOUUUT!"
65	* OlderThanTheyThink:
66	** [[https://web.archive.org/web/20221011070222/https://www.cbr.com/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-133/ George Lucas has confirmed]] that the iconic boulder ChaseScene was borrowed from the climax of the Disney comic "The Seven Cities of Cibola" (1954) by Creator/CarlBarks, starring another famous AdventurerArchaeologist Scrooge [=McDuck=].
67	** Indy isn't actually the first fictional Nazi fighter to use a whip and revolver and be nicknamed after a state (or in his case, a dog named after a state). Franchise/DCUniverse CListFodder superhero Harold "Tex" Thompson/Mr. America/Americommando also has all of those traits.
68	* OneSceneWonder:
69	** The Cairo Swordsman. By now, you should know why.
70	** Satipo played by Creator/AlfredMolina in his theatrical debut. Even with just one scene, he manages to steal it from Harrison Ford!
71	** The [[AngelicAbomination spirits of the Ark]], mainly for the JumpScare when they reveal their [[GhastlyGhost true colors]].
72	* RetroactiveRecognition:
73	** Creator/AlfredMolina makes his film debut as Satipo.
74	** Captain Katanga later became [[Characters/HarryPotterOrderOfThePhoenixMembers Kingsley Shacklebolt]].
75	* SacredCow: While the Indiana Jones sequels are all fair game for criticism, the first film ''Raiders'' is usually off-limits. Minor criticism's okay, but digging into the movie too deep is never a good idea. Oh, and any of the {{Signature Scene}}s? (i.e.: The boulder scene, the ark scene) They're off-limits too. It's just a shame that [[Series/TheBigBangTheory Amy Farrah Fowler]] had to deconstruct it.
76	* SignatureScene:
77	** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aADExWV1bsM gold idol and boulder chase]] scene is quite possibly the Signature Scene of the entire franchise, and has come to define Indiana Jones in pop culture. It's the TropeMaker for the WeightAndSwitch and IndyEscape tropes, and will be referenced in nearly any RaidersOfTheLostParody.
78	** The opening of the Ark, especially Toht's face melting, is a very famous moment thanks to its combination of NightmareFuel and SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome, with MemeticMutation further helping to cement it as an iconic scene.
79	* SpecialEffectsFailure:
80	** When Indy shoots the truck driver from the Cairo market, leading to the truck tipping over, the mechanism being used to tip it is visible.
81	** When Indy and Marion escape the Well of Souls, watch the shadow of the rock he pushes out. It bounces off the ground, thanks to being made of rubber.
82	** In a scene filled with several otherwise impressive effects for the time, the brief shot of the Ark's [[spoiler:fire rushing over the bodies of the Nazis is clearly a miniature]].
83	** The transparent partition that separates Harrison Ford from the cobra ''used'' to be this, but -- ''hallelujah'' -- Uncle George found a constructive use for his [[GeorgeLucasAlteredVersion digital editing powers]].
84	** When Indy slides under the truck, both the trench dug for the stuntman to slide along in and the sped-up film used to hide how slow the truck is actually going both stick out like sore thumbs. It's also obvious when Indy comes out the back, and he has to be out in the open and not sped up, that the truck is going ''really'' slowly.
85	** Once Indy throws the German sergeant out of the truck and runs him over, it's easy to see that the sergeant's next to and not actually underneath the truck in the next shot, since his left arm is visible in front of it. It should be on the other side of the wheels.
86	** When Toht's face melts in the climax, his glasses seem to teleport down his face due to the sped up footage. This can clearly be seen if one were to go through the clip frame by frame.
87	** Belloq's head looks like a very obvious fake when it explodes in the climax. Which is odd because it directly follows the far more impressive visual of Toht's face melting.
88	** As Indy scrambles to climb out of the pit in the opening sequence, the stone walls are clearly just a tarp placed over something malleable, given the way it visibly moves under his feet.
89	** Creator/AlfredMolina has clearly been replaced by a dummy when Indy finds Satipo's impaled body.
90	** When Belloq, Dietrich, and Toht are harassed by the locals after the truck chase, Toht is completely still, his back facing away from the camera, and hiding his face. While not obvious at first, it turns out he was replaced by a mannequin. Ronald Lacey was apparently not available for filming that day.
91	* SpiritualAdaptation:
92	** Creator/{{Herge}}, after seeing the movie, declared that only Spielberg could do ''ComicBook/{{Tintin}}'' justice. [[WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfTintin2011 It eventually happened thirty years later.]]
93	** Similarly, the film has been frequently compared to Creator/HayaoMiyazaki’s ''Franchise/LupinIII: Anime/TheCastleOfCagliostro'', with many similarities in tone, plot structure, character archetypes, and set pieces. To the point that it is frequently rumored that ''Raiders'' took a lot of inspiration from ''Cagliostro''. Later, after the film finally received an international release, Spielberg called ''The Castle of Cagliostro'' one of the best animated films of all time.
94	* {{Squick}}: Indy is shot in the arm, and in one of the most viscerally painful action beats ever, his next opponent homes in on the weak spot and punches it several times.
95	* TearJerker:
96	** Marion's disappearance and (understandably) assumed death. Indy is distraught and saddened by this and [[DrowningMySorrows turns to drink.]]
97	** Even though the monkey turned out to be working for the enemy, you can't help but feel a little sorry for it. At least in a AlasPoorVillain kind of way.
98	* ValuesDissonance:
99	** The insinuation, confirmed in side material, that Indy first dated Marion when she was a teenager and he was in his twenties. While not inaccurate for the time period it is set, it’s incredibly disturbing to have a protagonist be part of a predatory relationship. Marion even angrily points out that she was "a child" and makes it clear that she was negatively affected by what happened, but Indy dismisses this and claims she knew what she was doing. The rest of the film completely ignores this element of their relationship and proceeds as though they are a typical pair of romantic leads.
100	** Most of the Arab characters are played by white actors in {{brownface}}. Needless to say, this casting practice has fallen out of favour.
101	** The movie thinks nothing of Indy going to a foreign country filled with indigenous inhabitants and obtaining a historical relic to be taken back to be exhibited in a Western museum. Again, accurate for the time period and not especially controversial even at the time of filming. But the topic of [[https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/jun/29/should-museums-return-their-colonial-artefacts colonial artifact restitution]] has now become a hotly debated one in the field of archeology. A case could conceivably be made that the Hovitos were within their rights to defend the theft of their idol. Indeed, [[WordOfGod George Lucas]] has actually stated he assumed this would be obvious.
102	* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: Toht's melting head. It may not look as impressive nowadays but back when Raiders came out in 1981, that scene was the most talked about out of everything else.
103	* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: While this movie may seem like a fun action-packed adventure movie for the whole family, it has some pretty horrific and graphic death sequences. Canada actually gave the film the 14A rating in contrast to the PG the rest of the series got. The MPAA initially was going to give the film an R rating, until Spielberg agreed to make some cuts to the iconic face-melting sequence. The PG-13 rating in the US would not be created until 1984, as a direct reaction to the controversy over this film's [[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom sequel]], which contained even more gruesome violence than the first film. If it were released today, ''Raiders'' would almost certainly get a PG-13 (as the three Indy movies after ''Temple of Doom'' did, ironically despite being milder in terms of violence than the first two). In Canada it has since received the 14A rating and remains the only film in the series to have that rating rather than PG.
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105	!![[VideoGame/RaidersOfTheLostArk Video Game]]
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107	* GoddamnedBats: Thieves and the flies.

Context YMMV / RaidersOfTheLostArk