La Motta, Jake, Joseph Carter, and Peter Savage.
Raging Bull.1970. Reprint. New York: Bantam
Books, 1980.
Carolyn Anderson
See also Academy Awards; Boxing; Film in the
United States; Organized crime; Scorsese, Martin.
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Identification American adventure film
Director Steven Spielberg (1946- )
Date Released on June 12, 1981
This blockbuster adventure film became a cultural icon
and a template for the genre. The film generated interest in
serial-style films while representing the American ideal’s tri-
umph over evil.
Raiders of the Lost Arkwas one of the most influential
films of the 1980’s and the most successful film of
- Its tremendous popularity resulted in gross
revenues of $380 million worldwide, and the film’s
iconic images would become embedded in Ameri-
can popular culture for generations. Its influence
led to many imitation films.
Creation and Cast Raiders of the Lost Arkwas the
brainchild of George Lucas. WithStar Wars(1977)
andThe Empire Strikes Back(1980) under his belt,
Lucas decided to turn to another genre for his next
project. He had visualized bringing back the serial
radio style from the 1930’s in movie form. Lucas cre-
ated a character named Indiana Smith who would
combine humor, action, and romance in a world of
adventure. In Steven Spielberg, Lucas found a direc-
tor for his vision. Spielberg was famous at the time
for his direction ofJaws(1975) andClose Encounters of
the Third Kind(1977). He suggested that the sur-
name of the title character be changed to Jones. This
character was an archaeologist in search of one of
the most sought-after relics in history—the Ark of
the Covenant containing the stone tablets inscribed
with the Ten Commandments. Members of the Nazi
Party who seek the Ark for its occult power would be
Jones’s adversaries.
The basis for the characters and sets were story-
boarded in a comic book style by Jim Steranko.
This became the model for design and the blueprint
from which Spielberg worked. Filming for scenes set
in Egypt took place primarily in Tunisia. Also, the
Nazi submarine base was filmed in La Rochelle,
France. The majority of the rest of the filming took
place in the United States on set. The variety of ex-
otic locations helped make the film more appealing
to audiences. Despite his use of many film locations,
Spielberg finished filming early, in less than three
months.
Raiders of the Lost Arkfeatured a strong cast. Ori-
ginally, Lucas did not want Harrison Ford to play
the lead role of Jones, as Ford had already found suc-
cess playing Han Solo in the successfulStar Wars
franchise, but Spielberg eventually convinced Lucas
to hire him for the role. Ford was accompanied by
Karen Allen as Jones’s love interest and main side-
kick, Marion Ravenwood. Jones had two other side-
kicks, the scholarly Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott)
and the well-connected Egyptian Sallah (John Rhys-
Davies), and was opposed by his archrival archaeolo-
gist Rene Belloq (Paul Freeman) and the Nazi colo-
nel Dietrich (Wolf Kahler).
Reaction and Legacy One of the most powerful el-
ements ofRaiders of the Lost Arkwas provided by the
musical score written by John Williams. His master-
ful work helped breathe life into the film and its
characters, from love themes to one of the most rec-
ognizable theme songs of the 1980’s, “The Raiders
March.” Arguably, the music may have done more
for the movie’s popularity than the script.
The themes ofRaiders of the Lost Arkhit home for
many audiences. Lucas’s move to set his story in a
different era did not hide the political overtones
that were haunting the early 1980’s. The substitution
of Soviets with Nazis was only subtle at best, as one
could easily associate Jones and company’s attitude
toward the Nazis as the same attitude that many
Americans had toward the Soviet Union at the time.
The godless, power-grabbing Nazis echoed every-
thing that Americans feared about the Soviet bloc.
Another theme of the film was the validation of
the Judeo-Christian religious tradition, specifically
of Moses and the Old Testament. The moviegoer is
witness to the godless enemy’s destruction through
the might of God as righteous Americans withstand
God’s wrath and are spared. This struck a chord with
many audience members who were striving to find
strength at home and in their beliefs.
Impact Raiders of the Lost Arkleft Americans with
many iconic images, including the giant boulderThe Eighties in America Raiders of the Lost Ark 795