What's the AFI project, you ask? For more information, or if you just enjoy my bemused ramblings, read here: http://www.spout.com/blogs/pippin06/archive/2008/3/1/25756.aspx
Raiders of the Lost Ark is on the following AFI lists:
The Original Top 100 (#60)
100 Most Heart-Pounding Movies (#10)
100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains (Indiana Jones is the #2 hero)
The Revised Top 100 (#66)
Ah...Raiders of the Lost Ark. This is probably going to be another wholly biased review because, frankly, I have seen this movie almost as much as Star Wars or the Wizard of Oz and practically know it by heart. Raiders of the Lost Ark is, hands-down, the best entry in the Indiana Jones series. It remains exciting and fun to watch even though I have seen it enough to recite lines along with the film. It completely deserves its AFI rankings (though I might have rated it a bit higher on the 100 Greatest lists). Plus, it's just one of those films that most people know and love, and that kind of popularity should be worth something.
Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is an archaeologist, but not just any archaeologist. When he is not hazarding South American jungles and perilous trap-laden caves in search of golden relics that seem to be subsequently stolen by his arch rival, a Frenchman named Rene Belloq (Paul Freeman), he is playing professor of archaeology courses seemingly teeming with admiring women. His finds are sold to a museum helmed by Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott), who on Indy's most recent return from Peru, invites him to speak to two representatives of the United States government. These representatives tell Indiana that the Nazis are in search of the legendary Ark of the Covenant, the vessel by which the tablets of the Ten Commandments were carried from Mount Sinai to wherever the Ark rested after its migration, which is one of those mysteries and legends about which self-respecting archaeologists vehemently ponder. Indy figures out that the Nazis aim to use the rumored powers of the Ark, which may invoke the wrath of God, to lay waste to their enemies, and the G-Men inform him that the Nazis have been searching for the long-lost city of Tanis, rumored to be outside of Cairo in Egypt. The only problem is, they lack one key relic, which the G-Men believe to be in the hands of Indy's former mentor, Abner Ravenwood, and his daughter Marion (Karen Allen), with whom Indy has had a mysterious and seemingly tempestuous history. Indy, on condition that the Ark be donated to Marcus' museum, agrees to seek out the Ravenwoods and, ultimately, the Lost Ark itself, never expecting what he encounters in this adventure. Fortunately, Indy seems to have no fears - well, except one. He famously hates snakes, which unfortunately seem to haunt him wherever he goes.
Much has been written about the conception and execution of the Indiana Jones films. Created by producer George Lucas as a testament to the old radio serials of the 30s and 40s, he was able to recruit Steven Spielberg to direct and Lawrence Kasdan and Philip Kaufman to pen the screenplay. Add to that an iconic score from John Williams and acting ingredients including the likes of Ford, Allen, John Rhys-Davies as Sallah, and other gruesome and interesting characters, and you basically have something close to the perfect action-adventure movie. Frankly, that is really what Raiders of the Lost Ark is.
It deserves its props from the AFI because it is such a fun film that, for me, has never become old. When I was younger, I had nightmares after I observed the Ark lay waste to the bodies of Nazi soliders, but even today, my heart pounds ever so slightly each time I watch Indiana sneak into the map room, or watch the Ark being lifted from its hiding place lit by its golden adornments, or see the Nazis and Belloq take it to the island to test its powers. It's super fun to watch Indy singlehandedly take back the truck carrying the Ark while simultaneously besting about 20 Nazi soldiers. Plus, Harrison Ford was - and is - such a handsome man, especially back in the day, All I'm saying is that he can be my hero any day, mmk?
More to the point, though, Lucas, Spielberg, et al created a rare vehicle - a movie that is never boring no matter how many times one views it, with some truly artistic touches (the opening wipe from the Paramount logo to the similar-looking Peruvian mountain is a stroke of genius), and some truly advanced special effects for 1981. Ford and Allen have perfect chemistry - she was the only girl for Indiana all along and should have been in every film. Hearkening back to a specific time period and drawing upon resources from that period - in particular, employing the Nazis as the primary villain of the piece - makes the story circumstances that much more thrilling. The story itself is a gem, perfect in its execution. Most of all, though, the movie is fun. It's absolutely fun and entertaining, and sometimes, that's all a film needs to be.
I love this film, really, and am surprised when people do not seem to share my love for it. I have considered whether or not the film has any flaws - I mean, I suppose the faces of the melting Nazis look just a little fake in retrospect, and there are some lilting pacing issues in the middle of the film, when Indy is trying to steal back the Ark, but really, these issues are small, miniscule, even trivial really. Raiders of the Lost Ark is a great movie, though, and on the patented ratings scale, I see it warranting a 9.5 for being between perfectly entertaining and a masterpiece, because it's close (so close) to being another triumph of Spielberg's. I also see it passing the test, since I've owned the original Indy trilogy since its previous release on DVD. If you haven't seen this film, hie thee unto a local rental store or to your Netflix queue and sign up. You won't be disappointed - it's popcorn flick goodness in addition to a riproaring good time.