Tuesday, May 13, 2008

1051 - Raiders of the Lost Ark


Am I gearing up for Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? Hell's yes! Again, like Ghost Busters it's been forever since I've seen this film and I'm looking forward to watching the other two in the upcoming weeks. I almost bought the new DVD set today but then I stopped myself knowing that I'll just eventually pick up the blueray set (when I break down and buy a blueray player, that is).
First off I was surprised to recognize Alfred Molina as the guy at the beginning that tries to double cross Indy and gets a spear through his head. If I did my research correctly this was his first role. Also apparently Danny DeVito was originally cast as Sallah. I can't imagine anyone other than John Rhys-Davies in that role.
This film is just a lot of fun and there's no surprise that it's turned into the franchise that it has. Especially this installment. When I was a kid we used to go to MGM as Disneyworld and watch the live action stunt show that had them recreate several scenes from this film live. The opening, the market place, and the plane/Nazi Bully scene where the guy gets cut up by the chopper. Watching those scenes never fails to bring me back to those vacations. Ahhh memories...
I love Karen Allen in this and I'm really excited to see her in the new film. It makes me happy that they're bringing her back.
I love how this film ends, it's a really unique statement in a way. That giant room with all those boxes and you just can't help but wonder what's in all of them, what adventures brought them into here? What secrets are they hiding???
It's also interesting when you think about what else was going on at the time. Both Ford and Lucas were splitting their time between Indiana Jones and Star Wars with the two series both making films one after another. I think I always just assumed that Indiana Jones came way later, but by the time the sequels kicked in the films were almost simultaneous.
Ho hum. Two more weeks to go until the new Indy...

No comments: