Raiders of the Lost Ark facts for kids

Raiders of the Lost Ark is an exciting American adventure movie from 1981. It was directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Lawrence Kasdan. The story ideas came from George Lucas and Philip Kaufman.

The movie stars Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones. He is a brave archaeologist, which means he studies old things to learn about history. In the film, Indiana Jones travels the world in 1936. He is trying to find the long-lost Ark of the Covenant. This is a special relic that people believed could make an army unbeatable.

Jones teams up with his strong former girlfriend, Marion Ravenwood (played by Karen Allen). They race against a group of bad people called the Nazis. Their goal is to stop a rival archaeologist, Dr. René Belloq (played by Paul Freeman), from helping the Nazis find the Ark and its powerful secrets.

George Lucas first thought of Raiders of the Lost Ark in the early 1970s. He wanted to make adventure movies like the old serial films, but for a new generation. He worked with Philip Kaufman, who suggested the Ark of the Covenant as the main treasure. Later, Lucas focused on his famous movie Star Wars.

Work on Raiders of the Lost Ark started again in 1977. George Lucas shared his idea with Steven Spielberg, who joined the project a few months later. They had many ideas for big scenes in the movie. They hired Lawrence Kasdan to write the script and connect all these exciting moments.

Filming began in June 1980 with a budget of $20 million. They shot scenes at Elstree Studios in England. They also filmed in real places like La Rochelle, France, Tunisia, Hawaii, and California.

Even though early surveys showed people weren't very interested in the movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark became a huge hit. It earned about $330.5 million around the world. It was the highest-grossing movie of 1981. It was so popular that it stayed in some movie theaters for over a year!

Critics loved the movie too. They praised how it brought back the old adventure film style with a modern twist. Everyone enjoyed the non-stop action and adventure. The actors, especially Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, and Paul Freeman, received many compliments. Raiders of the Lost Ark won five Academy Awards, seven Saturn Awards, and one BAFTA Award.

Over the years, the movie has become even more famous. Many people now think it is one of the greatest movies ever made. It is also considered one of the best action-adventure films. Raiders of the Lost Ark had a big impact on popular culture. Its success led to many similar movies, video games, and books. It still inspires filmmakers today.

This movie is the first in the Indiana Jones series. This series includes three more movies: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. There are also TV shows, video games, comic books, and even theme park rides based on Indiana Jones. In 1999, the United States Library of Congress chose the movie to be kept safe in the National Film Registry. This means it is considered very important to American history and culture.

Main Characters

• Harrison Ford plays Indiana Jones, a brave archaeologist.
• Karen Allen plays Marion Ravenwood, Indiana's strong friend.
• John Rhys-Davies plays Sallah, a loyal helper in Egypt.
• Denholm Elliott plays Marcus Brody, a museum curator and friend of Indiana.
• Paul Freeman plays Rene Belloq, Indiana's sneaky rival archaeologist.
• Ronald Lacey plays Arnold Toht, a cruel Nazi agent.
• Wolf Kahler plays Colonel Dietrich, a Nazi officer.
• Alfred Molina plays Satipo, Indiana's guide in Peru.

The Story of the Ark

In 1936, Indiana Jones is on an adventure in the jungles of Peru. He is looking for a golden idol. His guide, Satipo, tries to trick him and steal the idol. But Satipo gets caught in one of the temple's traps. After Indiana escapes the temple, he finds his enemy, Belloq, waiting with many local people. Indiana has to give up the idol and quickly escapes in his airplane.

Back at Marshall College, where Indiana teaches, people from the U.S. Army visit him. They tell him that the Nazis (a bad group trying to gain power) are searching for the Ark of the Covenant. Indiana wants to find it first. He travels to a bar in Nepal.

His old teacher, Abner Ravenwood, was also looking for the Ark. Abner had a special piece called the headpiece to the Staff of Ra. This piece is very important for finding the Ark. Abner's daughter, Marion, now runs the bar. She is angry with Indiana because of their past, and she punches him! But when a Nazi agent named Toht and his men try to steal the headpiece, Marion decides to join Indiana.

Indiana and Marion fly to Cairo, Egypt. There, they get help from a man named Sallah. They start digging in the area where they believe the Ark is hidden. The Nazis capture Marion, making Indiana think she is dead. Sallah and Indiana do some math and realize the Nazis are digging in the wrong spot. The Nazis' staff is too long!

Indiana finds the correct location and starts digging. He discovers the Ark in a place called the Well of Souls. But then, Belloq returns! He takes the Ark and traps Marion in the Well of Souls. Luckily, Indiana and Marion manage to escape.

After a big fight, Indiana gets the Ark back. Sallah helps put it on a ship. But a Nazi U-boat (a submarine) stops the ship and searches it. Indiana manages to escape. He then grabs a large weapon called a Panzerschreck. He threatens to blow up the Ark as the Nazis are loading it onto an island.

Belloq doesn't believe Indiana will do it, so Indiana lowers his weapon. He and Marion are tied up. Belloq and the Nazis decide to test the Ark's power by opening it. Spirits fly out and kill everyone who looks at them. Indiana and Marion close their eyes tightly and are safe from the spirits' anger.

At the end of the movie, the U.S. government puts the Ark inside a huge warehouse. The Army tells Indiana they are studying it, but Indiana doesn't believe them. Marion tries to cheer him up by saying she will buy him a drink.

Images for kids

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  Producer Frank Marshall in 2012. He also had a small role as a Nazi pilot.

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  Actor Tom Selleck. He was first chosen to play Indiana Jones, but couldn't because of his TV show Magnum, P.I..

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  Elstree Studios in England, where parts of the movie were filmed (pictured 2009).

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  The Sahara desert near Tozeur in Tunisia was used for the Tanis dig site in the film.

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  A 1930s Mercedes-Benz truck from the film, on display at Disneyland, California.

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  A copy of the Ark of the Covenant on display in 2016.

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  A scene from the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! show, showing Jones and Marion escaping an exploding plane.

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  Fans dressed as Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood at San Diego Comic-Con International in 2011.

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  Actor Sean Connery in 1983. He played Indiana Jones' father, Henry, in a later movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

See also

In Spanish: Raiders of the Lost Ark para niños