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Raiders of the Lost Ark


Dark Wader
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This year is the 40th anniversary. Just bought tickets to a limited edition screening at IMAX Melbourne and looking forward to this screening more than any other movie I can think of recently.

Greatest movie of all time? Might sound like hyperbole but there is not one scene in this movie I don’t love. I often see filmmakers reference the desert chase sequence as their favourite and what ultimately influenced them. . .I remember being 8 years old and totally in awe from that point to the end of the movie.

Anyway, just something in tribute to the greatest Lucas/Spielberg creation. Anyone think they were ever able to top it? 

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A thing about the movie that blew my mind was pointed out, years and years ago, by Ted Elliot & Terry Rossio on their website. So much of the movie is about Indy losing. He doesn't keep the idol at the beginning, can't bring himself to blow up the Ark, he pretty much never really wins any of the fight scenes outright (just manages to escape), the movie ends w/the Ark being sealed away. There were more examples, including a scene by scene breakdown, it's not all coming to mind for me at the moment.

(P.S. I kind of like Last Crusade more so I guess that counts as them being able to top it? I don't know.)

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30 minutes ago, R.CAllen said:

A thing about the movie that blew my mind was pointed out, years and years ago, by Ted Elliot & Terry Rossio on their website. So much of the movie is about Indy losing. He doesn't keep the idol at the beginning, can't bring himself to blow up the Ark, he pretty much never really wins any of the fight scenes outright (just manages to escape), the movie ends w/the Ark being sealed away. There were more examples, including a scene by scene breakdown, it's not all coming to mind for me at the moment.

(P.S. I kind of like Last Crusade more so I guess that counts as them being able to top it? I don't know.)

A++

Wordplayer was my first instruction on screenwriting. Despite reading a ton of books and going to school for it later, that website was still the best teacher.

A few years ago I met Terry Rossio and told him all of this. Felt like I met my one true mentor.

Two days later he dropped an n-bomb on twitter whilst revealing he was an anti-vaxxer.

But yeah-- everything being said in this thread about Raiders is TRUTH.

Also, this whole "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark" re-titling is pure BS.

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15 hours ago, R.CAllen said:

(P.S. I kind of like Last Crusade more so I guess that counts as them being able to top it? I don't know.)

I think out of the first three, Raiders is the better film - it gets the balance just right between the humour and the dark where as Temple and Crusade lean a bit further to one of the two. 

But I still dearly love them both - Last Crusade is actually my go to when I’m down. The Ford/Connery dynamic is what really makes it.

19 hours ago, Zathras said:

Well, I wouldn't say the best.  What about Kingdom of Crystal Skull?  Harrison Ford is a fine actor, but he's clearly no Shia Labeouf.

Crystal Skull for me was a bigger travesty than anything Lucas or Disney pulled with Star Wars. I remember watching the behind the scenes documentary on the Blu Ray when it came out and you could tell Spielberg’s heart wasn’t in it at all. I’m pretty sure he even admits he only did it because Lucas and Ford pressured him into it, he was happy to leave it at Last Crusade.

But Shia wasn’t the worst thing about it. I wasn’t fond of his character or anything but he was one of the few involved you could tell put some effort in. He just wasn’t really given much at all to play with. 

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The beginning of KOTCS was promising.  The Area 51 part was decent.   The university car chase was mostly good.   I liked the scenes with Indy and Mutt when they first discover the Crystal Skull in the catacomb or cave.   Everything up to Marion, actually, is not great but enjoyable.  After that, well, the South Park episode that spoofs it sums up my thoughts well. 

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7 hours ago, Dark Wader said:

I think out of the first three, Raiders is the better film - it gets the balance just right between the humour and the dark where as Temple and Crusade lean a bit further to one of the two. 

But I still dearly love them both - Last Crusade is actually my go to when I’m down. The Ford/Connery dynamic is what really makes it.

 

I think we're kind of sympatico on this. If I were making a list of, like, top best all-time unquestionable cinema classic 100 films I'd probably choose Raiders but my favourite 'Indiana Jones movie' is Last Crusade, it's the one I rewatch every few years. I really love the following bit :

 

Quote

DONOVAN: He sticks out like a sore thumb. We'll find him.

INDY: The hell you will. He's got a two day head start on you, which is more than he needs. Brody's got friends in every town and village from here to the Sudan, he speaks a dozen languages, knows every local custom. He'll blend in, disappear, you'll never see him again. With any luck, he's got The Grail already.

<Gilligan's Island-style cut to Denholm Elliot being a buffoon>

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22 hours ago, Tank said:

A++

Wordplayer was my first instruction on screenwriting. Despite reading a ton of books and going to school for it later, that website was still the best teacher.

A few years ago I met Terry Rossio and told him all of this. Felt like I met my one true mentor.

Two days later he dropped an n-bomb on twitter whilst revealing he was an anti-vaxxer.

 

Sounds like you gave him just the confidence he needed to let his true self shine out to the world. Congrats!

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