Raiders of the Lost Ark: 40th Anniversary

[agent5]

I had not been paying attention to the current movies at the time, I was 21, my brother said there was what was supposed to be a really great movie called 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'. I really didn't have any desire to see more stuff about Noah's Ark so I didn't want to go but he finally convinced me to go and the rest is history.

Exactly what happened to me. Han Solo as a cowboy? No thanks. Turns out is was the best movie ever made. Period.

 

[The Brahma Bull]

I wasn't born then. But when I was around 6 it was on TV Friday on prime time. Followed by TOD and TLC the following weeks. I didn't get through the whole movie, but the music, the introduction scene and the setting got me instantly. When the 4th came out there was an Indy event at our theatre, so I finally could watch all three in the big screen. Wish they'd never showed the 4th one :-D

Thanks to Indy I'd studied History. My knees are too bad to kneel and dig in the sand, so archeology was out thanks to football (the real one) and basketball :-D

 

[agent5]

Star Wars got In Concert events all over the country for its 40th, I'd kill for a Raiders event like that.

To hear a full orchestra play non-stop with the film would be a marathon event for everyone involved. Players and audience alike.

Raiders has been screening with a live orchestra for years. Not sure if they're still doing it or not. One of the best movie experiences of my life. They even used a slightly alternate sound mix with additional dialogue not in the original film.

 

[Laspector]

And yes, Indy is integral to the plot.

 

[The Terminator]

I wasn't born yet but I do love the Indiana Jones trilogy. As well as the Young Indy chronicles.

 

[Trebor]

I was 14. I was looking forward to it after reading a little about it in Starlog magazine. IIRC, there wasn't much solid info until after it came out and then they had a bunch of "Making of.." type articles.

One of the gun magazines at the time did a "The Guns of Indiana Jones" article. Turns out they were wrong on most specifics. (They thought he carried a S&W .38/44 and a 1911, if I remember correctly).

I wound up writing and selling a "Guns of Indiana Jones" article myself as one of my first gun magazine sales a few years ago with all the correct info.

 

[Ron]

With all due respect to the legendary James Bond, Indiana Jones has my vote as the greatest movie character. I didn't get to see Raiders in theaters in '81 (having just been born ) but I did catch the rerelease for the blu ray. Even though I'd seen it countless times before, watching it on the big screen felt like watching it for the first time. They should show it every year.

You have chosen wisely. Those are your reasons why and exactly why I'm not looking forward to it either. If Spielberg pulled out over the studios telling him how to make, not just an Indy film, but a film---period---then you should be distrustful as to what the final film will be.

Ford is Indy. Spielberg makes Indy. It's all or nothing, you either have them or it's just not Indiana Jones. That's all there is to it.

This right here. Spielberg is just as much of a part of the equation as Ford is. Remove either and it's no longer Indiana Jones. I'd add John Williams to that as well.

 

[HMSwolfe]

I like James Mangold (the director of Indy 5) quite a bit, but I’d much rather see him do an original story in the vein of Indiana Jones than see him drag Harrison’s cranky old corpse around the screen.