agent5
Sr Member
I was very hesitant to see Raiders of the Lost Ark for it's opening weekend of June 12th, 1981 when I was 9 years old, but my parents wanted to go see the film that the buzz had everybody talking about. I thought it looked like those old black and white movies my mother would watch on weekend afternoons that held little interest in my world of Star Wars and more recently, the Empire Strikes Back. Even though the lead character was played by 'Han Solo', I could hold no real interest in it. Still, I went, dragged by my parents who said I'd enjoy it. I had no choice.
What I'd give to be able to relive that moment again.
Raiders of the Lost Ark had such a dramatic impact on me as a 9 year old boy and it still does today. It took only one showing and I immediately wanted to go back. Thanks to my mother, who enjoyed it as much as I did, I got to see it again and again and again in the summer of 1981 and the following summer during it's popular and successful re-release. My world was transformed.
Like any 9 year old after seeing Raiders, I wanted to be Indiana Jones. I was soon toting my grandfathers old brown fedora, white dress shirt, khaki pants and Mark 6 gas mask bag given to me by my father. My parents soon gifted me with my first whip from Pier 1 Imports and my first costume was complete enough. Then it was off to the yard for many adventures with friends who had just as deep an admiration for Raiders. I can remember going to summer camp that year. When my father dropped me off he gave me the Raiders comic book and that made my week. Christmas of 1981 I was spoiled with Raiders goods including t-shirts, sweatshirts, a box of Raiders cards and Raiders:The Movie on Record. I can vividly remember sitting in front of the turntable on Christmas morning listening to that record over and over again while opening up a full box of cards. It was the next best thing to seeing the movie at that time. Those are memories I'll cherish forever. Seeing Raiders that summer ignited something in me that has not diminished in almost a quarter of a century.
Ever since it's release I've never stopped looking for interesting items from Raiders. I'd sometimes come across things at conventions or book stores but it was a fairly rare occurance. All of that changed when I was introduced to the internet in the early 1990's. It opened up a whole new world to collecting and introduced me to a world of Raiders of the Lost Ark memorabelia from around the globe that I had no idea even existed until that point. I now had access to a network of people from around the globe to indulge in my hobby. Others who felt just as passionate about this timeless film as I did.
Through all my years of research in my hobby I've come to find that there were not too many liscences distibuted for Raiders as there were for it's two sequels meaning there is alot less Raiders memorabelia out there to collect. Still, there is much more material than one might think and I think my collection to date reflects that. My interests in Raiders are very broad. I basically collect anything to do with the film. I find the foreign items to be my favorites and among the more rare. I've been lucky enough to acquire pieces used in the production as well as replica items and costumes, some of which have been produced by those who worked on the actual film costumes. Screen used pieces are very rare. Many of them were destroyed during or after filming. Quite a few of the costumes were rented and it's believed that most or all of the costumes made for the film remain in the Lucasfilm archives, seen by only a select and not to mention, lucky few.
All of this is due to the wonderful world established by all of the creative and talented people behind the world of Raiders of the Lost Ark. It's magic. In my opinion, no other film has yet to achieve it's greatness. No other film that I have seen has combined such a perfect balance of action, suspense, drama, comedy, horror, history, religion, and science fiction while being driven by a powerful and memorable score over incredible sound and visual effects. Wonderfully written, beautifully conceived, constructed, shot and performed by a small crew of talented and professional veteran actors, artists, craftsmen and visual effects wizards under the direction of one of the most talented directors in the history of cinema. It's a timeless and iconic film and I'm very thankful for all the enjoyment it's given me over the years on so many levels. Unlike almost any other film, I never tire of watching it and I never tire in my quest to unearth the next item to add to my collection. So, here for the first time is my entire Raiders of the Lost Ark collection. Every single piece in it's entirety.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/99667814@N00/sets/
Thanks for taking the time to look.
If you are ever interested in selling or trading any Raiders of the Lost Ark memorabelia, have any new information on anything new or old, or just have any questions, please feel to shoot me a pm anytime. Always interested.
What I'd give to be able to relive that moment again.
Raiders of the Lost Ark had such a dramatic impact on me as a 9 year old boy and it still does today. It took only one showing and I immediately wanted to go back. Thanks to my mother, who enjoyed it as much as I did, I got to see it again and again and again in the summer of 1981 and the following summer during it's popular and successful re-release. My world was transformed.
Like any 9 year old after seeing Raiders, I wanted to be Indiana Jones. I was soon toting my grandfathers old brown fedora, white dress shirt, khaki pants and Mark 6 gas mask bag given to me by my father. My parents soon gifted me with my first whip from Pier 1 Imports and my first costume was complete enough. Then it was off to the yard for many adventures with friends who had just as deep an admiration for Raiders. I can remember going to summer camp that year. When my father dropped me off he gave me the Raiders comic book and that made my week. Christmas of 1981 I was spoiled with Raiders goods including t-shirts, sweatshirts, a box of Raiders cards and Raiders:The Movie on Record. I can vividly remember sitting in front of the turntable on Christmas morning listening to that record over and over again while opening up a full box of cards. It was the next best thing to seeing the movie at that time. Those are memories I'll cherish forever. Seeing Raiders that summer ignited something in me that has not diminished in almost a quarter of a century.
Ever since it's release I've never stopped looking for interesting items from Raiders. I'd sometimes come across things at conventions or book stores but it was a fairly rare occurance. All of that changed when I was introduced to the internet in the early 1990's. It opened up a whole new world to collecting and introduced me to a world of Raiders of the Lost Ark memorabelia from around the globe that I had no idea even existed until that point. I now had access to a network of people from around the globe to indulge in my hobby. Others who felt just as passionate about this timeless film as I did.
Through all my years of research in my hobby I've come to find that there were not too many liscences distibuted for Raiders as there were for it's two sequels meaning there is alot less Raiders memorabelia out there to collect. Still, there is much more material than one might think and I think my collection to date reflects that. My interests in Raiders are very broad. I basically collect anything to do with the film. I find the foreign items to be my favorites and among the more rare. I've been lucky enough to acquire pieces used in the production as well as replica items and costumes, some of which have been produced by those who worked on the actual film costumes. Screen used pieces are very rare. Many of them were destroyed during or after filming. Quite a few of the costumes were rented and it's believed that most or all of the costumes made for the film remain in the Lucasfilm archives, seen by only a select and not to mention, lucky few.
All of this is due to the wonderful world established by all of the creative and talented people behind the world of Raiders of the Lost Ark. It's magic. In my opinion, no other film has yet to achieve it's greatness. No other film that I have seen has combined such a perfect balance of action, suspense, drama, comedy, horror, history, religion, and science fiction while being driven by a powerful and memorable score over incredible sound and visual effects. Wonderfully written, beautifully conceived, constructed, shot and performed by a small crew of talented and professional veteran actors, artists, craftsmen and visual effects wizards under the direction of one of the most talented directors in the history of cinema. It's a timeless and iconic film and I'm very thankful for all the enjoyment it's given me over the years on so many levels. Unlike almost any other film, I never tire of watching it and I never tire in my quest to unearth the next item to add to my collection. So, here for the first time is my entire Raiders of the Lost Ark collection. Every single piece in it's entirety.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/99667814@N00/sets/
Thanks for taking the time to look.
If you are ever interested in selling or trading any Raiders of the Lost Ark memorabelia, have any new information on anything new or old, or just have any questions, please feel to shoot me a pm anytime. Always interested.
