Ark hunt brings few breathers

Press, 7 December 1981, Page 13

Ark hunt brings few breathers

Pcihemcr honspetrovic

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK Directed by Steven Spielberg Screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan It is interesting that only a few years ago it took a way*- - out story with a science fiction setting like “Star ■ Wars” or “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” to get people to go to the cinema. Now, the wheel has turned full circle with “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (Savoy), which. returns to more down-to-earth, cliff-hanger fare, such as buried treasure, Nazi villains. poison darts, mythical wraiths, damsels in distress, Arabian swordsmen, snake pits, tarantulas, submarines, booby-trapped jungle caverns, Nepalese taverns and Egyptian bazaars. And that's not all folks, there’s much, much more ... Equally interesting is the fact that “Raiders” is the work of the two film-makers with the Midas touch, who were also responsible for the two other films mentioned. "Raiders” was conceived and produced by George Lucas who made “Star ' Wars,” “The Empire Strikes Back” and “American Graf- . fiti,” and directed by Steven Spielberg who made “Jaws” and “Close Encounters.” This time, they have gone back to the pre-war year of 1936 and a race between the

Nazis and a lone American to discover the legendary Ark of the Covenant from an ancient site in Egypt — a sort of classy “Race for the Hebrew Zephyr.” The ark, which has been missing since the sacking of the Temple of Solomon, is believed to contain the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments which Moses brought down from Mount Sinai. More important to Hitler are its occult powers which are reputed to make any army possessing it invincible. That, of course, is why the Americans want to get it, too. The two main raiders are rival arkeologists, the villainous Frenchman, Beloq (Paul Freeman), and the almost super-hero with the whip and Bogart hat, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford). Look closely under that hat and scratch the five-day shadow, and you will find it is the same fellow who plays Han Solo in the "Star Wars” movies. Jones also has a, lovely side-kick, played by the lonely Karen Allen, who comes across strong but seems just a little too nice for the hard-hitting, harddrinking role she is playing. Nevertheless, vive la difference. Then there is the second villain, a Nazi sadist (Ronald Lacey), who can be convinc-

ingly nasty, particularly when he pulls out that chains-on-sticks device. The traitorous monkey which has perfected the Nazi salute ’ also" deserves a mention. Right from the start, when the Paramount symbol blends into a South American mountain, the action is on, and continues at a breakneck (or something) speed with only a few occasional moments for breathers. As in the old Saturday matinee serials, there are about 12 action and escape sequences but you are not given that week's respite before the action is on again. In fact, after a while, one wonders if there are'any more situations for the makers to think of — but Lucas and Spielberg never leave us disappointed. I bet you won’t guess how the whip-wielding Jones gets out of his duel with the scimitar-swishing Arab. “Raiders”’'is pure entertainment for entertainment’s sake and claims to be nothing more. As such, it succeeds completely, although one must also fully respect the craftsmanship of Lucas and Spielberg who, obviously, have produced one of the best thought-out, planned and polished films of this genre ever made. I can speak of such fun-for-all-ages entertainment only in superlatives. Footnote: for those wondering about the snakes: Yes, there were arout 8000 asps, cobras and pythons down in that place — 2000 fake and 6000 real. At one stage, when Spielberg insisted that there were not enough snakes on the set for the big horror scene, an additional 4500 were flown in to London from Denmark.