Raiders of the Lost Ark

In May 1977, close friends George Lucas and Steven Spielberg took a break from their early success as young Hollywood filmmakers to enjoy a well-earned vacation in Hawaii.  Lucas had hit it big in 1973 with his micro-budgeted “American Graffiti”, striking financial gold and netting a Best Picture nomination, while Spielberg was still basking in the glow from his 1975 phenomenon “Jaws”, holder of the all-time box office crown and a top Oscar nominee as well.  However, each faced their biggest challenge to date, with Lucas’ “Star Wars” about to be released in theaters, and Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” awaiting a holiday release before the end of the year.

Both films represented significant increases in budget from their predecessors, and both were based in the risky world of sci-fi, which had yet to fully prove itself as a profitable theatrical investment.  Sitting and contemplating their cinematic futures beachside, their reputations and careers on the line, Spielberg reflected on his favorite movies and expressed his desire for a shot at a James Bond type vehicle, prompting Lucas to respond with his wish to create a swashbuckling adventure in the style of 1930s B-movie serials.  Unaware that they were on the verge of becoming the most influential figures in the film industry, the two friends agreed to merge their dream projects and see what they could develop working together as a creative team.

It would be four years before their joint project was released, and in that time, Hollywood had continued its turn toward the high-concept blockbuster approach which had proved so lucrative with “Jaws” and “Star Wars”, as well as “Close Encounters” and the recent record-setting sequel “The Empire Strikes Back”.  In 1981, the wave of creativity would include smaller genre films, including John Carpenter’s gritty dystopian gem “Escape From New York”, Brian DePalma’s criminally underseen “Blow Out”, and John Landis’ bloody comedy-horror hybrid “An American Werewolf in London” in the summer, followed by Sam Raimi’s groundbreaking visual mashup “The Evil Dead”, beloved for its inventive low-budget effects and relentless gore, in the fall.  Each would eventually connect with wider audiences and inspire loyal followings, influencing genre filmmaking for the next generations of directors.

Also released in the fall of 1981, Wolfgang Petersen’s West German war film “Das Boot” stunned international audiences with its intensity and realism.  Set during World War II, the film follows a German U-boat on patrol during the Battle of the Atlantic, and the men tasked with the assignments of their war machine.  Filmed chronologically and staged within the dimensions of an actual submarine, the audience is held captive as the characters slowly succumb to the pressures of life within the confines of their vessel, losing control of their minds in the process.  Punctuated by spectacular action sequences and flawless performances, the movie is an unparalleled balance of excitement and claustrophobia, conveying the futility of war, while highlighting the shared vulnerability and fear of those caught in the conflict, regardless of nationality or ideology.

In the end, however, it was “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, directed by Spielberg and produced by Lucas, that filled the cultural conversation leading up to its June release.  Released one week before the highly anticipated sequel to “Superman”, a fun but lesser film than its predecessor, “Raiders” would lose the battle of opening weekends but ultimately win the war.  The new adventure from the creators of “Jaws” and “Star Wars” would dominate the box office for the year.

Opening with an exhilarating fifteen-minute action sequence, still unmatched for its pure adrenaline rush, the movie establishes the gold standard of character introduction, as intrepid archeologist Indiana Jones begins in the shadows before unleashing his whip and disarming a potential assassin on his way to retrieve an ancient hidden artifact.  Perfectly inhabited by Harrison Ford, the character’s skills and flaws are masterfully displayed, as the idol is acquired but little else goes to plan, ultimately losing the prize to his rival and barely escaping with his life.  Every moment throughout works, filling the screen with imagination and pure movie thrills, with barely a misstep over the length of its runtime.

Revisiting the film with a critical eye, it captures the best of both of its creators, weighing Lucas’ impeccable vision for storytelling with Spielberg’s unrivaled ability for presentation.  Rarely would a collaboration between two artists be as anticipated, and never again would it be as purely successful.  Working with a discipline lacking from his previous effort “1941”, Spielberg had answered any previous concerns and reestablished himself as Hollywood’s premier blockbuster auteur, a title he would continue to reinforce the following year. 

And with a handoff as seemingly clean as the best of Olympian relay teams, the cultural baton had officially been passed.  For as definitively as the box office dominance of “Raiders” solidified the ascension of the Blockbuster era in movie culture with its June release, the April re-release of Michael Cimino’s “Heaven’s Gate” and the resulting May sale of its financing studio United Artists to MGM essentially marked the end of the New Hollywood era.  Born in the late sixties with the release of the director-driven classics “Bonnie and Clyde” and “The Graduate”, thriving in the early to mid-seventies with the emergence of auteur masterpieces such as “The Godfather” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, and fading in the late seventies with artistically ambitious but unappreciated efforts like “Sorcerer” and “New York, New York”, the failure of “Heaven’s Gate” would provide the final nail in the auteur coffin. 

Spielberg and Lucas would forever be linked with the birth of this new era, the unofficial architects of a dawning big budget renaissance.  In time, the decade would be dominated by new voices, eventually establishing the most consistent period of acclaimed big budget moviemaking in modern history.  Many of these films would dominate the box office, still others would innovate the creative medium, but all would owe their DNA to the original summer blockbuster trinity of “Jaws”, “Star Wars” and “Raiders”.