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Technical Information
Studio: Paramount
Home Entertainment
Year of Theatrical Release: 1981
Disc Format: 4
single-sided, Dual Layer discs
Image Format: Anamorphic
Widescreen
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Region
Encoding: 1
Sound
Format: Dolby
Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0 (pro logic)
Running Time:
115 minutes
Director: Steven
Spielburg
Stars: Harrison
Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies
MPAA Rating: PG
Disc Supplements: (supplements
are included on a separate disc in the 4-disc set)
- Indiana Jones: Making the Trilogy feature length
documentary
- The Stunts of Indiana Jones
- The Music of Indiana Jones
- The Light and Magic of Indiana Jones
- Original theatrical trailers
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Some films defy the review process. For me,
Raiders of the Lost Ark is just such a film. As far as I'm concerned,
it doesn't get any better than this and I'm not ashamed to admit
that this is my favorite film. No contest. So, regarding my
review, there's nothing really more I can say.
The funny thing is, I really had no desire
to see Raiders when it first came out. All I remembered from
the TV spots I had seen were the images of nazis and I wasn't
into "war" films. I can't tell you what film I wanted
to see at that time, but I was dragged much against my will
into the theater.
And then the lights dimmed and Indiana Jones
started cracking his whip, brushing off tarantulas and running
from giant boulders. From that moment on, I was hooked.
I can say, without a doubt, that I have seen
Raiders of the Lost Ark more than any other film. No other film
even comes close.
When I was growing up in Colorado, I used
to go to Colorado Springs nearly every weekend to visit family.
I had a friend down there and it wasn't unusual for us to go
to the movies on Friday and Saturday nights. The theater we
went to ran Raiders, at a significantly reduced price, every
weekend for over a year. We sometimes did see other films, but
we never let a weekend get by without at least one Indiana Jones
screening.
When Raiders came out on video, I wore out
at least one tape.
I know. At this point you think I'm some sort
of freak and that all I do is sit around and watch Raiders of
the Lost Ark. Keep in mind that that I was about 10 years old
when the film came out and kids will watch movies over and over
and over. Until this review, I hadn't really watched the film
all the way through for about 11 years or so.
Although I should admit that it did take some
amount of willpower to not superglue the drawer to my DVD player
shut once I put this disc in.
In the interest of maintaining my credentials
as a reviewer, I should point out that although Raiders is my
favorite film, I don't consider it to be the greatest, or best
film ever made. In terms of their importance to the world of
film, there are certainly many other movies that are better
than Raiders. But for sheer entertainment value, my money is
on Indiana Jones.
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top |
Oh. My. God.
OK, after a statement like that,
let me take a moment to ground myself back in reality. Is this the
best transfer you will ever see? No. However, is this the best that
that Raiders will likely ever look? You bet your bullwhip.
You must remember that my last frame
of reference for this film is a video that was so worn you could
almost see through the magnetic tape. Prior to that, I had seen
the film in a theater that showed it a couple of times a weekend
for over a year, so naturally that print was in sorry shape.
Still, I'm willing to bet that even
the original theatrical release didn't look this good. There are
colors present on this DVD that prior to this release were probably
only seen on the set. A massive restoration effort was undertaken
to completely restore this film. All signs of scratches, dust and
specs were completely removed, the image was sharpened, contrasts
and colors were boosted and the result is a transfer that is absolutely
stunning. Quite simply, this film looks like it might have been
filmed yesterday.
There are some elements that couldn't
be erased, such as film grain that was permanently layered into
some scenes by the special effects, but this isn't a bad thing.
Raiders of the Lost Ark was a hand-crafted film and it should look
that way. And that brings me to my biggest gripe about this set.
I don't know why George Lucas has
this unhealthy obsession with tinkering with his films, but this
sickness has unfortunately spread to the Indiana Jones trilogy.
While in the process of cleaning up the print, a decision was made
to "correct" some of the errors in the films. For instance,
the famous scene where Indy comes face-to-face with the cobra has
been cleaned up to remove the reflection of the protective plexiglass
separating the cobra from Harrison Ford. This is perhaps one of
the most well-known movie bloopers in Hollywood history and part
of what gives Raiders of the Lost Ark its charm and I'm honestly
saddened to see that some of these elements have been removed.
Still, this transfer is absolutely
stunning. Digital artifacting? Edge enhancement? Not on this disc.
My fedora is off to Paramount.
:::back to top |
Raiders of the Lost Ark comes from
the beginning of the modern era of quality sound recording. As such,
the sound track was still a little rough around the edges, with
somewhat shaky stereo and rear surround effects. The original sound
elements were taken and remixed into full 5.1 surround sound, with
the rear channel "cheated" into stereo separation.
Because the quality of sound recording
wasn't quite as good back then as it is today, there is naturally
a noticeable quality difference between Raiders and a modern film.
To some extent, the dynamic range doesn't seem quite as expansive
and some of the dialog seems just a bit flat.
Still, the sound is much improved
over the original source material and don't take my comment about
the dynamic range the wrong way. It sounds clipped by today's standards,
but compared to the original Raiders soundtrack, there is tons more
here than you've ever heard before. When that boulder comes rumbling
toward Indy, you'll swear it's crashing right through your living
room. And the music. You can't talk about Raiders of the Lost Ark
without mentioning the music. I will go on the record as saying
that there will never, ever be another piece of music that so perfectly
embodies a sense of adventure like John Williams' score for this
film and it simply sounds wonderful on this disc.
Is the sound perfect? No. But it
is so much more improved over the original that I defy anyone to
not be thrilled when the trumpets sound off and that whip cracks.
:::back to top |
How can you not add these films to your collection?
Paramount would had to have pulled off a monumental screw up with
the video and audio for me to not recommend this film. Given that
they not only avoided that, but put out a set that is truly spectacular
and more than does justice to the three Indiana Jones films, the
only thing I can say is scroll up to the top of this review and
buy this set now.
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| I have no problems whatsoever
letting my 11 and 6 year olds watch this movie. In all fairness, however,
there are some violent and intense scenes. I personally don't think
it's anything that the kids can't handle, but parents may want to
give it some consideration. |
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| -- By Robert Wurth. Copyright
© 2003. |
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