Jäger des verlorenen Schatzes

I was lucky enough to see this film for the first time as a little kid at the Czech premiere in a completely packed cinema (people were sitting on the stairs), during the deep totalitarian era, when everybody was happy to see something other than a Soviet film (despite the many years of delay). The audience togetherness and the incredible burst of laughter of the whole cinema during Indy's duel with the swordsman is something I will never forget. Beautiful fun. (13.04.2003)

Es ist die ikonenstärkste Folge der Reihe Indiana Jones. Die Grabstätten, die Schlangen, die Steinkugeln und die legendäre Kampf-Szene. Ständig passiert etwas. Ich wusste nicht, wohin mit meinen Augen schauen soll, so viel war es zu sehen, das können aber die abenteuerlichen Filme von heute leider nicht versprechen. (15.07.2020)

Mein erster großer Abenteuerfilm, und wenn nicht Indiana Jones und der letzte Kreuzzug gewesen wäre, wäre es auch der größte geblieben. Spielberg hat ein bemerkenswertes Talent dafür, eine spannende Geschichte, eine mystisch-furchteinflößende Atmosphäre, hervorragend gezeichnete Charaktere und erzählerischen Schwung zu einem explosiven Ganzen zu verbinden, das witzig, gruselig, spannend und emotional ist. Dr. Jones, der Mann mit den zwei Gesichtern, kämpft gegen Hitlers böses Imperium vor dem Hintergrund geheimnisvoller und uralter Kräfte. Kult von der ersten bis zur letzten Sekunde, wunderbar gefilmt, geschauspielert, vertont, gedreht... Es ist ein bisschen ein Märchen, ein bisschen ein Horrorfilm und ein bisschen eine Abenteuerreise, die aus erwachsenen Männern kleine Jungs und aus kleinen Jungs große Helden macht... Was sagen die Damen dazu? (18.04.2004)

I still remember that fateful day when my and Indy’s paths first crossed. It took place when I was less than seven years old at summer camp. It was a rainy afternoon and there were no outdoor activities. So that the teachers could have some peace, they put on a video for the horde of children. But unfortunately they had nothing animated at hand (causing a wave of tangible disappointment among us little kids) and thus we had no choice but to watch something from a well-worn cassette. At first, some movie started, but they soon stopped it (the biggest mystery of my life to this day; what movie was that?). They fast-forwarded the cassette to half way. Then some strange movie with a gentleman in a cowboy hat started. To make it stranger, it was dubbed by a single adult who was difficult to understand. At first I was terribly disappointed, but then the ball boulder rolled out, the main theme tune sounded, and... And nothing was ever the same again. I met the love of my life (I’m sure my wife will forgive me). This cinematic experience has been surpassed in my eyes just by one movie; and no, it wasn’t Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The day after the screening, the weather was beautiful, but while we were whistling the main melody, we forced the teachers to show us the second movie. The reactions to the soup scene were... But that's another story. (20.08.2006)

The film that forever changed the adventure genre and added more mystery to it than ever before in this first installment. However, even after many, many screenings, I still have a problem with its restrained pace and I will never include it in the group of the best films in history. Not that Ford's star doesn't shine like never before, but both Raiders of the Lost Ark and later Temple of Doom will always be in my eyes mainly warm-up acts to The Last Crusade. That doesn't change the fact that Indy is one of the most charismatic and likable movie heroes. (30.04.2006)

The two scenes that I consider essential for appreciating Raiders of the Lost Ark (though there are a number of others) are the sequences with the airplane and the submarine. The former is a masterclass in constructing action in space and narrative in the sense of layering information and details that will then be utilised for dramatic effect and causal scene development. In addition, this sequence also demonstrates Harrison Ford’s strengths as an actor, or rather how he is able to sell his charisma while concurrently enhancing the comic essence of the scene with his facial expressions and body language. I find the submarine sequence essential for understanding the entire Indiana Jones franchise and its self-conscious work with trash. It divides viewers into two camps. One will nonsensically debate how Indy could have gotten to the island with the submarine. The other camp will enjoy the genius of the editing ellipsis consisting in the fact that it doesn’t answer the question at all, because it simply doesn’t have to. Then, after a few episodes, the first group of viewers will disparage the refrigerator scene and the presence of aliens (even if they’re not bothered by the Biblical supernaturalism of the first and third instalments), while the opposite camp will appreciate them as further manifestations of how the filmmakers honour the saga’s roots in trashy film franchises and their straightforward logic and low-brow elements. (14.07.2022)

During its filming, it was undoubtedly a groundbreaking film that redefined the genre and became iconic. It is possibly only surpassed by Pulp Fiction in terms of the number of imitations and copycats. Today, signs of wear and tear are apparent - the special effects have aged, the pace is weaker compared to the subsequent films, and there are far fewer lines and jokes than those remembered by the old-timers. However, Spielberg's traditionally precise direction, great cast, and entertaining, charismatic characters are still present. Last but not least, there is John Williams' music with its famous theme, which has become the signature of the entire series. For a long time, I believed that this movie "must" be impressive for anyone who hasn't forgotten their childhood and adolescence associated with dreams of romantic adventures. Then, through my children, I became acquainted with the perspective of the new generation and experienced disillusionment. For them, the world of Indiana Jones was only tolerable, as they looked for their favorite heroes elsewhere. Overall impression: 75%. (07.01.2019)

Raiders of the Lost Ark was and will probably remain the best adventure movie. No wonder, when two of the most ingenious and most talented filmmakers of their era, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, stood behind its inception. They created the character of Indiana Jones, a slightly unorthodox archeologist who went down in history in a short time. First we meet him in 1936 when he is commissioned by the US to find the mythical Ark of the Covenant which Adolf Hitler, obsessed by the occult, is desperate to acquire. The first part of the Jones Trilogy is without doubt the best. The mystical powers of the Ark, along with the enrapturing music by Williams manages to evoke fear of the unknown even now after so many years. The ending in the warehouse has an indescribable atmosphere that makes your hair stand on end. (02.12.2006)

This is where it all started. All. It continues to this day thanks to the fourth episode. Fanfare, hat, whip… And gone. The most likeable movie character of all time is named Henry Jones Jr. Or Indiana, if you want. (15.01.2008)

Anyone who doesn't take this brilliant ride through the history of adventure and stylistic tropes as an absolute gem is ripe for a psychiatrist. Spielberg and Lucas created a new form of entertainment that, with any luck, won't get old even after 1000 years. An example of a fully effective application of outdated genres and references to a dominant and entertaining filmmaking style, a playful and engaging combination of myth with real thematic background. Excellent music and camera, an awesome Harrison Ford and very possibility the most iconic character in cinema history, and so on, and so on… (31.01.2022)

Ich bin erst 42 lange Jahre nach der Premiere des Films zum ersten Indy-Abenteuer gekommen, und meine durchschnittliche Bewertung basiert darauf. Ich bin weder mit Spielbergs Film aufgewachsen, noch habe ich eine nostalgische Beziehung zu ihm, und jetzt, wo ich ihn zum ersten Mal gesehen habe, muss ich sagen, dass der Zahn der Zeit deutlich zu sehen ist. Am auffälligsten ist dies bei den Spezialeffekten, was angesichts des Entstehungsjahres des Films verständlich ist. Das Gleiche gilt jedoch nicht für die Action- und Kampfszenen, die lächerlich (im negativen Sinne des Wortes) und sogar künstlich wirken. Die Szene mit der Schlangenhöhle oder die abschließende Konfrontation mit der Bundeslade hatten eine solide Atmosphäre, das bestreite ich nicht, aber beim Großteil des Filmmaterials hatte ich das Gefühl, eine Art noch unausgereiften Prototyp von Indiana Jones zu sehen. (01.07.2023)

If you're seeing the movie for the 100th time, you can peel off any piece you want and still enjoy it. Last time we watched the movie we watched it through the lens of when is the last time Indiana washes up throughout the entire movie. If we assume he showers at Omar's after he's learned the length of the cane from the old man, the last time we see him smelling good (apart from the Washington epilogue) is when he and Omar infiltrate the Nazi camp in disguise. We can't blame him, of course, for not showering in that camp, or during the all-night dig, the subsequent escape from the closed crypt, the battle at the airplane, or the subsequent car chase (so far a pretty intense 2 days), but the fact that he says the hell with it even in the safety of a friendly pirate ship and then just takes a sporadic sea bath while chasing a submarine only to continue chasing Nazis to the center of the island gives the film a whole new reading. The most nerve-wracking scene in it is the one where Indy climbs into the white linen bed in his disgusting sweaty shirt, and Marion's silent agony at the final ritual is definitely grounded in who she has to be chained to the same bedpost with. Yuck. Well, as the popular rapper Tyler Durden says, "I wonder what we're gonna learn tomorrow." (30.08.2021)

This film is the essence of real action for me, it is a movie that can be watched constantly, return to it and always have a royal laugh. The B-movie feel is simply magnificent and I like how the creators approached it. The action is simply unbeatable and even at present, some parts take your breath away. Furthermore, this installment has a truly great story that you devour from beginning to end. (28.03.2015)