In 1936, American archaeologist Indiana Jones recovers a golden idol
from a booby-trapped Peruvian temple. Cornered by rival archaeologist Rene Belloq,
the idol is stolen and Jones escapes in a waiting seaplane. After returning to America,
Jones is approached by two Army Intelligence agents. They reveal Nazis are excavating Tanis,
and one of their telegrams mentions Jones's old mentor Abner Ravenwood. Jones deduces
the Nazis are searching for the Ark of the Covenant.
Facts about the movie
Producer George Lucas first told director Steven Spielberg about his idea
for Raiders of the Lost Ark when they were both on vacation in Hawaii in May 1977.
Spielberg got away for the weekend from finishing up post-production on his now-classic
film Close Encounters of the Third Kind while Lucas wanted to get to anywhere far,
far away. Star Wars was coming out that weekend, and he was afraid that the movie would
bomb at the box office.
