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The Rewatchables ·

Raiders of the Lost Ark

year 1981decade 80sdirector Steven Spielberggenre Actiongenre Adventure
host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanhost Sean Fennesseyproducer Craig Horlbeck
All 17 categories

Most Rewatchable Scene · 38:21

Unresolved: opening temple

The opening temple is called one of the greatest openings and character introductions, communicating Indy through staging, iconography, traps, reversals, sound, and practical spectacle.

The Cairo sequence is praised for physical geography, crowds, carts, and the improvised gunshot solution to the swordsman fight after dysentery made the planned stunt impractical.

What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie? · 1:49:22

The fedora

Katanga’s white turtleneck, the Ark as coffee table, the medallion, satchel, bullwhip, and boulder all receive pitches.

The film

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Directed by Steven Spielberg · Action

115 minutes

IMDb Letterboxd JustWatch Find on Rotten Tomatoes
Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Harrison Ford Indiana Jones
Karen Allen Marion Ravenwood
Paul Freeman René Belloq
Ronald Lacey Major Arnold Toht
Denholm Elliott Marcus Brody

Everything from the episode

In the order the hosts got to it. Open a row for the discussion.

36:21

Roger Ebert's review
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:36:21Read transcript
  • Ebert’s four-star review is summarized as an enthusiastic defense of the film’s story and adventure machinery. — Bill Simmons
  • Pauline Kael’s cooler review is treated as a parallel critical lens: she saw a well-made thrill ride but disliked what its success forecast for mainstream movies. — Bill Simmons
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1:11:58

Casting What-Ifs

Deborah Winger, Amy Irving, Barbara Hershey, Sean Young, Jeff Bridges, Tom Selleck, Danny DeVito, Klaus Kinski, and J...

Deborah Winger, Amy Irving, Barbara Hershey, Sean Young, Jeff Bridges, Tom Selleck, Danny DeVito, Klaus Kinski, and Jonathan Pryce

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:11:58Read transcript
  • Philip Kaufman was initially to direct, while Deborah Winger declined Marion, Amy Irving was unavailable, Barbara Hershey was considered, and Sean Young screen-tested opposite Indy candidates. — Bill Simmons
  • Jeff Bridges was liked and auditioned but apparently was not formally offered Indy; the hosts think he would be good but less physically hard-nosed than Ford.
  • Tom Selleck was fitted and nearly cast until CBS retained him for Magnum P.I.; a strike later would have freed him, but Ford had already been chosen.
  • Lucas resisted overusing Ford, Spielberg pushed for him, and Ford accepted salary, gross participation, and dialogue-rewrite rights while actively questioning production choices.
  • Danny DeVito could not play Sallah because of Taxi, Klaus Kinski rejected Toht for better pay on Venom, and Jonathan Pryce was considered for Belloq.
  • The Selleck/Ford choice is ranked among the most consequential movie sliding doors because it affects both Indiana Jones and Ford’s later career. — Bill Simmons
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1:24:04

Recasting Couch

Stronger villains; Kathleen Turner, Sharon Stone, Michelle Pfeiffer, Margot Kidder, Deborah Winger, or Sean Young as ...

Stronger villains; Kathleen Turner, Sharon Stone, Michelle Pfeiffer, Margot Kidder, Deborah Winger, or Sean Young as Marion

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:24:04Read transcript
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1:25:37

Half-Assed Internet Research

Profit participation, production shorthand, Tunisia, animal work, reused footage and sets, props, stunts, costume ori...

Profit participation, production shorthand, Tunisia, animal work, reused footage and sets, props, stunts, costume origins, and the physical cost to Ford

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 01:25:37Read transcript
  • Lucas reportedly received between one and four million dollars plus gross participation, while Spielberg received $1.5 million plus participation.
  • The script described the Ark opening only as “all hell breaks loose,” leaving the effects team to invent the sequence. — Bill Simmons
  • Tunisia stood in for Egypt in extreme heat; widespread dysentery spared Spielberg because he ate imported canned food. — Bill Simmons
  • The monkey salute reportedly required about 50 takes and a grape on fishing line; depleted stunt staffing led producer Frank Marshall to pilot the airplane for days in severe cockpit heat. — Bill Simmons
  • Stock footage came from Lost Horizon and The Hindenburg, while the canyon location and hieroglyphs connect visually to Star Wars. — Bill Simmons
  • Indy’s bullwhip sold for about $43,000 in 1999, and the Well of Souls occupied the same soundstage set footprint as the writing room in The Shining.
  • Vivian Kubrick reportedly halted production over snake handling until additional protections were provided. — Chris Ryan
  • Ford performed many stunts, bruising ribs, tearing a knee ligament, and narrowly avoiding worse injury under the airplane. — Bill Simmons
  • The German-mechanic fight was largely improvised as Spielberg kept adding ideas, and Indy’s clothing was based on Charlton Heston in Secret of the Incas. — Bill Simmons
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1:38:01

Picking Nits

Effects, Indy’s durability and repeated survival, Marion’s alcohol tolerance, muted reactions to finding the Ark, the...

Effects, Indy’s durability and repeated survival, Marion’s alcohol tolerance, muted reactions to finding the Ark, the eye-closing rule, snake ecology, and the Nazis’ occult plan

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:38:01Read transcript
  • The dead-Molina dummy, Indy absorbing many punches, and villains repeatedly failing to kill him strain belief. — Bill Simmons
  • Marion’s ability to win extreme liquor contests despite her size becomes a long-running physiology question.
  • The Nazis underreact to proving the biblical Ark exists, and Indy somehow knows closing his and Marion’s eyes will protect them. — Chris Ryan
  • Thousands of snakes appear to lack food or habitat, while Hitler’s occult interest and the decision to open the Ark are only loosely explained.
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1:43:06

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Marion’s bar, exploding-head fame, alternate casting, E.T.’s origin, Indy’s satchel, archaeological ethics, changing ...

Marion’s bar, exploding-head fame, alternate casting, E.T.’s origin, Indy’s satchel, archaeological ethics, changing outfits, emotional reactions, and Indy’s motivation

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:43:06Read transcript
  • The economics and regular clientele of Marion’s isolated Nepal bar are unknowable.
  • The panel asks why Belloq’s exploding head did not become the dominant reference instead of Scanners.
  • They ask how much worse the movie and its box office would be with Tom Selleck, and whether E.T. exists without Melissa Mathison and Spielberg discussing it on this set. — Bill Simmons
  • Indy’s bag prompts a satchel-versus-man-purse debate, and his treasure-taking is questioned as looting rather than archaeology.
  • Marion’s frequent wardrobe changes and Sallah’s subdued response to her presumed death are treated as unexplained behavior.
  • The largest question is what actually motivates Indy beyond holding and donating history, since neither money nor romance explains his risks.
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Mentions across The Rewatchables

Recorded movie reference

Star Wars: A New Hope

The Rewatchables · aired May 6, 2025

Raiders of the Lost Ark is listed in the sourced research for this episode. The precise discussion has not been linked yet.

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