ARK LIFE
IT’S AN ASTONISHING 40 YEARS since Indiana Jones first snapped a bullwhip in Raiders Of The Lost Ark, the Spielberg-Lucas joint that reinvigorated big-screen adventure by chasing the breathless, bare-knuckle spirit of all those cliffhanging serials of Hollywood’s youth.
But as the redoubtable Dr Jones reminded us, it’s not the years, it’s the mileage. And there’s been plenty of mileage in this treasure-hunting archaeologist: three sequels – with another film underway, complete with a match-fit, near-octogenerian Harrison Ford – and enough books, toys, comics, theme park rides and stunt shows to fill a secret government warehouse.
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of where it all began, SFX searched the globe for two of Raiders’ leading players: Karen Allen, alias the tenacious Marion Ravenwood, and Paul Freeman, aka Indy’s longstanding nemesis Belloq. Freeman is in France now and our conversation is cut off no less than three times by reception issues: there are fierce storms, apparently. Seems the wrath of God still bears a grudge against Monsieur Belloq for disturbing the Ark…
Raiders was inspired by the Saturday morning serials that Spielberg and Lucas loved. Did you share those reference points?
PF Oh yeah, I was a devotee of Saturday morning pictures… in Barnet! Often sneaking in through the back door, I seem to remember. And also because of the script. The script was so good. It didn’t change very much, apart from the witticisms that Harrison made up on the go, which were wonderful. It was a witty script
