Os Salteadores da Arca Perdida (1981)

You have to come up with something very special following the previous two
block busters of Star Wars and Jaws. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg manage to do just that in this wonderful movie that introduces us to a new hero in Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford).


Within the first 10 minutes of this new adventure movie we are brought into
contact with exotic locations in which bad guys are trying to kill our hero
Indy by using poisoned arrows and booby traps. He also comes face to face
with a host of natural dangers such as spiders, snakes and large rolling
boulders. Yes this all in the first 10 minutes, the good news is that this
fast paced adventure goes on for further 105 minutes.

We quickly fall under the spell of our hero Indy, as he always seems a step ahead of all the
obstacles, surviving certain death just in the nic of time.
The truth is that Indy made me want to become an archeologist immediately
after watching this movie and I started by digging up our garden the very
next day.

With his quick wit, sense of humour and vast knowledge of anything
ancient, dressed in his leather jacket, fedora hat, satchel and using his
trusty bull whip he instantly wins over our hearts.
We also quickly find out that he is not perfect as he is scared of snakes
and seems to have difficulty in being faithful to the lady species, shown by
how often he gets slapped by them (no one is perfect).

The movie is full of unforgettable one liners such as “There is nothing to
fear here, that’s what scares me”. It also has spectacular fight scenes such
as the first bar fight and another one in which his opponent pulls out a
sword to fight Indy who in turn pulls out a Pistol. Interesting fact that I
noticed is that Indy’s friends normally call him Indy while his enemies call
him Dr. Jones.

This movie never let’s up while at the same time making us more
knowledgeable about the legend of the lost Ark, Nazi philosophy, geography
and history of foreign countries in the period of the 1930’s.

The movie takes us back by using wonderful props, planes, vehicles, wardrobe
and characters of whom all seem to fit in perfectly, never making us feel as
though computers were used to produce this master piece unlike some of
todays modern movies where there is more digital special effects than film.
The sound track also sounds as though a full scale orchestra is playing the
theme song every time it plays and I bet it probably was a full orchestra as
the sound fills our eardrums, shooting directly to our memory lobe as we
never again forget this tune.

Marion Ravenwood (Karren Allen) on meeting Indy says “everyone is sorry for
something” and yes this is true as it’s part of being alive. We will be hurt
over and over and we simply need to move forward. Although Sorry doesn’t
make it OK, it does help to reduce the pain. As Indy said “Sorry” when the
opportunity presented itself, so should we as it’s a first step in healing
wounds. This movie also teaches us the importance of passion and focus as no
obstacle can stop Indy on his pursuit of finding his treasure, which as we
learn is not only for him but for humanity as a whole.

We fall in love with Indy because it’s so clear he does what he does not just for himself but for
us all, turning him into our hero. This movie has gone on to inspire three
sequels, comics, TV series, arcade games and theme park attractions thereby
ensuring this story will stay alive well into the future. I myself have been
influenced by Indy and work to keep my own spirit of adventure alive.

This year I will go on my own adventure by travelling around the world together
with my friend Frank and our families in 118 days. We should all work to get
out of our comfort zones as only then can we find our own Indiana Jones
within ourselves. We all have a role to play in our own movie called life,
it’s your choice if it’s a horror or a fast paced adventure.
Now, I need to go and buy a bull whip as I prepare for my own adventure ….

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