Raiders of the Lost Ark released

Raiders of the Lost Ark Released: June 12, 1981 Studio: Paramount Genre: action Box Office (numbers in millions): Domestic: 248.20 Worldwide: 389.90 Adjusted for Inflation: Domestic: 868.70 Worldwide: 1251.70

Directing: Steven Spielberg Screenwriting: Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas, Phillip Kaufman Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman Review: This “fast-paced action/adventure flick” VD brought together the talents of famed directors Steven Spielberg (Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind) and George Lucas (Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back). “The result was the ultimate action movie with the ultimate action hero – Indiana Jones, the asp-kicking adventurer with quip and whip at the ready.” TV It was a “thrilling, entertaining homage to 1930’s cliff-hanging adventure serials/films at Saturday matinees” FS hailed as “one of the greatest action films ever made.” FS Harrison Ford followed up his performance as Han Solo in two Star Wars movies with this nearly as iconic role as Jones, an archeologist a “pre-WWII comic-bookish, globe-trotting…adventurer/archaeologist” FS “with a flair for dramatic situations.” A98 He “is enlisted to locate the Biblical Ark of the Covenant before the evil agents of Hitler use its powers to win the war.” FS “When Spielberg was directing for Paramount Pictures on this venture, he incorporated the studio's mountain logo, dissolving it into a real summit, which served as the opening shot of the film. Artfully done, it set the stage for the adventure about to unfold.” MSN “The film’s opening sequence is a white-knuckled” FS “thrill ride” TV “in a South American rainforest and cave with poisonous darts and a threatening boulder.” FS “Any other movie would have considered [it] a climax: For Raiders, [it] is just the beginning” TV “as he escapes one life-threatening situation, fight, scrape, and chase after another” FS The movie also “includes the best snake scene since Genesis” TV “and the mysterious wrath of God in its finale.” FS Sources: A98 American Film Institute (1998). “AFI’s 100 Years, 100 Movies” FS Filmsite.org “100 Greatest Films” MSN MSN Entertainment (7/19/2018). “100 Best Movies” by Shahnaz Mahmud TV TV Guide (August 8-14, 1998 issue). “50 Greatest Movies on TV and Video” VD Video Detective (1997). “Top 100 Films of All Time”

Awards/Honors/Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Genre Lists: Box Office: Awards: Oscars: Wins: 4 – Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects. Special Achievement Award for Sound Effects Editing Nominations: 8 – including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score Other Lists/Honors: Critics’ Picks: Roger Ebert First posted 7/31/2019; last updated 5/31/2023.

50 years ago: City Lights, Charlie Chaplin's last silent film, released

City Lights Released: January 30, 1931 Studio: United Artists Genre: silent/comedy/romance Box Office (numbers in millions): Domestic: 5.0 Worldwide: -- Adjusted for Inflation: Domestic: -- Worldwide: --

Directing: Charles Chaplin Screenwriting: Charles Chaplin Starring: Charles Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Florence Lee Review: Four years after “the talkie revolution” PD Charlie Chaplin, “cinema’s greatest clown,” PD “stuck to what made him the world’s biggest star: keeping his mouth shut.” PD For his final silent film, he was able to incorporate “the occasional comic use of sound” T95 though the use of sound effects. “In the opening sequence, the urban misfit (his quintessential ‘Little Tramp’ character) parodies ‘talking’ films.” FS “The movie’s enormous success demonstrated that he was still a beloved star.” MSN “The silent comedian had spent years finding the right mix of silliness and sentimentality, and the combination was never more sublime than in this romantic pearl of a film,” VY Chaplin’s “magnum opus.” PD It was “eloquent, moving, and funny” LM and “critically acclaimed for its blend of sentimental drama, pathos, melancholy romance, slapstick, and comic pantomime.” FS Chaplin demonstrated “supreme delicacy in conveying all shades of human feeling.” T95 This was “ultimately his personal favorite of his many masterworks, it was his baby and he took an unusually long time to piece it together.” PD To get the moment just right when the Little Tramp meets a blind flower girl (Cherrill), Chaplin shot the scene 342 times. VY He even composed the movie’s score – a first for him – “adding that to his other credits: actor, writer, director, producer, editor and to quote W.C. Fields “the greatest ballet dancer who ever lived.” PD The flower girl falls for the Little Tramp. Unable to see his tattered suit, she mistakenly believes he is a millionaire. He “befriends a rich drunk…to illegally get the money the girl needs for an eye operation.” VD “Renowned, influential film critic James Agee called the film’s final scene ‘the greatest single piece of acting ever committed to celluloid.’” PD “The film’s final shot is unforgettably poignant;” FS “Many firmly regard…[it] as the best ending in movie history.” PD Sources: FS Filmsite.org “100 Greatest Films” LM Leonard Maltin “100 Must-See Films of the 20th Century” MSN MSN Entertainment (7/19/2018). “100 Best Movies” by Shahnaz Mahmud PD Parade.com (5/22/2023). “…We Ranked the 100 Best Movies of All Time!” by Samuel R. Murrian T95 Time Out (1995). “Centenary Top One Hundred Films” VY Variety.com (12/21/2022). “The 100 Greatest Movies of All Time” VD Video Detective (1997). “Top 100 Films of All Time”

Awards/Honors/Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Lists: Awards: Oscars: Wins: 0 Nominations: 0 Lists: Experts’ Picks: Genre Lists: First posted 6/9/2023.