12th June 1981 was a key day for three now legendary members of the Hollywood firmament, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford. For Lucas it was his chance to prove there was more to him than the Star Wars saga and American Graffitti. For Spielberg it was damage limitation. After the commercial crash of 1941 and his reputation for flying way over budget, as evidenced by the strenuous shoot on Jaws and the costly Close Encounters of the Third Kind he needed another smash, and fast. Lucas and Spielberg had famously concocted the story of Raiders together and with an $18 million dollar budget Spielberg was tasked with bringing in the film on time and on budget.
For Ford it was a chance to display more of his acting skills and range than the cynical Han Solo. For all three it was D-Day.
Lucky then that Raiders of the Lost Ark turned out so spectacularly. Raiding a history making $384,140,454 at the worldwide box office the film cemented Lucas’ legend, made Spielberg the hottest director once again (and by bringing in the film under budget and under the projected timescale making him one of the thriftiest and most efficient) and launched Harrison Ford into the acting stratosphere. And for us lucky fans of the time who were still in the midst of the original Star Wars trilogy, it gave us the chance to explore the corridors of Lucasfilm – many of the crew were Star Wars alumni – and made the magic makers at ILM household names.
While it may not have the mass adulation of the Star Wars films, or quite the insertion into pop culture that the GFFA has had there’s no denying that Raiders, and to a lesser degree its sequels and prequels, have left an indelible imprint in the hearts and minds of the movie-going public.