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(#5) They Needed A Female Touch To Make The Tarantula Scene Even Creepier
When Indy and Satipo (Alfred Molina's first role) explore the temple at the start of RotLA, they find themselves covered in tarantulas. At first, the gentle spiders were creepy but not crawly - they refused to move and frustrated Spielberg who thought they appeared fake. The tarantula wrangler explained the spiders were all males and had no reason to be active. A female spider was introduced, exciting the others and sending them skittering.
Molina later recalled, "They're running onto my face, and Steven is going, 'Shoot! Shoot! Alfred, look scared!' and [I'm all], 'I'm scared! I'm scared!'"
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(#1) Spielberg Originally Wanted Toht To Be A 'Heavy-Metal' Villain
Toht, an antagonist in RotLA, is already an unsettling presence with his high-pitched giggling and burned hand. But Spielberg originally wanted him to be even creepier with a mechanical hand that could turn into an automatic-firing device or projectile torch - a look he described as "heavy-metal."
Lucas eventually talked Spielberg out of the idea by convincing him it was too close to science-fiction for what they had intended.
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(#9) It Took 50 Takes To Get A Monkey To Salute
One of the movie's funnier moments reveals a monkey as a far-right spy with the creature's salute. The crew had to film over 50 takes to make the salute, however. The monkey's wrangler tried to get the shot by tapping him on the head, but the monkey's defensive gesture didn't appear quite right.
They eventually accomplished the feat by holding a grape on a fishing pole just out of reach above the monkey's head.
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(#2) Spielberg Extended The Temple Sequence At The Beginning Because He Loved The Boulder Prop
The opening sequence to RotLA is often hailed as one of cinema's best, and the giant boulder that Indy runs from is part of movie history. The scene was originally supposed to be brief, featuring Indy immediately before he exits the temple. Spielberg, however, loved the boulder so much he delayed filming and requested that its track be extended another 50 feet.
The RotLA crew obliged and the extended version made it into the film.
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(#4) The Opening Of The Ark Sequence Almost Warranted An R Rating
When the Ark of the Covenant opens, it exacts a punishment against the villains - a scene that has haunted young audiences for decades. Originally the sequence was an uncensored view of Belloq deflating. The MPAA felt Spielberg was already pushing the PG rating to its limit and, with no PG-13 rating at the time, they were ready to hand down an R.
Spielberg and the other crew members placated the MPAA by superimposing a thick pillar of flame over Belloq's face to hide some of the effects.
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(#11) Several Strange Aircraft Inspired The Plane From The Famous Fight Scene
When Indy duels with a mechanic in the desert, they are simultaneously avoiding being hit by a nearby plane. This aircraft was made up just for the movie. Though planes with similar features existed in real life, there was nothing quite like the one in RotLA.
Prop designer Norman Reynolds created the prop with inspiration from actual aircraft, such as the Horten Ho 229, the Northrop N1M, and the Vought V-173.
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Raiders Of The Lost Ark is an action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, released in 1981. The film tells the story of archaeology professor Indiana Jones who recovered the long-lost Ark of the Covenant. As the first film of the Indiana Jones series, it opened a new era of adventure films and achieved extraordinary results. The leading actor became one of the most successful actors, and Indiana Jones became one of the most successful movie characters.
This page includes 12 items, including 12 stories that prove the making of Raiders Of The Lost Ark was an adventure behind the scenes. Every cast made great contributions. There is something that people don't know. Welcome to check the interesting collection.
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