1981 was a huge year for movies. Australian films released that year include Peter Weir’s heart-breaking World War I film Gallipoli, and Kennedy/Miller’s post-apocalyptic classic Mad Max II. Puberty Blues shone a light on some unsavoury aspects of 70s youth culture in Australia, and the thriller Road Games featured imported US stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Stacy Keach riding the highways of outback Australia.
Worldwide, the top five biggest films of the year were Stripes (who can forgot the opening scene with Harold Ramis’ character Russel Ziskey asking his class of new migrants if they can speak any English?); On Golden Pond (I have to admit I’ve never seen it, and having just watched the trailer, I reckon I’ll keep it that way); Superman II (gotta say I wasn’t a big fan as a kid), and For Your Eyes Only (which I believe is the only Bond movie featuring James doing a car chase in a Citroen 2CV). And at number one? Raiders of the Lost Ark.
I don’t remember where, or when, I first saw Raiders. I was just a nipper when it was released, so it was probably at a birthday party for a primary school classmate. Going to the movies was what you did at primary school age birthday parties in those days. What I do remember is that I loved it.
Watching movies again as an adult that you loved as a kid can be – talking of 80’s movies – a risky business. On one hand, it can be a wonderfully nostalgic trip back to childhood. On the other, it can destroy fond memories forever if it turns out the film was actually shithouse. The other night I decided to watch Raiders of the Lost Ark again for the first time since I can’t remember. Sure it was chancy, but I had a feeling that it would still stack up in 2025.
Plonking myself down on the couch, I clicked play on the laptop. Sure it wasn’t the silver screen, but it would have to do.
Like little Jim all those years ago, as I watched the opening scene where Indy and his team of dodgy offsiders are trekking through the South American jungle, I was enthralled. The movie opens with fast-paced thrills and spills, some pretty good frights, a little treachery, the introduction of the story’s arch-villain, and our hero’s first narrow escape. It’s a great introduction to the wild ride ahead.
I did notice something that I’d missed as a child: right at the beginning, during the opening titles, there’s a kookaburra on the soundtrack! No, really! Although Australian kookaburras aren’t found in South America, I have to say they do sound pretty exotic. I remember working with some Americans in country Victoria years back, and when they first heard kookaburras laughing, they asked me if they were monkeys. Still, I wonder how Steven Spielberg came to add them to the movie. Next time anyone sees him down the shops, please ask and let me know.
As an adventure movie, Raiders really has the lot. First up, it’s set in the 1930’s, where the clothes, cars and aircraft were cool. It also has a hero who isn’t perfect but isn’t a dickhead, and a hard-drinking heroine who, despite requiring rescuing several times, also kicks some arse along the way. The heroes are heroes, and the baddies in the film are proper mean bastards. Add to this a storyline that spans several continents and exotic locations, and some great stunts that aren’t computer generated, and you’ve got an action movie that I’m very pleased to report is still a blast 44 years after its release.
So why am I telling you all this? And why did I suddenly decide to watch Raiders of the Lost Ark the other night for the first time in yonks*? Well, I recently found out that most of the movie was filmed right here in Tunisia! And not only that, I had inadvertently planned to visit one of the cities where a bunch of scenes were shot. My journey to the dusty city of Kairouan would not only allow me to see some ancient historic sites, but also to walk in the footsteps of Indiana Jones…
*Australian slang meaning a long time
Love Raiders too? Let me know in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, you may also like In The Footsteps of Indiana Jones Part II, Tunisia, Bébé Makes Her Blue Jeans Talk, France,
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