Unfortunately with these older movies, the higher resolution shows a lot of the print damage and dated optical effects work. I'm also angry that they screwed around with the colour grading. It's bad enough that all the new movies are artificially tinted teal and orange, but now they're desecrating our classics. Not cool, man!
@@ArnoldTohtFan Yeah it's pretty bad. All I know is when I had this on laser disc in the 90's, watching it using component output on a 19 inch tube TV it looked way better than this. The contrast and detail was incredible. It almost looked 3D. The shadows were amazing. The film stock must have really gone down hill since then. This looks way too soft.
You can't actually judge HDR on TH-cam unless you are using an HDR monitor that has the contrast range and goes up in nits to the high dynamic points and also low to black as the other end of that point. So people commenting on this, who don't have an HDR monitor (such as on the the new MacBook Pro, or some phones) aren't seeing it correctly and it might look more dull.
@@VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM The detail on this is far better than I've ever seen, just look at all the film grain that was lost and blended before. And I had the laserdisc. Reminds me of the theatrical experience when it was first run. I'm going to buy this pronto (I do have an HDR player and a calibrated OLED to display it correctly).
The most horrifying part of this for me would be only hearing and feeling everything that's going on... and then you open your eyes and everything except the Ark is just _gone._
I pulled this up because of what (some) people are doing in real life. I’m comparing it to the transgression being depicted here. Hardened hearts, by the time they figure out what they’re doing, it will be too late. As an aside, he who even touches the Ark would be struck dead, so how would they even be able to open it in the first place?
To me, it wouldnt. it would just show the power of God, and how he deals with evil people.and it would show how He alone is worthy of all glory and honour.
This has got to be one of the best “0 to 100 real quick” moments in all of cinema. Remember, up until this point absolutely nothing supernatural or “other-worldly” happened in the film. Yeah, there were a couple lines about ancient power and God at the beginning of the movie, but aside from the box the Ark was in becoming charred, there was nothing extreme happening - it was a pretty straightforward (but good) adventure movie. Then all of a sudden in a matter of a 3-minute scene you have ghosts killing Nazis, people’s faces melting off, and someone’s head actually explodes. I can only imagine sitting in the movie theater during 1981, seeing this for the first time, and going “What the fuck just happened?!”
I was one of the kids that saw this when it opened and it frightened me. God is a force you don't mess around with. Belloq was so greedy that he had to open the ark before taking it to Hitler. If only the ark could have wiped out Hitler and the entire Nazi regime in Berlin, there would have been no Second World War.
I was 10 when I saw this movie in 1981...it was inevitable but it had definitely shocked me. I recall asking my father how Indy knew to close his eyes (explained in an earlier deleted scene) and he said something along the lines of, "Some things you shouldn't see."
They were all burned alive because no men Is holy enough to stand in the presence of God Indiana Jones and the girl didn't die because they didn't Look the death angels in the face And plus because they were all nazis and evil....
Imagine how freaky it mist have been for Indiana and Marion hearing all of these terrifying screams and ghostly sounds and not knowing what even happened.
Imagine being only able to hear the blood curdling screams of men and the sounds of gore, then silence. Finally opening your eyes to see no trace of them left. That would keep me up at night.
I'm sure that it did haunt Indy and Marion for the rest of their lives. That's why Indy's reaction to seing the carving of the Ark in The Last Crusade was so strangely neutral; it was a psychological defensive reaction. Yes, he knew that box; it was burned onto his retinas for the rest of his life and he *didn't* want to talk about it.
Weirdly enough what scared me most about this scene wasn't the face melting or head exploding, it was when the ghost changed to a skull face. That haunted my dreams as a kid for weeks man!!! Anyone else agree with me on that?
Instead of opening it on the island to make sure it was genuine first, imagine if they'd waited to open it in Berlin in front of Hitler and the Nazi High Command, lol. That would have been apocalyptic
I will always have mad respect for Ronald Lacey for making the conscious acting choice to have Toht, arguably one of the best villains in the franchise, go out screaming like a child.
It was a great choice in my opinion, how that cocky and arrogant personality he shows around men melts away (literally) when confronted with forces far greater then he would ever know
I agree. Toht was the skeptic. He thought he was just getting valuable treasure for Hitler. So he was the most surprised when all the supernatural stuff started happening.
@@jimdigitalvideo I like to think Toht’s final thought ( before he tried to scream with his face pooling around him ) was “ wow this supernatural stuff is real? “
I actually met the actor who played the German Colonel who has his head shrunk. Very lovely man and I asked how they did it and he explained that they made a mould or a sculpt of his head to do the effect, I asked "Were you shocked when you saw your death?" to which he replied, "Never watched it."
I love the moment when Indy realizes that their only prayer is to not look upon the opened Ark. It's not for nothing that the fire burned away their bonds but didn't even damage their clothing. Indy and Marion were spared because they showed respect and humility.
That humility is what defines Indy. In his last adventure, when asked what he would do with the ultimate power of the Antikythera, all he wanted was a chance to tell his son how much he loved him and how sorry he was for not being a better father, and beg him not to go and fight in a pointless war.
Nathan Robin and 5ye explomsoubdvefect are thst if empr plstinsith linghinf sfw and the deth star rect englund explosion sound effect and in third indin jobes the trsd fever hover tdnk sound effect from the srar prrwk. Thsts used in the bot chase zce when the bot get blown up and when handy jens sr xes seth nazi coy checks
@@williamburroughs2273 and the sound effect of the deth star 2 breaking prt is aslo the sound effect for when macmrea machine makfucthions and aslo thr sound effect not only uses sand sound evtct as force lifting innstar wars but it wasl aslu uses as drej liting sound effect in titan ae
Man, one thing RotLA had over Temple of Doom and Last Crusade was that the threat of what the ark was so much more menacing. From the introduction at the University, Sallah telling Jones that the Ark was never *meant* to be found, the Swastika and Nazi eagle being burned off the crate holding the Ark.. we're left with a sense of unease and dread that lingers throughout the whole movie. This notion that Jones isn't dealing with some golden idol from the Amazon, but an instrument of unknowable and terrifying power.
As someone who loves all four films, Raiders had something neither of the future films could match. That was the presence of the Ark and its divine and terrifying power. And that's what made Raiders so good. The Ark was something you just couldn't explain. The only words to describe it best would be: "The wrath of God".
Agreed. It had the action/adventure of the others with some tongue in cheek comedy moments, but behind it all was a a dark, menacing presence. Something that was lost on later films as they tried to exploit the family fun side of the movies. Rotla didn't really fit into a particular genre, action, thriller, horror it had it all. For me though, the map room scene was the most powerful, it hinted at the things to come with music and suspense
This actually refers to ancient scripture (Exodus, I believe): Only Levites may open the Holy of Holies. And only those anointed by the Levites may even look upon and present themselves to the Holy of Holies. You have to remember that the Ark of the Covenant was used as an alter and considered the literal gateway and seat for God and the Angels of His realm by multiple Abrahamic faiths--even the Muslims both feared and respected it because of it's power and purpose. Indy correctly surmised that, although he was brought up as a Gentile, he was an unanointed soul (at best) and would've been smitten by God's wrath if he had dared to look upon the Holy of Holies. So, to spare himself and Marion from God's wrath, they avert their eyes from the Holy of Holies (I.E. the Ark) and they are spared. That is not a writing discrepancy, that is a detail that pays critical heed to biblical history and ancient Mosaic Law.
This also explains why the Nazis archeologist was uttering an ancient Hebrew chant at the beginning of this scene: He was playing the part of a Levite in an attempt to quell the entities that protect the Holy of Holies but... well... you saw how trying to fool God and His Angels went for the Nazis. lol. God could see right through their facade right down to their rotten souls. And they paid for their evil, mockery, and desecration with their lives.
@@RexSpec Well...there was a deleted scene where the guy Saula got to help translate the medallion (Which Belloch NEVER saw or got) told him not to look at the Ark. Right before the "bad dates" part. Belloch was always taking the easy way out, taking from other's hard work, so he would miss little details, like "DON'T LOOK AT THE ARK!"
@@isaned That's interesting. I never knew about that deleted scene. Even still, that stipulation harkens back to biblical scripture/Mosaic Law: Only Levites and those anointed _by_ the Levites may look upon the Holy of Holies (I.E. The Ark). It's attention to detail like that which makes me love this movie. The writers definitely did their homework (which is why I refuted Youssef's comment lol).
I love Todt in that scene. His cackling laughter shows that he never believed in the power of the Ark and that from the beginning on, he knew that all the effort to get it is squandered. Giving a cartoonish villain a limited kind of depth can be witnessed in this scene.
@@derekbackofen6exactly! There are so many people today who are just like him. They laugh at God and mock and deny Him. I’ve seen God’s power. I’ve seen things that can be explained in no other way but God. He is real and he doesn’t take kindly to being mocked.
@@FoxWolfWorldI mean on rewatch yeah and even just seeing this scene as standalone it is cheesy but it works better watching the entire film without context.
I had a horrifying dream about witnessing this event from about 1,000 ft away. Even the music started playing in the distance. I stood there and watched it like it was happening in real time in real life. Absolute nightmare fuel
And now we know why Anakin hates sand. It's course and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere, and if you stare at it it kills you, sends your sole to the Heavens, and deposits your body in a golden box. (But it's actually because he grew up on Tatooine, a desert planet where there was literally sand everywhere).
3:15-3:16- I like how he had the confused expression of "wait, why would that woman turn into a skeleton like a grim reaper"- to instant girly scream when he realizes how screwed he is.
Dr Jones made the wise move not to blow up the Ark. He left his life and Marion's in the hands of God. Belloq impersonated a Levite Priest ( only they are authorized access to the Ark)... Dietrich's men desecrated the Ark by opening it. Belloq, Dietrich and Toht further offended God by touching the Ark's contents, the grains of sand found are the shattered remains of the 10 commandments! The offense brought about judgement to the offenders of the Ark. Right after the Nazis were destroyed, we see Belloq' mangled body being taken the Heavens for final Judgement, Belloq impersonated a Levite Priest alongside the offense of defiling the 10 commandments !
@@MrHDE-ex6xl Deaths by irony, bud! Dietrich smashed a watermelon, foreshadowing what his head would be. Gestapo tried to burn Marion with a fire brand and burned his own hand, leading to his face peeling off. Belloq goaded "Blow it back to God!", and in a few minutes, Belloq's head was blown apart in a shattering burst.
That and persecuting his people and glorifying the state as the highest power and just generally being nazis likely didn't help. It's implied Belloq is himself Jewish, basically a quisling - and if there's one thing the old Testament makes clear - YHWH cannot abide those who would disparage his covenant.
When the ark lid lands on top of the ark, and that echo hits...that is the perfect summary to the entire scene. What an all time classic movie scene...
Imagine if it was 3d. The angel transforming inches from your face. When the faces melted, quite a few children screamed in the theater. This was true movie making. I was 13 at the time. And the angel scene still makes my heart skip a beat.
I remember watching the scene in The Last Crusade where Donovan drank from the wrong cup and that one messed me up. Always watched that one more than the other two before it haha
3:46 I’ll have to admit for 1981, this special effect still holds up 42 years later. Way better then CG ever will be, also they don’t make gruesome deaths like this anymore.
We had this movie on VHS as kids we watched it so many times probably hundreds. The picture and sound quality was not the best on those old vhs nice to see it in perfect quality on youtube. This ending was epic and the special effects still look good.
The Nazis had only contempt for the God of the Jews. It must have been horrible to realise that they were entirely wrong about who bore real power in this moment.
Aye. In that moment, his cold hearted demeanor was replaced by an emotion Dietrich hadn't felt for a very long time... Fear. His logical and militaristic world fell apart, as he bore final witness to a deadly supernatural event.
3:14 with that terrifying look of the angels of death it's God saying: "HOW DARE YOU OPEN THE ARK, THE ARK IS FORBIDDEN, FOR THAT YOU MUST BE PUNISHED, THE PENALTY IS DEATH"
Now I realized what the scene means: - The sand inside the Ark were actually the two tablets of Ten Commandments of God carried by Moses in the Book of Exodus. - The spirits that flying around the Nazis are the angels of death which the same being that killed the first born sons in Egypt(Book of Exodus). - Belloq, Dietrich and Toht's gory deaths was foreshadow in previous scenes like Dietrich smashes a watermelon into pulp which his head turns into a pulp, Toht burns his right hand while trying to get a burned amulet which his face got melt by the power and Belloq insults God about the Aryan race are superior to everyone even the Lord himself seal his fate as he dressed as Levite priest(since Levite priests are the only ones to see and open the Ark according from the Bible) to mock him only to got blown his own head because of the power they seek destroyed them. - Indiana Jones and Marion were spared by the Lord's wrath because Indy made a smart decision not to destroy the Ark with a rocket launcher(Had he do it, the Ark will exploded and destroyed everyone or a continent more powerful than the 2 atomic bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki) and surrendered. Also, he did follow what the Imam said of the warning and consequences of the Ark being disturbed or open in the earlier scene. Meaning, he and Marion were saved by the gracious of the Lord, by releasing them from the ropes they were tied. And to conclude, it was a great foreshadow of the downfall of the Nazi regime/Third Reich for not just create the Holocaust that killed the Jews and other minorities but also they use the Christian religion mixed with Nazi ideology as their superiority towards the people, religions and the Lord which led the destruction of Berlin, the heart of the Nazi Reich.
@@joeterra.tyou do realize Steven Spielberg is Jewish right? And George grew up in Sunday school so that's what's exactly going on. This is something God would and still can do. Just be glad he has given you the grace to wake up today and have another chance to Know Him before death
It also makes the scene at 1:25 really infuriating. Dietrich and Toht discarded the Ten Commandments like trash. No wonder all heck broke loose and they all died!
What a nice touch at 5:03, where Indy & Marion are facing each other and holding hands just like the golden cherubim on the Ark. Also, when the fire burns the rope but they are not harmed, that part is very reminiscent of the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the Old Testament. They were thrown into a furnace for refusing to renounce the one true God, but they walked out the other side without so much as smelling like smoke, because God protected them. God created the laws of physics so nothing is impossible with Him!
@@dodgsonwevegotdodgsonhere9970tough cone to explain for sure, even as a Christian. But people make their choices. Think it’s up to us to make the right ones, learn from the wrong ones, and do what we can to help in the really bad parts.
This is cinema at it grandest and most brilliant. Steven firing on all cylinders. I remember watching this as a 6 year old in cinemas in 1981 and being terrified.
As a 12 year old kid I watched this movie 3 times in a row with a friend when it came out, it was so awesome and unlike any other movie previously released. We hid between the seats while the cinema cleaners went round and just sat up again 15 minutes later when the next showing started. We had actually gone to see Condorman on another screen but changed our minds at the last minute. Thank God.
As a child i wasn't allowed to watch this scene. So i got to have the same experience as Indy and Marion did. An imagination filling in the blanks between agonizing screams and howling angels. XD
“Doctor Jones! Surely you don’t think you can escape from this island.” “That depends on how reasonably we’re all willing to be, all I want is the girl. And don’t call me Shirley!”
The beauty was the entire film was building up to this moment, when Marion had the medallion in Tibet and the candlelight flickers, to when the old man revealed the markings on the medallion, and the storms in the scene when they were excavating the ark...
The old SFX really make this scene what it is. It just makes it so much scarier. If this were done today, the bolts of energy going through the Nazis would be done with CGI, and it wouldn't be anywhere near as creepy.
Love the part when they open the Ark and there appears to be nothing inside but sand. Colonial Toht (The Gestapo agent in the black leather trench coat) starts laughing his evil hyena-like laugh. All that time and effort unraveling the mystery of Ark's whereabouts...wasted. The Fuhrer would surely have someone's head (probably several heads) when they return home as punishment for such an incredible waste of the Reich's precious manpower and resources. And then the Ark comes to life (or to death, as it were)...and faces melt. The Fuhrer doesn't get his prize after all, and loses the war to come. Great movie!
Dietrich was disgusted and angry because of the lost troops, effort made and resources allocated. Toht wouldn't be even reprimanded, as his whole role was to support from an intelligence standpoint and he probably advised against the whole operation to his direct superiors.
I like the whole myth about the ark is you arent allowed to touch it, Dietrich is wearing gloves when he reaches inside, so technically he doesnt "touch" it, which I always think is a cool little detail!
This scene made me fascinated with the Ark of the Covenant. Saw it for the first time in 2000. Also, a visual masterpiece that holds up strongly even to this day. And that says a lot. Creepy. Powerful. Mesmeric.
A couple things I always liked about this scene: 1) There’s that moment as Colonel Dietrich raises his hand from the ark with a fistful of sand, which he angrily tosses aside. Belloq looks crestfallen while Toht just laughs in his usual way; there’s the barest smirk from Indy where he thinks “Heh, maybe it was a fake all along!”, which is quickly dispelled by the lights and camera being destroyed. 2) The framing of the Mercy Seat in the foreground as the spirits start to emerge. The Ark of the Covenant is one of the few physical artifacts of the Bible where exact directions are given to its construction, so if you had the right wood and a lot of gold lying around, you could build one yourself. The lid, known as the Mercy Seat, is where God spoke to Moses from between the two cherubim adorning it. There have been various interpretations of how the Mercy Seat was designed, but Spielberg used James Tissot’s artistic interpretation of the cherubim hunched over and extending wingtips to each other. It frames the scene again as the fire blasts from the burning Belloq, God’s statement against their sacrilege. Makes for a powerful and eerie sight once all hell breaks loose, especially when the Mercy Seat is sent spinning into the air atop the column of flame and slams back down atop the ark with the barest bounce.
I was six when I saw this in the theater. It scared the shit out of me. Then my parents stayed to see it a second time immediately after. I buried my face in the theater seat during the entire second showing.
Indy tells Mariam to not look at the spirits coming out of the Ark, because biblically, looking into the face of God, at least on this side of reality, was an automatic death sentence. Which is why when Moses asked to see the Lord directly (on Mount Sinai when the 10 commandments were being handed down), God told Moses that Moses was only allowed to look at Him as he passed by him and see Him from behind, so that Moses wouldn't die.
Notice that when it struck lightning at the Nazi soldiers, it completely ignores the top 3 guys who opened the ark. It's as if they were saying, "Oooohhh nooooo! We've got SOMETHING SPECIAL for you three!! These other guys get a quick death cuz they were just following orders!!" Lol
I just want the power to create cartoon characters and Flubber and stuff like that, but I won't abuse that power or use it for evil or anything like that. But that's just my opinion.
The sound of the lid coming down from the sky and slamming shut on the ark was so deafening! And the rumble of thunder in the distance after was like God's way of saying, "...and that's, that!"
If you think about it: God's essentially saying "So not only did you break the rule of looking into _my_ box...you're also the same evil people who killed _my people_ ? Okay that's it, you're getting to see my face".
@@manichols84 There's a lot of confusion around that line but it just meant that she was a lot younger than him rather than her literally being below the legal age of consent. They wouldn't have included a literal paedophilia
@@MrSchnitzelSchitz they did tho, it's crazy but if you do the math by their ages she was 15 at the time. Watch LegalEagles video on Indiana Jones breaking the law
A perfect Hollywood confection from Spielberg and Lucas. Just before the horror scene, Indy warns: "Don't look at it!" Which perfectly heightens the audience's expectation. And it's no disappointment!
I like to think the angels going over the soldiers were them judging- they were just grunts. They saved the terror for Belloq, Dietrich, and especially Toht. Don’t mess with God.
‘Hey guys, let’s make it quick for the poor souls in uniforms down there. The colonel, the psychopath and the blasphemer though… *let them know the fear of God before they finally die.* ‘
Not only is this an incredible scene (hard to imagine this getting a pg rating these days) but poignant when you think they wanted to open it in front of Hitler
@@WonkyTonkBotty I read stories about children seeing this scene for the first time and the scars it left them.. but also how they got over it, and it made them tougher.
@@MrOrcshaman I actually watched Temple of Doom and Last Crusade before this one at age 9. Funnily enough, the monkey brain/heart scenes only mildly bothered me (I was a huge biology nerd at the time), although Walter Donovan's death scared me shitless. 🤣
I saw this in its original run in theaters when I was 8 years old. I clearly remember the moment that one ghostly woman's face went demonic AND THE THEATER LOST ITS MIND.
I get that Inglorious Bastards was Tarantino's way of sticking it to Nazis, but this was the most badass revenge kill on Nazis I have ever seen! A symbol of Jewish culture just disintegrates the Nazis in the most brutal way as revenge for what they did to their people.
Colonel Dietrichs face is just way to overly comical for such a terrifying scene. However, props to Major Toht's actor, I would definitely be screaming at the top of my lungs, at a high pitch in this scenario, I mean, f***.
Everything could have been a whole lot worse afterwards, because even if Hitler and co were killed, there would have been many more people in the opening ceremony so at least SOMEONE could have escaped... and then the remaining Nazis would know exactly how to use the Ark... Or as you said maybe there wouldn't have been a war at all.
@@arcotroll8530 Well, you're speaking this under the assumption the Ark is simply a dangerous object to be controlled. It is controlled by a higher power with intelligence, that is shown here as all those who gazed and desecrated the ark were destroyed so thoroughly any remains ceased existence, but yet Indie's bindings were burnt off without him being harmed in the slightest. If it was opened in Berlin, there would be no mercy, and the Nazis would not be able to control the Ark.
@@mr.switchblade604 How about if any survived and they took the ark and left it in Russian or British or whatever allied territory for the same purpose? The Russians would definitely not understand from the get go what that thing was...
Gotta love how Indiana Jones is humble and honorable at his core, from the beginning to the end. In his first adventures he humbled himself before gods' power and chose righteousness over "fortune and glory" and in his last, all he wanted to achieve with ultimate power was a chance to tell his son how much he loved him.
I wonder what it must've been like for people watching this in theaters back in 1981 and founding out that the ark was real the whole time at the end of the movie? 🤔🤔 anyone who was there, please tell me your experience.
As a kid from the 80's this is definitely one of the movies that has stuck with me. I wanted to be Indiana Jones growing up. Definitely one of the all time greatest action movies ever made.
This film came out on my Dad’s 10th birthday, and his Dad took him to see it, and I think some of my Dad’s friends as well. Unfortunately, Dad doesn’t remember anything of his reaction to it due to the sheer amount of time passed since it happened. While I was far from being able to watch this movie, probably because I was born over twenty years after it, it clearly was something incredible. I am also wondering what people thought when the Ark burned off the Nazi emblem in the _Bantu Wind's_ cargo hold, because that was the first time the audience saw something definitely supernatural. I can only imagine that it was on their minds that something _big_ was going to happen in the climax.
@@Daniel_Huffman when the crate started to burn..I was like omg something is definitely in the ark......only because as a 10 year old sitting in a movie theater..I thought that God , as part of the story line, was looking down and was not pleased..
I was so fascinated at the opening of the ark..especially when that deep sounding doom and gloom music started the moment when we get the guy's point of view looking into the ark...you KNEW something intense was going to break loose....when the lady's spirit went from beauty to terrorizing that scared me..and melting face guy with the glasses...as for the rest of the scene it was awesome to a 10 year girl sitting in the movie theater... . I had to ask my father if it was a real thing (I was not raised in a religious family)...he only said maybe...obviously he was just teasing...but I didn't know it at the time.... 🙂
This scene scared the hell out of me when I watched it as a six year old back in the 80s on vhs! Great stuff! Classic film and one of the best from Mr. Spielberg!
0:34 "I do not rely on man, nor do I depend on any angel. But the God of Truth who's Torah is true. I rely on Him and His Holy and precious name... Praises."
"He struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. He struck down of all the people, 50,070 men, and the people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with a great slaughter." 1 Samuel 6:19
Makes you wonder why Belloq thought that the rules of handling the ark wouldnt apply to a non Hebrew like him. Was he completely ignorant of what the Old Testament stated about the lethality of the ark?
My daughter recently came of age where I thought that watching this movie was age appropriate for her. She actually thought that this movie was "boring!" I couldn't believe my own ears! I never heard anyone say that an Indiana Jones movie was boring!
So glad to see this in the Cinema when it came out, little one in Buxton UK. First time i experienced everyone clapping at scenes and at the end. Brilliant film and has aged well.
Probably because they didn't use any computer effects or CGI. They modeled Toht's head with red slime or something like that, melted it, and sped up the footage. Look it up if you want more details.
If you look closely at 4:25-4:28, the Ark now has TWO lids: the one falling back down to seal it...........AND THE ONE STILL IN FRONT OF THE ARK!!! XD In all seriousness though, this is STILL the best scene in ALL of Indiana Jones!
This scene terrified the fuck outta me as a teen 1st time in the cinema......I went a second time with my cousin a week later and we both covered our eyes again 😲
I love that Indy is using all of his experience, all of his knowledge and training, totally aware and in the moment, to arrive at the solution for survival just in time.
The 4kHD version of the Indy movies are fantastic. I saw Raiders in IMAX at my local cinema over ten years ago and it was brilliant. I bought the 4k box set to play on my new 4k player and then bought all 9 Star wars movies in 4k to play on the player. They look great also.
Bro, whenever Indiana tells Marion to close her eyes, you should do the same. Because when shit goes to 100 out of nowhere and Toht starts his fucking banshee scream. Gives me chills. Every. Single. Time.
I was in first grade when I first saw this film, and there were many moments throughout that scared the crap out of me. This grand finale was the stuff of nightmares, and it scared me unlike any of the previous moments. To this day, I would not want to open the Ark if ever found. No one can convince me otherwise.
Back in 2009 or so, I played “Miracle of the Ark” while fighting the final boss in the first BioShock and it fit SO DAMN WELL, especially the musical cue at 3:40
I remember when I first watched this movie, I would also take Indy's advice and shut my eyes during this scene. As of today, I concurred my fears and loved the practical effects that ILM did for this amazing scene, especially with Toht's face melting.
And now we know why Anakin hates sand. It's course and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere, and if you stare at it it kills you, sends your sole to the Heavens, and deposits your body in a golden box. (But it's actually because he grew up on Tatooine, a desert planet where there was literally sand everywhere).
![Indiana Jones [ 4K - HDR ] and The Raiders of the Lost Ark - The Golden Idol - Opening (1981)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/6y_GbPV2AEc/mqdefault.jpg)
![Indiana Jones [ 4K - HDR ] and The Raiders of the Lost Ark - The Golden Idol - Opening (1981)](/img/tr.png)
The HDR adds a lot to the impact of this scene
Unfortunately with these older movies, the higher resolution shows a lot of the print damage and dated optical effects work. I'm also angry that they screwed around with the colour grading. It's bad enough that all the new movies are artificially tinted teal and orange, but now they're desecrating our classics. Not cool, man!
@@ArnoldTohtFan Yeah it's pretty bad. All I know is when I had this on laser disc in the 90's, watching it using component output on a 19 inch tube TV it looked way better than this. The contrast and detail was incredible. It almost looked 3D. The shadows were amazing. The film stock must have really gone down hill since then. This looks way too soft.
You can't actually judge HDR on TH-cam unless you are using an HDR monitor that has the contrast range and goes up in nits to the high dynamic points and also low to black as the other end of that point.
So people commenting on this, who don't have an HDR monitor (such as on the the new MacBook Pro, or some phones) aren't seeing it correctly and it might look more dull.
@@VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM The detail on this is far better than I've ever seen, just look at all the film grain that was lost and blended before. And I had the laserdisc. Reminds me of the theatrical experience when it was first run. I'm going to buy this pronto (I do have an HDR player and a calibrated OLED to display it correctly).
You have now reached 100th like, *my friend.*
The most horrifying part of this for me would be only hearing and feeling everything that's going on... and then you open your eyes and everything except the Ark is just _gone._
never though of it that way tho
I pulled this up because of what (some) people are doing in real life. I’m comparing it to the transgression being depicted here. Hardened hearts, by the time they figure out what they’re doing, it will be too late. As an aside, he who even touches the Ark would be struck dead, so how would they even be able to open it in the first place?
Simple: God wanted to make the Nazis suffer.
I would've booked it off the island, leaving the Ark there lol
To me, it wouldnt. it would just show the power of God, and how he deals with evil people.and it would show how He alone is worthy of all glory and honour.
This has got to be one of the best “0 to 100 real quick” moments in all of cinema. Remember, up until this point absolutely nothing supernatural or “other-worldly” happened in the film. Yeah, there were a couple lines about ancient power and God at the beginning of the movie, but aside from the box the Ark was in becoming charred, there was nothing extreme happening - it was a pretty straightforward (but good) adventure movie. Then all of a sudden in a matter of a 3-minute scene you have ghosts killing Nazis, people’s faces melting off, and someone’s head actually explodes.
I can only imagine sitting in the movie theater during 1981, seeing this for the first time, and going “What the fuck just happened?!”
Right?? Hahahaha love it. Seein faces melt and head explode in a PG movie as a kid was gnarly lol
I was one of those kids who saw this in the theater and that’s my thought exactly!! What tf just happened???
Mi padrino (QEPD) me llevó el domingo del estreno aquí en México. Fue sorprendente. En los años que siguieron, la vi más de 25 veces en cines.
I was one of the kids that saw this when it opened and it frightened me. God is a force you don't mess around with. Belloq was so greedy that he had to open the ark before taking it to Hitler. If only the ark could have wiped out Hitler and the entire Nazi regime in Berlin, there would have been no Second World War.
I was 10 when I saw this movie in 1981...it was inevitable but it had definitely shocked me. I recall asking my father how Indy knew to close his eyes (explained in an earlier deleted scene) and he said something along the lines of, "Some things you shouldn't see."
I love how the Ark was nice enough to burn off Indiana's restraints.
I had to ask my father how they were freed (I was 10 when I saw the movie in the theater) ..he told me God did because those 2 were the good guys 🤣
@@laraschauble Your dad was right.
A reward for respecting the raw power of God I suppose..
I like how it melted faces and exploded heads but didnt burn a stitch of clothing.
They were all burned alive because no men Is holy enough to stand in the presence of God Indiana Jones and the girl didn't die because they didn't Look the death angels in the face And plus because they were all nazis and evil....
Imagine how freaky it mist have been for Indiana and Marion hearing all of these terrifying screams and ghostly sounds and not knowing what even happened.
Indie had an idea what was about to happen, thats why he told Marion to close her eyes. All if this was set up at the beginning of the movie.
They had to keep their eyes shut so they don't witness the wrath of God
I think they got the general idea.
@uppishcub1617 You didn't recall when Sallah's friend said "do not see it"? It was one of the words marked on the medallion.
then opening their eyes and seeing nothing but ash
Imagine being only able to hear the blood curdling screams of men and the sounds of gore, then silence. Finally opening your eyes to see no trace of them left. That would keep me up at night.
I'm sure that it did haunt Indy and Marion for the rest of their lives. That's why Indy's reaction to seing the carving of the Ark in The Last Crusade was so strangely neutral; it was a psychological defensive reaction. Yes, he knew that box; it was burned onto his retinas for the rest of his life and he *didn't* want to talk about it.
Weirdly enough what scared me most about this scene wasn't the face melting or head exploding, it was when the ghost changed to a skull face. That haunted my dreams as a kid for weeks man!!! Anyone else agree with me on that?
Well thats the point
It’s way scarier, the face melting is just goofy
Yeah because that’s when you know things are about to get bad haha
Yeah
it did creep me out also but i don't recall nightmares from it thankfully.
Nazis: (open the Ark)
God: huh. Feels like one of those Old Testament days today.
Instead of opening it on the island to make sure it was genuine first, imagine if they'd waited to open it in Berlin in front of Hitler and the Nazi High Command, lol. That would have been apocalyptic
Nazis open the Arc. God and Death Angels: "Oh, no! Not again!"
That would have been great
More like God would scream: "INFIDELS!!!!!!! YOU HAVE OPENED THE FORBIDDEN ARK!!!! NOW YOU WILL *NEVER* AGAIN SEE THE LIGHT...OF...DAY!!!!!!!!!!"
I'm sure Moses is like... "Yup... Just like you commanded me to..."
I will always have mad respect for Ronald Lacey for making the conscious acting choice to have Toht, arguably one of the best villains in the franchise, go out screaming like a child.
It was a great choice in my opinion, how that cocky and arrogant personality he shows around men melts away (literally) when confronted with forces far greater then he would ever know
I agree. Toht was the skeptic. He thought he was just getting valuable treasure for Hitler. So he was the most surprised when all the supernatural stuff started happening.
@@jimdigitalvideo I like to think Toht’s final thought ( before he tried to scream with his face pooling around him ) was “ wow this supernatural stuff is real? “
My Toht figure is the only collectible I still hold on to. And yeah, the scream really sells it.
I wonder if Thot was a descendant of the Baby-Eating Bishop of Bath and Wells.
"ITS BEAUTIFUL!!!" said by Belloq.
The most iconic last words of any villain.
To be fair, his actual last words were, and I quote, "AAAAHHHHH!!!"
Reminds me of Vay hek from warframe saying ''It's beautiful...it's so beautiful...KILL IT''
Angel ghost thing: SIKE
His last word was actually, “AAAGGGHHH!!!!”
German soldier by belloq: UgUgUGhHUbBb
I actually met the actor who played the German Colonel who has his head shrunk. Very lovely man and I asked how they did it and he explained that they made a mould or a sculpt of his head to do the effect, I asked "Were you shocked when you saw your death?" to which he replied, "Never watched it."
You actually met Wolf Kahler? That's amazing!
Niiice dude
i bet he dont dare to see his violent death😂
Dude's missing out. Good movie lmao
Instantaneous mummification. The water got pulled out of him like a sponge.
I love the moment when Indy realizes that their only prayer is to not look upon the opened Ark. It's not for nothing that the fire burned away their bonds but didn't even damage their clothing. Indy and Marion were spared because they showed respect and humility.
That humility is what defines Indy. In his last adventure, when asked what he would do with the ultimate power of the Antikythera, all he wanted was a chance to tell his son how much he loved him and how sorry he was for not being a better father, and beg him not to go and fight in a pointless war.
I always thought an interesting detail is when all of the Nazis are killed, their bodies are left prostrate before the Ark.
It was a mindblowing experience for Belloq.
Confirmed pun
BADUM-TSSS 🥁🥁🥁
You burned him worse than the Ark did.
Toht completely lost face.
a beautiful experience!
Always fun to close your eyes and listen for all the Star Wars sounds. Lightsaber hits, speeder bike throttles, various explosions.
Nathan Robin and 5ye explomsoubdvefect are thst if empr plstinsith linghinf sfw and the deth star rect englund explosion sound effect and in third indin jobes the trsd fever hover tdnk sound effect from the srar prrwk. Thsts used in the bot chase zce when the bot get blown up and when handy jens sr xes seth nazi coy checks
Yes. I also hear a lot of tie fighter sounds in the Indiana Jones movies. And the R2D2 dome hanging on the pole that they are tied to.
@@williamburroughs2273 and the sound effect of the deth star 2 breaking prt is aslo the sound effect for when macmrea machine makfucthions and aslo thr sound effect not only uses sand sound evtct as force lifting innstar wars but it wasl aslu uses as drej liting sound effect in titan ae
At the beginning when the power generator gets a lightning surge is the sound of darth vader breathing/getting struck when he was defeated in ROTJ.
There’s a theory that Indiana Jones is a fever dream of Han Solo when he was frozen in carbonite.
Man, one thing RotLA had over Temple of Doom and Last Crusade was that the threat of what the ark was so much more menacing. From the introduction at the University, Sallah telling Jones that the Ark was never *meant* to be found, the Swastika and Nazi eagle being burned off the crate holding the Ark.. we're left with a sense of unease and dread that lingers throughout the whole movie. This notion that Jones isn't dealing with some golden idol from the Amazon, but an instrument of unknowable and terrifying power.
As someone who loves all four films, Raiders had something neither of the future films could match. That was the presence of the Ark and its divine and terrifying power. And that's what made Raiders so good. The Ark was something you just couldn't explain.
The only words to describe it best would be: "The wrath of God".
There are many mysteries God has placed in this world. Some not meant to be found.
@@ericburow6436 And others, such as the real Ark Of The Covenant, that will be revealed in God's own time.
Defintely. As cool as a plot device the Holy Grail was, it was no where as near interesting/terrifying as the Ark of the Covenant was.
Agreed. It had the action/adventure of the others with some tongue in cheek comedy moments, but behind it all was a a dark, menacing presence. Something that was lost on later films as they tried to exploit the family fun side of the movies. Rotla didn't really fit into a particular genre, action, thriller, horror it had it all. For me though, the map room scene was the most powerful, it hinted at the things to come with music and suspense
I always loved how the Ark rewarded Indy and Marion by freeing them for keeping their eyes shut.
Kind of ridiculous though. As if the ghosts could care about whose eyes were 'closed' or not. Sloppy writing.
This actually refers to ancient scripture (Exodus, I believe): Only Levites may open the Holy of Holies. And only those anointed by the Levites may even look upon and present themselves to the Holy of Holies.
You have to remember that the Ark of the Covenant was used as an alter and considered the literal gateway and seat for God and the Angels of His realm by multiple Abrahamic faiths--even the Muslims both feared and respected it because of it's power and purpose.
Indy correctly surmised that, although he was brought up as a Gentile, he was an unanointed soul (at best) and would've been smitten by God's wrath if he had dared to look upon the Holy of Holies.
So, to spare himself and Marion from God's wrath, they avert their eyes from the Holy of Holies (I.E. the Ark) and they are spared. That is not a writing discrepancy, that is a detail that pays critical heed to biblical history and ancient Mosaic Law.
This also explains why the Nazis archeologist was uttering an ancient Hebrew chant at the beginning of this scene: He was playing the part of a Levite in an attempt to quell the entities that protect the Holy of Holies but... well... you saw how trying to fool God and His Angels went for the Nazis. lol. God could see right through their facade right down to their rotten souls. And they paid for their evil, mockery, and desecration with their lives.
@@RexSpec Well...there was a deleted scene where the guy Saula got to help translate the medallion (Which Belloch NEVER saw or got) told him not to look at the Ark. Right before the "bad dates" part. Belloch was always taking the easy way out, taking from other's hard work, so he would miss little details, like "DON'T LOOK AT THE ARK!"
@@isaned That's interesting. I never knew about that deleted scene.
Even still, that stipulation harkens back to biblical scripture/Mosaic Law: Only Levites and those anointed _by_ the Levites may look upon the Holy of Holies (I.E. The Ark).
It's attention to detail like that which makes me love this movie. The writers definitely did their homework (which is why I refuted Youssef's comment lol).
I love Todt in that scene. His cackling laughter shows that he never believed in the power of the Ark and that from the beginning on, he knew that all the effort to get it is squandered. Giving a cartoonish villain a limited kind of depth can be witnessed in this scene.
Probably what they all died dude laughed at gods power that’s not gonna go well.
@@derekbackofen6exactly! There are so many people today who are just like him. They laugh at God and mock and deny Him. I’ve seen God’s power. I’ve seen things that can be explained in no other way but God. He is real and he doesn’t take kindly to being mocked.
@@tarastandifer8660 agreed there’s a lot more too this world than we know
@@tarastandifer8660 Like all these satanists and metalheads that got smit....oh wait
@@tarastandifer8660 God doesn't exist. This is a fantasy kids movie, lmao.
Best thing about this scene is it's as monumentally epic now in 2023 as it was in 1981.
Ngl It’s kinda cheesy. Even for 1981
The movie has now existed for most of Harrison Ford's life. Harrison Ford was 39 when the movie was released
@@FoxWolfWorldI mean on rewatch yeah and even just seeing this scene as standalone it is cheesy but it works better watching the entire film without context.
I had a horrifying dream about witnessing this event from about 1,000 ft away. Even the music started playing in the distance. I stood there and watched it like it was happening in real time in real life. Absolute nightmare fuel
Thats just a testament to how epic this scene was and how beautifully it was constructed
I actually had a similar dream. God loves you remember that.
That would be God telling you what happens to those who don't repent. It would be wise to listen. Seek Him.
That handful of sand is so mesmerizing. Just when you think he’s about to run out of sand to hold, it continues.
I remember thinking...it seemed like extra thin sand that cascades so well
Anakin- “I hate sand.”
I love this comment.
It isn't just any sands. It's implied to be the remains of the ten commandment tablets
And now we know why Anakin hates sand. It's course and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere, and if you stare at it it kills you, sends your sole to the Heavens, and deposits your body in a golden box.
(But it's actually because he grew up on Tatooine, a desert planet where there was literally sand everywhere).
3:15-3:16- I like how he had the confused expression of "wait, why would that woman turn into a skeleton like a grim reaper"- to instant girly scream when he realizes how screwed he is.
Biblically when God sends angels to enforce judgment God angels can be terrifying when they are tasked to thwart evil
Dr Jones made the wise move not to blow up the Ark. He left his life and Marion's in the hands of God.
Belloq impersonated a Levite Priest ( only they are authorized access to the Ark)... Dietrich's men desecrated the Ark by opening it. Belloq, Dietrich and Toht further offended God by touching the Ark's contents, the grains of sand found are the shattered remains of the 10 commandments!
The offense brought about judgement to the offenders of the Ark. Right after the Nazis were destroyed, we see Belloq' mangled body being taken the Heavens for final Judgement, Belloq impersonated a Levite Priest alongside the offense of defiling the 10 commandments !
Belloq wanted to talk to God face-to-face...Someone should've told him "Careful what you wish for!"
If Jones did blow up the Ark...he has doomed mankind!
@@MrHDE-ex6xl
Deaths by irony, bud!
Dietrich smashed a watermelon, foreshadowing what his head would be.
Gestapo tried to burn Marion with a fire brand and burned his own hand, leading to his face peeling off.
Belloq goaded "Blow it back to God!", and in a few minutes, Belloq's head was blown apart in a shattering burst.
That and persecuting his people and glorifying the state as the highest power and just generally being nazis likely didn't help.
It's implied Belloq is himself Jewish, basically a quisling - and if there's one thing the old Testament makes clear - YHWH cannot abide those who would disparage his covenant.
@@gabrieldjatienza6971 So basically you're saying that anyone who touches the Ark without permission is doomed?
When the ark lid lands on top of the ark, and that echo hits...that is the perfect summary to the entire scene. What an all time classic movie scene...
This is the weirdest unboxing video I've ever watched
ARK OF THE COVENANT UNBOXING VIDEO (GONE WRONG!!!)
The dislikes are from the soldiers who was affected
Kiss me deadly was worse
Se7en
Saw this as a child of the 1980s and 3:12 Messed me up for life. Then Toht screaming like a little girl made it even more terrifying.
Imagine if it was 3d. The angel transforming inches from your face. When the faces melted, quite a few children screamed in the theater. This was true movie making. I was 13 at the time. And the angel scene still makes my heart skip a beat.
I was 12 and had to cover my eyes.
the flash .
I remember watching the scene in The Last Crusade where Donovan drank from the wrong cup and that one messed me up. Always watched that one more than the other two before it haha
It's a terrifying visual for sure!
3:46 I’ll have to admit for 1981, this special effect still holds up 42 years later. Way better then CG ever will be, also they don’t make gruesome deaths like this anymore.
Even ai can't do this special effect
We had this movie on VHS as kids we watched it so many times probably hundreds. The picture and sound quality was not the best on those old vhs nice to see it in perfect quality on youtube. This ending was epic and the special effects still look good.
Same here, I remember we had tons of VHS tapes in the 80's we watched over and over!
Me and my family watched on dvd as kids
Me too . . 😀
Always loved how the constantly stoned faced and stern Colonel Dietrich is HORRIFIED before his death.
The Nazis had only contempt for the God of the Jews. It must have been horrible to realise that they were entirely wrong about who bore real power in this moment.
Aye. In that moment, his cold hearted demeanor was replaced by an emotion Dietrich hadn't felt for a very long time... Fear. His logical and militaristic world fell apart, as he bore final witness to a deadly supernatural event.
3:14 with that terrifying look of the angels of death it's God saying: "HOW DARE YOU OPEN THE ARK, THE ARK IS FORBIDDEN, FOR THAT YOU MUST BE PUNISHED, THE PENALTY IS DEATH"
Now I realized what the scene means:
- The sand inside the Ark were actually the two tablets of Ten Commandments of God carried by Moses in the Book of Exodus.
- The spirits that flying around the Nazis are the angels of death which the same being that killed the first born sons in Egypt(Book of Exodus).
- Belloq, Dietrich and Toht's gory deaths was foreshadow in previous scenes like Dietrich smashes a watermelon into pulp which his head turns into a pulp, Toht burns his right hand while trying to get a burned amulet which his face got melt by the power and Belloq insults God about the Aryan race are superior to everyone even the Lord himself seal his fate as he dressed as Levite priest(since Levite priests are the only ones to see and open the Ark according from the Bible) to mock him only to got blown his own head because of the power they seek destroyed them.
- Indiana Jones and Marion were spared by the Lord's wrath because Indy made a smart decision not to destroy the Ark with a rocket launcher(Had he do it, the Ark will exploded and destroyed everyone or a continent more powerful than the 2 atomic bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki) and surrendered. Also, he did follow what the Imam said of the warning and consequences of the Ark being disturbed or open in the earlier scene. Meaning, he and Marion were saved by the gracious of the Lord, by releasing them from the ropes they were tied.
And to conclude, it was a great foreshadow of the downfall of the Nazi regime/Third Reich for not just create the Holocaust that killed the Jews and other minorities but also they use the Christian religion mixed with Nazi ideology as their superiority towards the people, religions and the Lord which led the destruction of Berlin, the heart of the Nazi Reich.
What a load of drivel.
@@joeterra.tAre you in favor of nazism?
@@joeterra.tyou do realize Steven Spielberg is Jewish right? And George grew up in Sunday school so that's what's exactly going on. This is something God would and still can do. Just be glad he has given you the grace to wake up today and have another chance to Know Him before death
It also makes the scene at 1:25 really infuriating. Dietrich and Toht discarded the Ten Commandments like trash. No wonder all heck broke loose and they all died!
@youssef16844 exactly, its a fantasy film, why do people try to be all deep & meaningful
Don’t stick your hand in God’s cookie jar without His permission.
Or else this will happen to you 3:45
Don’t even LOOK into.
They’re probably the perfect Subway cookies
Yeah, totally. Before they stole permissions.
Adam and Eve learned that the HARD way.😂😂
What a nice touch at 5:03, where Indy & Marion are facing each other and holding hands just like the golden cherubim on the Ark. Also, when the fire burns the rope but they are not harmed, that part is very reminiscent of the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the Old Testament. They were thrown into a furnace for refusing to renounce the one true God, but they walked out the other side without so much as smelling like smoke, because God protected them. God created the laws of physics so nothing is impossible with Him!
Except feeding starving children in Africa, apparently...
@@dodgsonwevegotdodgsonhere9970tough cone to explain for sure, even as a Christian. But people make their choices. Think it’s up to us to make the right ones, learn from the wrong ones, and do what we can to help in the really bad parts.
@@dodgsonwevegotdodgsonhere9970that is because the Catholic Church, the church Jesus established is already doing that .
This is cinema at it grandest and most brilliant. Steven firing on all cylinders. I remember watching this as a 6 year old in cinemas in 1981 and being terrified.
As a 12 year old kid I watched this movie 3 times in a row with a friend when it came out, it was so awesome and unlike any other movie previously released. We hid between the seats while the cinema cleaners went round and just sat up again 15 minutes later when the next showing started. We had actually gone to see Condorman on another screen but changed our minds at the last minute. Thank God.
2:34 Total waste of 4K because I had my eyes closed for the rest of the video.
That was a good one. 🤣🤣
3:39 Coolest deaths in all Indy films probably.
“Dear God, may I please examine the Ten Commandments for my PhD thes-“
God: “NO!”
As a child i wasn't allowed to watch this scene. So i got to have the same experience as Indy and Marion did. An imagination filling in the blanks between agonizing screams and howling angels. XD
actually really funny
Same. Pretty sure it was scarier that way
I can only imagine what it was like for audiences to see this for the first time in 1981. I mean, even Belloq's mind was blown.
I'll see myself out.
I swear to God they used a watermelon being smashed for the sound effect when Belloq's head goes blooey.
Your awesome dude dont let no one tell you different
@@wrs6565 🤣🤣😆
Best. Comment. EVER!!! 🤣😆🤣😆😆🤣😆🤣😆🤣😆🤣👍🏻👍🏻
I saw it about 9-10 times at the theatres-it was insane seeing this on the big screen
“Doctor Jones! Surely you don’t think you can escape from this island.”
“That depends on how reasonably we’re all willing to be, all I want is the girl. And don’t call me Shirley!”
The beauty was the entire film was building up to this moment, when Marion had the medallion in Tibet and the candlelight flickers, to when the old man revealed the markings on the medallion, and the storms in the scene when they were excavating the ark...
I have never seen this so crisp and clean. Beautiful.
Crisp, bombastic and broil
The old SFX really make this scene what it is. It just makes it so much scarier. If this were done today, the bolts of energy going through the Nazis would be done with CGI, and it wouldn't be anywhere near as creepy.
Also the camera would be shaking and moving around the scene unnecessarily.
Great point! Yeah, the old SFX was really organic - now everything is using computer animation 😔
Love the part when they open the Ark and there appears to be nothing inside but sand. Colonial Toht (The Gestapo agent in the black leather trench coat) starts laughing his evil hyena-like laugh. All that time and effort unraveling the mystery of Ark's whereabouts...wasted. The Fuhrer would surely have someone's head (probably several heads) when they return home as punishment for such an incredible waste of the Reich's precious manpower and resources. And then the Ark comes to life (or to death, as it were)...and faces melt. The Fuhrer doesn't get his prize after all, and loses the war to come. Great movie!
Dietrich was disgusted and angry because of the lost troops, effort made and resources allocated. Toht wouldn't be even reprimanded, as his whole role was to support from an intelligence standpoint and he probably advised against the whole operation to his direct superiors.
1:58 I hear a cat purring sound
I mean, if Jones didn't destroy that plane earlier, the war wouldn't of happened because the fuhrer would've been personally obliterated by the Ark
I like the whole myth about the ark is you arent allowed to touch it, Dietrich is wearing gloves when he reaches inside, so technically he doesnt "touch" it, which I always think is a cool little detail!
i always thought this too, but what of the 2 soldiers that take off the lid?
The power of God was not designed to be witnessed by mortals.
is yyour pfp from cod world at war
Yes it is. I know the Veteran difficulty symbol all too well
Sallah was right when he said that death always surrounds the ark, it really isn’t of this world
The Fact All The Cameras Shorted Out. God Wanted To Make Sure No One Can See The Power Of The Ark.
@@-RapTorO7- the nazis should have left well enough alone.
The music, the eerie noises, the face melting... this scene is nightmare fuel, and a cinematic masterpiece!
This scene made me fascinated with the Ark of the Covenant. Saw it for the first time in 2000. Also, a visual masterpiece that holds up strongly even to this day. And that says a lot. Creepy. Powerful. Mesmeric.
My friend didn’t think there was gonna be anything in the ark, so it made me smile to watch his jaw drop once they opened it!
Can we talk about how Lego looked at this scene and went “make it a dance off”
As they should
That was only in the second game, the first one was more true to the movies.
This will always be one of the most dramatic and powerful movie climaxes of all time❤❤ the effects were AMAZING, even for its time!
This scene is honestly the most memorable scene out of all 5 films
Boulder Scene: Hold My Beer…
A couple things I always liked about this scene:
1) There’s that moment as Colonel Dietrich raises his hand from the ark with a fistful of sand, which he angrily tosses aside. Belloq looks crestfallen while Toht just laughs in his usual way; there’s the barest smirk from Indy where he thinks “Heh, maybe it was a fake all along!”, which is quickly dispelled by the lights and camera being destroyed.
2) The framing of the Mercy Seat in the foreground as the spirits start to emerge. The Ark of the Covenant is one of the few physical artifacts of the Bible where exact directions are given to its construction, so if you had the right wood and a lot of gold lying around, you could build one yourself. The lid, known as the Mercy Seat, is where God spoke to Moses from between the two cherubim adorning it. There have been various interpretations of how the Mercy Seat was designed, but Spielberg used James Tissot’s artistic interpretation of the cherubim hunched over and extending wingtips to each other. It frames the scene again as the fire blasts from the burning Belloq, God’s statement against their sacrilege. Makes for a powerful and eerie sight once all hell breaks loose, especially when the Mercy Seat is sent spinning into the air atop the column of flame and slams back down atop the ark with the barest bounce.
I was six when I saw this in the theater. It scared the shit out of me. Then my parents stayed to see it a second time immediately after. I buried my face in the theater seat during the entire second showing.
Indy tells Mariam to not look at the spirits coming out of the Ark, because biblically, looking into the face of God, at least on this side of reality, was an automatic death sentence. Which is why when Moses asked to see the Lord directly (on Mount Sinai when the 10 commandments were being handed down), God told Moses that Moses was only allowed to look at Him as he passed by him and see Him from behind, so that Moses wouldn't die.
"Those who shall see Me...shall die" said the Lord God of Israel in the Book of Exodus.
Notice that when it struck lightning at the Nazi soldiers, it completely ignores the top 3 guys who opened the ark. It's as if they were saying, "Oooohhh nooooo! We've got SOMETHING SPECIAL for you three!! These other guys get a quick death cuz they were just following orders!!" Lol
How it happens especially for the sinners that want that power
I just want the power to create cartoon characters and Flubber and stuff like that, but I won't abuse that power or use it for evil or anything like that. But that's just my opinion.
The sound of the lid coming down from the sky and slamming shut on the ark was so deafening! And the rumble of thunder in the distance after was like God's way of saying, "...and that's, that!"
Yeah! I really love that
"Never again! Are we clear?"
"And don't touch my stuff again!"
"My will be done."
Above all things, I love the horror on Belloq's face beginning at 3:22. He saw something not meant for mortal eyes.
If you think about it: God's essentially saying "So not only did you break the rule of looking into _my_ box...you're also the same evil people who killed _my people_ ? Okay that's it, you're getting to see my face".
@Sprngg Are we not allowed to analyze movies anymore?
When you put it that way...this scene is even more horrifying.
Didn't think that was possible
Yehovah / God of Israel
Right??? It would SUCK to be them! Hoo boy
"You want to be closer to me? Fine, we'll do it this way!"
The reason why God only spared Indy and Marion is because they followed His word to the letter.
...except for having an illicit affair years before.
@@manichols84 Neither of them were married what made it illicit lol
@@MrSchnitzelSchitz she said she was a child, that it was wrong and he knew it.
@@manichols84 There's a lot of confusion around that line but it just meant that she was a lot younger than him rather than her literally being below the legal age of consent. They wouldn't have included a literal paedophilia
@@MrSchnitzelSchitz they did tho, it's crazy but if you do the math by their ages she was 15 at the time. Watch LegalEagles video on Indiana Jones breaking the law
And this is precisely why you don't mess with forces you don't understand.
And why you don’t try to order around God while genociding His people.
This is why you don't mock God or challenge him. Pride goes before the fall.
You do realize this is a movie right? Lol
We, as a species, have never been very smart about these things.
This is without a doubt my favorite scene of the movie.
This scene must be so scary that even their eyes rolled up their head.
A perfect Hollywood confection from Spielberg and Lucas. Just before the horror scene, Indy warns: "Don't look at it!" Which perfectly heightens the audience's expectation. And it's no disappointment!
I wonder how many spectators actually didn't look at it.... LOL
I like to think the angels going over the soldiers were them judging- they were just grunts. They saved the terror for Belloq, Dietrich, and especially Toht. Don’t mess with God.
‘Hey guys, let’s make it quick for the poor souls in uniforms down there. The colonel, the psychopath and the blasphemer though… *let them know the fear of God before they finally die.* ‘
Not only is this an incredible scene (hard to imagine this getting a pg rating these days) but poignant when you think they wanted to open it in front of Hitler
This film was allegedly the cataclysm of the PG-13 rating.
@@WonkyTonkBotty I read stories about children seeing this scene for the first time and the scars it left them.. but also how they got over it, and it made them tougher.
@@MrOrcshaman I actually watched Temple of Doom and Last Crusade before this one at age 9. Funnily enough, the monkey brain/heart scenes only mildly bothered me (I was a huge biology nerd at the time), although Walter Donovan's death scared me shitless. 🤣
Imagine if Hitler was there. He'd probably be charcoal in a sneeze.
If only they had. Way to screw everything up, BELLOQ!
I saw this in its original run in theaters when I was 8 years old. I clearly remember the moment that one ghostly woman's face went demonic AND THE THEATER LOST ITS MIND.
I get that Inglorious Bastards was Tarantino's way of sticking it to Nazis, but this was the most badass revenge kill on Nazis I have ever seen! A symbol of Jewish culture just disintegrates the Nazis in the most brutal way as revenge for what they did to their people.
Thought the same thing!
5 minutes vs over 2 hours? What a difference in impact.
Niceeee never thought of it like that before!!
Especially when you consider Spielberg had family who died in the Holocaust.
Jewish and Christian culture since Christians, especially Catholics, opposed the Nazis.
Colonel Dietrichs face is just way to overly comical for such a terrifying scene. However, props to Major Toht's actor, I would definitely be screaming at the top of my lungs, at a high pitch in this scenario, I mean, f***.
If Belloq decided to open the ark in Berlin the Second World War would already be over before it got started
Everything could have been a whole lot worse afterwards, because even if Hitler and co were killed, there would have been many more people in the opening ceremony so at least SOMEONE could have escaped... and then the remaining Nazis would know exactly how to use the Ark... Or as you said maybe there wouldn't have been a war at all.
@@arcotroll8530 The Ark is only reserved for hebrew/jewish use lol
@@arcotroll8530 Well, you're speaking this under the assumption the Ark is simply a dangerous object to be controlled. It is controlled by a higher power with intelligence, that is shown here as all those who gazed and desecrated the ark were destroyed so thoroughly any remains ceased existence, but yet Indie's bindings were burnt off without him being harmed in the slightest. If it was opened in Berlin, there would be no mercy, and the Nazis would not be able to control the Ark.
@@mr.switchblade604 How about if any survived and they took the ark and left it in Russian or British or whatever allied territory for the same purpose? The Russians would definitely not understand from the get go what that thing was...
Nah, hand it to Stalin and let him open it in Moscow with Mao, Ho Chi Minh, Tito, Kim and all the other commie leaders
Gotta love how Indiana Jones is humble and honorable at his core, from the beginning to the end. In his first adventures he humbled himself before gods' power and chose righteousness over "fortune and glory" and in his last, all he wanted to achieve with ultimate power was a chance to tell his son how much he loved him.
I wonder what it must've been like for people watching this in theaters back in 1981 and founding out that the ark was real the whole time at the end of the movie? 🤔🤔 anyone who was there, please tell me your experience.
Seeing this scene as a nine year old kid in the theater scared the hell out of me.
As a kid from the 80's this is definitely one of the movies that has stuck with me. I wanted to be Indiana Jones growing up.
Definitely one of the all time greatest action movies ever made.
This film came out on my Dad’s 10th birthday, and his Dad took him to see it, and I think some of my Dad’s friends as well. Unfortunately, Dad doesn’t remember anything of his reaction to it due to the sheer amount of time passed since it happened.
While I was far from being able to watch this movie, probably because I was born over twenty years after it, it clearly was something incredible. I am also wondering what people thought when the Ark burned off the Nazi emblem in the _Bantu Wind's_ cargo hold, because that was the first time the audience saw something definitely supernatural. I can only imagine that it was on their minds that something _big_ was going to happen in the climax.
@@Daniel_Huffman when the crate started to burn..I was like omg something is definitely in the ark......only because as a 10 year old sitting in a movie theater..I thought that God , as part of the story line, was looking down and was not pleased..
I was so fascinated at the opening of the ark..especially when that deep sounding doom and gloom music started the moment when we get the guy's point of view looking into the ark...you KNEW something intense was going to break loose....when the lady's spirit went from beauty to terrorizing that scared me..and melting face guy with the glasses...as for the rest of the scene it was awesome to a 10 year girl sitting in the movie theater... . I had to ask my father if it was a real thing (I was not raised in a religious family)...he only said maybe...obviously he was just teasing...but I didn't know it at the time.... 🙂
This scene scared the hell out of me when I watched it as a six year old back in the 80s on vhs! Great stuff! Classic film and one of the best from Mr. Spielberg!
0:34
"I do not rely on man, nor do I depend on any angel. But the God of Truth who's Torah is true. I rely on Him and His Holy and precious name... Praises."
Is that really what he said?
@@danielshaw2473 Yes, he's speaking in Aramaic (sister language to Hebrew).
La al enash rachitzna, v’la al bar elohin samichna…d’hu eloha k’shot v’oraytei k’shot…Bei ana rachitz v’lishmei kaidsha yakira…tushbechan.
"He struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. He struck down of all the people, 50,070 men, and the people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with a great slaughter."
1 Samuel 6:19
Makes you wonder why Belloq thought that the rules of handling the ark wouldnt apply to a non Hebrew like him. Was he completely ignorant of what the Old Testament stated about the lethality of the ark?
@@ThePlaton20 Especially, A Nazi of all people lmao
@@ThePlaton20 it can be a lot of things,but i put one thing in particular above all:
He was stupid
he's too prideful and stubborn.
So, the Ark was radioactive?
This movie got nominated for Best Picture, and it should have won!
“Chariots of Fire” (which is a good movie) won the Best Picture award that year.
My daughter recently came of age where I thought that watching this movie was age appropriate for her. She actually thought that this movie was "boring!" I couldn't believe my own ears! I never heard anyone say that an Indiana Jones movie was boring!
The ark was like, "No cameras, except for the one Spielberg is sitting behind."
So glad to see this in the Cinema when it came out, little one in Buxton UK. First time i experienced everyone clapping at scenes and at the end. Brilliant film and has aged well.
3:44
It's 1981 and the effect still look great today
Probably because they didn't use any computer effects or CGI. They modeled Toht's head with red slime or something like that, melted it, and sped up the footage. Look it up if you want more details.
If you look closely at 4:25-4:28, the Ark now has TWO lids: the one falling back down to seal it...........AND THE ONE STILL IN FRONT OF THE ARK!!! XD In all seriousness though, this is STILL the best scene in ALL of Indiana Jones!
Yeah
Man... John Williams' incredible, powerful and haunting score for the ark with those powerful visuals. Such a great scene!
As soon as they touched the sand, the sanctity was broken and the power of the ark had to cleanse everything anew.
That man touching his head with both hands while screaming in agony shows how regretful he was but it was just too late after opening the ark.
This scene terrified the fuck outta me as a teen 1st time in the cinema......I went a second time with my cousin a week later and we both covered our eyes again 😲
Remember! When Indy advised Mary to shut her eyes, you better heed his words! My sister did.
I still remember my first time seeing this as a kid... the face-melting scene was so gross it actually put me off my cornflakes..!
Watch Toht's face when he's screaming, when it lights up you can see up into Ronald Lacey's nose hairs in HDR
It took me from age12 to 16 before I dared watch this whole scene without closing my eyes.
"regreted it"
I love that Indy is using all of his experience, all of his knowledge and training, totally aware and in the moment, to arrive at the solution for survival just in time.
We all have to admit that this scene will not be nearly as powerful if John Williams didn't score it.
Agreed
Cameraman: Hold up, can we do that again, i forgot to press record....
“Do it again, I wasn’t looking!” - Patrick Star
One of the best scenes in cinema history.
The 4kHD version of the Indy movies are fantastic. I saw Raiders in IMAX at my local cinema over ten years ago and it was brilliant. I bought the 4k box set to play on my new 4k player and then bought all 9 Star wars movies in 4k to play on the player. They look great also.
Bro, whenever Indiana tells Marion to close her eyes, you should do the same. Because when shit goes to 100 out of nowhere and Toht starts his fucking banshee scream. Gives me chills. Every. Single. Time.
Probably the best example of people fucking around and finding out.
This movie was a blockbuster ANNNNNNND a Belloqbuster!
Belloq got the "scanners" treatment.
Fun Fact: The one who made the melting Head is the same Man who created the Exploding Head in "Scanners".
@@huntinglightning3507 The incredible genius of practical effects.
3:17 that face is by far my favorite part of the movie 😂
Let it be a lesson for those who want to do plastic or cosmetic surgery. Should anyone want to do this, they should think twice at 3:47
I was in first grade when I first saw this film, and there were many moments throughout that scared the crap out of me. This grand finale was the stuff of nightmares, and it scared me unlike any of the previous moments. To this day, I would not want to open the Ark if ever found. No one can convince me otherwise.
Don't worry: it's said to be in an Ethiopian church and only its guardian can see it.
Back in 2009 or so, I played “Miracle of the Ark” while fighting the final boss in the first BioShock and it fit SO DAMN WELL, especially the musical cue at 3:40
I remember when I first watched this movie, I would also take Indy's advice and shut my eyes during this scene. As of today, I concurred my fears and loved the practical effects that ILM did for this amazing scene, especially with Toht's face melting.
And now we know why Anakin hates sand. It's course and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere, and if you stare at it it kills you, sends your sole to the Heavens, and deposits your body in a golden box.
(But it's actually because he grew up on Tatooine, a desert planet where there was literally sand everywhere).
Food for thought: the lights and cameras explode for a (rather deep) reason. And you can see Jones' face as he doubts doubt.
The equipment shorts out bc God does not want Man to witness the raw power of the Ark