Raiders of the Lost Ark

Raiders of the Lost Ark  

Screenplay by                             Lawrence Kasdan

Produced by                               Frank Marshall

Directed by                                Steven Spielberg

Cast List:

Harrison Ford                          Indiana Jones

Karen Allen                              Marion Ravenwood

Paul Freeman                           Belloq

Ronald Lacey                           Toht

John-Rhys Davies                    Sallah

Denholm Elliott                                   Marcus Brody

Wolf Kahler                              Dietrich

Anthony Higgins                      Gobler

Alfred Molina                           Satipo

FADE IN:

EXT. PERU – HIGH JUNGLE – DAY

The dense, lush rain forests of the eastern slopes of the Andes, the place known as "The Eyebrow of the Jungle". Ragged, jutting canyon walls are half-hidden by the thick mists.

The MAIN TITLE is followed by this:

"PERU"

A narrow trail across the green face of the canyon. A group of men make their way along it. At the head of the party is an American, INDIANA JONES. He wears a short leather jacket, a flapped holster, and a brimmed felt hat with a weird feather stuck in the band. Behind him come two Spanish Peruvians, SATIPO and BARRANCA. Bringing up the rear are five Yagua INDIANS. They act as porters and are wrangling the two heavily-packed llamas. The Indians become increasingly nervous. They speak to each other in bursts of Quechua. The American, who is known to his friends as Indy, glances back at them.

BARRANCA

(irritated)

They're talking about the Curse again!

He turns and yells at the Indians in Quechua, his anger giving an indication of his own fears. The party reaches a break in the canyon wall and takes the trail through it.

When they emerge, their destination is revealed to them in the distance. Beyond a thick stand of trees is the vegetation-enshrouded TEMPLE OF THE CHACHAPOYAN WARRIORS.

The entire party is struck by the sight. The Indians, terrified now, chatter away. Suddenly the three at the back turn and run, dropping their packs as they go. Barranca yells at the fleeing Indians and pulls his pistol out. He starts to raise his arm to aim but Indy restrains it in a muscular grip.

INDY

No.

Barranca looks evilly at Indy's hand upon him. Indy releases him and smiles in a friendly way.

INDY

We don't need them.

Satipo watches this confrontation with some concern.

BARRANCA

I do not carry supplies.

INDY

We'll leave them. Once we've got it, we'll be able to reach the plane by dusk.

He turns back to the trail. Satipo gets the two remaining Indians moving behind Indy. Satipo and Barranca then have a fast, silent communication: Barranca indicates his desire to slit Indy's throat; Satipo gives him a look that says "Be patient, you idiot".

THE APPROACH TO THE TEMPLE

The party fans out to fight their way through the entwined trees that guard the temple. Visibility is cut to five feet in the heavy mist. Satipo extracts a short, native dart from a tree and examines the point gingerly

SATIPO

(showing Indy)

The Hovitos are near. The poison is still fresh... three days. They're following us, I tell you.

INDY

If they knew we were here, they would have killed us already.

The two Indiana jabber in Quechua, near hysteria. Barranca is sweating profusely, eyes darting. He yells at the Indians in Quechua to "shut up".

In the undergrowth, there is slithering movement.

Indian #1 draws aside a branch and is faced with a horrific stone sculpture of a Chachapoyan demon. The Indian is so frightened no sound comes out when he screams. He turns and runs silently away.

Indian #2 calls to his friend. Getting no response, he steps in that direction. A huge macaw, flushed from the undergrowth, screams and flies away. Indian #2 does exactly the same thing, never to be seen again.

Indy, Satipo and Barranca, just clearing the trees, look back in that direction. They all turn to face the Temple.

It is dark and awesome. Vegetation curls from every crevice, over each elaborate frieze. The entrance – round, open and black – has been designed to look like open jaws.

INDY
So this is where Forrestal cashed in.

SATIPO

A friend of yours?

INDY

Competitor. He was good, very good.

BARRANCA

(nervous)

No one has ever come out of there alive. Why should we put our faith in you?

Indy takes the weird feather from the band of his hat. From around its point, he slips a tightly rolled piece of parchment. Barranca and Satipo exchange a quick "So that's where is was!" look. They all kneel as Indy spreads out the parchment. On it is one-half of a crude floorplan of the Temple.

INDY

No one ever had what we have... partners.

Indy fixes them with an expectant stare. Satipo produces a similar, but folded, piece of parchment. He lays it – the other half of the floorplan – next to Indy's. They all regard it for a moment, then Indy stands and walks toward the Temple. Barranca's eyes are shining as they dart between the floorplan and Satipo.

INDY

(back turned)

Assuming that pillar there marks the corner and...

Barranca is suddenly on his feet, quietly drawing his pistol. He raises it toward Indy as Satipo realizes with alarm what he's doing. Too late. Indy's head turns and he sees Barranca.

Indy's next move is amazing, graceful and fast, yet totally unhurried. His right hand slides up under the back of his leather jacket and emerges grasping the handle of a neatly curled bullwhip. With the same fluid move that brings Indy's body around to face the Peruvian, the whip uncoils to its full ten foot length and flashes out.

The fall of the whip (the unplaited strip at the end of the lash) wraps itself around Barranca's hand and pistol. He could not drop the gun now if he tried.

Indy gives the whip a short pull and Barranca's arm in jerked down, where it involuntarily discharges the gun into the dirt. Barranca is amazed, but feels some slack in the whip and immediately raises the gun toward Indy again, cocking it with his free hand.

Indy's face goes hard. And sad.

Indy sweeps his arm in a wide arc. Barranca spins around, enclosed in the whip, his gun hand stuck tight against his body. Indy gives one more short jerk on the whip handle and Barranca's gun fires. Barranca falls dead.

Indy looks quickly at Satipo, who is shocked and frightened. He raises his arms in supplication.

SATIPO

I knew nothing! He was crazy! Please!

Indy looks him over, then nods. He frees the whip from Barranca's body and picks up the man. His eyes sweep the surrounding woods.

INDY

Let's go.

INT. TEMPLE – INCLINED PASSAGE – DAY

Indy and Satipo, carrying a torch, walk up the slightly inclined, tubular passage from the main entrance. The interior is wet and dark, hanging with plant life and stalactites. Their echoing footsteps intermittently overpower the sounds of loud dripping, whistling air drafts and scampering claws.

HALL OF SHADOWS

Indy leads the way down a twisting hallway, Satipo's torch barely lighting his way from behind. Indy disappears in a shadow and when he reappears a moment later a huge black tarantula is crawling up the back of his jacket. Indy doesn't notice and disappears into another shadow, emerging with two more tarantulas on his back.

Satipo sees them and makes a frightened grunting sound. Indy looks at him, sees what he's pointing at and casually brushes all three spiders off with his rolled whip, as he would a fly. Satipo pirouettes for an inspection and Indy flicks one off the Peruvian's back.

Indy begins picking up little pocket-sized artifacts from the niches and ledges of the Temple. He continues to do this as the men penetrate the Temple. His collecting is quick and expert, evaluating the pieces in an instant, discarding some, stuffing others into his clothes, and never stopping his forward progress.

CHAMBER OF LIGHT

The men reach an arch in the hall. The small chamber ahead, which interrupts the hall, is brightly lit by a shaft of sunlight from high above. Indy stops, looks it over.

SATIPO

What's wrong? Are you lost?

Indy picks up a stick and throws it through the shaft of light. Giant spikes spring together from the sides of the chamber with a ferocious CLANG! And impaled on the spikes are the remains of a white man, half-fleshed, half skeleton, in explorer-type grab. Indy reaches out and takes hold of the man's carcass. As the spikes slowly retract, Indy pulls it free and seats the remains gently on the floor.

INDY

Forrestal.

SATIPO

(gulps)

We can go no further.

INDY

Now, Satipo, we don't want to be discouraged by every little thing.

Indy steps sideways into the chamber. His back pressed against the very points of the retracted spikes, he moves along the edge of the light beam, and steps clear on the other side. Satipo grimaces and begins sweating his way through.