Sunday, June 12, 2011

We Have Top Men Working On It Right Now


Thirty years ago on this date, Raiders of the Lost Ark was released. As a youth, this was one of my favorite movies. It had two lasting influences upon me. First, it turned my interests towards cinematic soundtracks and classical music. Second, it set me up to become interested in history.

I had heard and appreciated soundtracks previously. I enjoyed the music to Star Wars and the Godfather. The theme music for Jaws and the Exorcist were recognizable to me and gave me chills. But Raiders was the first movie were the concept behind programmatic music mentally clicked for me. I realized that the music was another form of narrative expression.

In regards to my interest in history, I was still a bit too young to take action upon my fascination with the ancient Egyptian themes but they endured in my imagination. About a year later, when I was inspired by Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar, to start pursuing my studies into Roman history, my interests soon returned to Egypt and the ancient Near East.


Well, let's get to the vids.



My favorite music from the movie is from the Map Room scene. It captures the mystery and menace of the Ark.




Obviously, clips of full scenes are not to be easily found on the internet because of "Intellectual Property" concerns. However, there are plenty of recreations and spoofs in Legos or animation that can fill the gap. Here's one of the best:




Finally, we can't do a post about Raiders without an "Opening the Ark" scene. Here's an entertainingly silly Lego vid:




I could write on and on about Raiders but that's enough for now.

Here's a link to the Raiders of the Lost Ark Wikipedia page.

And here's the Lego Wikipedia page and official website.

Enjoy!!!

No comments:

Post a Comment