what is indiana jones looking for in raiders of the lost ark
the Ark of the Covenant
title: Raiders of the Lost Ark text: Raiders of the Lost Ark Raiders of the Lost Ark (later marketed as "Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark") is a 1981 American action adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Lawrence Kasdan from a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. It was produced by Frank Marshall for Lucasfilm Ltd., with Lucas and Howard Kazanjian as executive producers. The first installment in the "Indiana Jones" film franchise, it stars Harrison Ford as archaeologist Indiana Jones, who battles a group of Nazis searching for the Ark of the Covenant. It co-stars Karen Allen as Indiana's former lover, Marion title: Raiders of the Lost Ark text: idol. He is confronted by rival archaeologist René Belloq and the indigenous Hovito people. Surrounded and outnumbered, Jones surrenders the idol to Belloq and escapes aboard a waiting floatplane. Jones returns to his teaching position at Marshall College, San Francisco, where he is interviewed by two Army Intelligence agents. They inform Jones that the Nazis are searching for his old mentor, Abner Ravenwood, under whom Jones studied at the University of Chicago. The Nazis know that Ravenwood is the leading expert on the ancient city of Tanis in Egypt, and that he possesses the headpiece of an ancient Egyptian artifact title: Raiders of the Lost Ark text: Awards in 1982, including Best Picture, and won for Best Art Direction, Film Editing, Sound, and Visual Effects with a fifth Academy Award: a Special Achievement Award for Sound Effects Editing. It is often considered one of the greatest films ever made. In 1999, it was included in the U.S. Library of Congress' National Film Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The film began a franchise including several sequels, a television series, "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" (1992–1996), and numerous video games. In 1936, American archaeologist Indiana Jones braves an ancient booby-trapped temple in Peru and retrieves a golden title: Raiders of the Lost Ark text: known as "the Staff of Ra". Jones deduces that the Nazis are searching for the Ark of the Covenant — the Nazis believe that if they acquire the Ark, their armies will become invincible. The Staff of Ra (used to project a beam of sunlight on a building in a diorama of the city) is the key to finding the Well of Souls, a secret chamber in Tanis, Egypt, in which the Ark is buried. The agents authorize Jones to recover the Ark to prevent the Nazis from obtaining it. He travels to Nepal and discovers that Ravenwood has died, title: Raiders of the Lost Ark text: Ravenwood; Paul Freeman as Indiana's rival, French archaeologist René Belloq; John Rhys-Davies as Indiana's sidekick, Sallah; Ronald Lacey as Gestapo agent Arnold Toht; and Denholm Elliott as Indiana's colleague, Marcus Brody. The film originated from Lucas' desire to create a modern version of the serials of the 1930s and 1940s. Production was based at Elstree Studios, England, but filming also took place in La Rochelle, France, Tunisia, Hawaii, and California from June to September 1980. "Raiders of the Lost Ark" became 1981's top-grossing film and remains one of the highest-grossing films adjusted for inflation. It was nominated for eight Academy