Raiders of the Lost Ark: A Look at the Terrifying and Incredible Makeup of the First Indiana Jones

The best work of the saga Indiana Jones ?

For many fans of the intrepid archaeologist, Raiders of the Lost Ark it comes from afar the best work of the pentalogy. An adventure film with a touch of fantasy directed by Steven Spielberg, carried by the brilliant compositions of John Williams and led by a perfect Harrison Ford as the hat-and-whip archaeologist Indiana Jones. Numerous cult scenes contribute to making this film a monument of the genre, such as the introductory sequence in Peru, the chase through the streets of Cairo or the temple buried and full of snakes…

In this film the search for the Ark of the Covenant, which should contain the Tablets of the Law, takes place against the Nazis, who are determined to take possession of it to guarantee the definitive superiority of the Third Reich. So there is an enemy of Indiana Jones a completely detestable and fascinating character, Gestapo commander Arnold Ernst Toht, played by actor Ronald Lacey. And with Spielberg directing and George Lucas producing, the visual spectacle was especially careful to make this character disappear.

A trick without digital effects

Without really falling into the horror genre, Indiana Jones still has fun with its codes and offers surprising images and situations. Of note is Toht’s death: while the Nazis open the Ark, the spirits escape and kill him in a horrible way: melting his face. In 1981, special effects were created without current digital possibilities and the ILM company then worked its plastic magic.

As detailed in this making-of videoTo achieve this convincing cast effect, the artists at ILM created a cast of the actor’s head, as if he were screaming, in a rubbery material. They then carved a skull into the stone, to support and hold the melting prosthesis. But for maximum realism, the special effects studio has added, under the prosthetic, layers of gelatin to represent melted meat and muscle. Once the fake head was complete, two propane burners were aimed at the head to melt it. A decomposition lasted ten minutes, then the images were sped up until they lasted only a few seconds in the film.

According to the director of this first Indiana Jones, Steven Spielberg himself was no more and no less “one of the best effects I’ve ever seen”. We can only go in his direction, and also celebrate these technical, shadow professions, where creativity reigns supreme and transforms technical solutions into small works of art.

Source: Cine Serie

Ray

Ray Ortiz is a journalist at Gossipify, known for his coverage of trending news and current events. He is committed to providing readers with accurate and unbiased reporting, and is respected for his ability to keep readers informed on the latest news and issues.