Raiders of the Lost Ark

Factual error: Several times during the movie, Indy is under fire from Nazis or other bad guys wielding what look like MP-38 sub machine guns. The movie is set in 1936, 2 years before the weapon was even designed. The Erma EMP-36 has wooden parts (the grip), the muzzle spike at under the barrel is more pointy and the front sight are more massive than MP-38/40, and the magazine is tilting slightly forwards towards the muzzle. The MP-38/40 is all stamped sheet metal (no wood, because it would slow down production), the muzzle spike under the barrel is more smooth (maybe so it won't get stuck?) and the front sight is more simple (basically just a ring with rumble strips) than the ERMA's, and the magazine on the MP-38/40 is vertical.

ssgemt

Raiders of the Lost Ark mistake picture

Continuity mistake: After Indy replaces the idol for a bag filled with sand, the position of the bag changes between frames.

Sacha

Other mistake: During the truck scene, after the German officer hanging onto the door falls down and another guy crawls over the roof, palm trees are reflected on the windshield, but wide shots show not a single tree around because the palm trees area was left behind a while ago.

Sacha

Continuity mistake: In the map room, after Indy has discovered where to put the stick in, the sun rays lights the head and shoulder of a painted figure and the whole body of the figure to the right of it. A frame later the first figure is now completely lit. Too fast a change.

Sacha

Continuity mistake: When Belloq talks to Indy in the Well of Souls the two Arabs on the left disappear in the angles from Indy's POV.

Sacha

Continuity mistake: After Indy rips a big strip of Marion's dress in the Well of Souls, it continues to change until she finally gets rid of it on the boat. At some points (eg. running from the plane before it explodes, and other shots) it seems quite straight across, more like a shorter dress than a torn one. A few moments later, when they are crouching behind an earth bank and Sallah tells Indy the Germans are putting the Ark on to a truck, the dress is badly ripped in various places across her back. Not long afterwards, it is in one piece again but back to the bottom edge being ripped. (01:13:00 - 01:21:35)

Eliza

Raiders of the Lost Ark mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Indy climbs onto the pontoon of the airplane from the lagoon in the opening sequence, he is obviously wet from swimming in the lagoon. However, in the next scene as he climbs further, his clothes are miraculously dry as observed by watching them blowing freely during take-off. (00:12:05)

Audio problem: When Toht walks in with Dietrich and Gobler, watch the background, you will see Dietrich's lips moving, but you cannot hear him saying anything.

Other mistake: At the beginning of movie when Indy is about to steal the gold idol, the camera does a close-up of it. The idol has been in a decaying temple for hundreds of years. but it appears shiny and new, as though just placed there. You'd expect the idol to at least be dusty or covered in jungle debris.

mikelynch

Continuity mistake: Indy climbs on a plane's wing and a German officer arrives and asks him what's he doing, raising his left arm ordering him to approach. A frame later the arm is down.

Sacha

Raiders of the Lost Ark mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Indy and Brody meet at the University with the two government officials, a group of rolled maps or plans are placed on a podium horizontally. Halfway through the scene, they are all laying vertically.

Lynette Carrington

Other mistake: When Indy and Marion are sealed in the well of souls, they are completely cut off from the outside world. As such, other than the torches, it should be pitch black, but it is surprisingly well lit in there.

Mike Lynch

Continuity mistake: After the plane takes off in the beginning, Indy sees the snake. His hands are grabbing at it, but a second later his hands are on the rim of his cockpit.

Continuity mistake: When Indy is driving the truck with the ark, a German tries to get in on the right side. Indy kicks the door open twice, and after the second time the top hinge of the door gives easily. The guy is half way dragging on the ground, holding onto the now askew door. Then in the next closeup, the door is hung correctly with the guy on it, and Indy kicks it again. The guy goes dragging again, and then he and the door fall off.

Movie Nut

Continuity mistake: There is a shot during the truck chase scene where a Nazi falls out from the back of the truck and goes through the windshield of the car behind it. During the shot from inside the truck, we see two Nazis to the left. The one closer to the camera pushes the other one down. However, in the very next shot, we see that pushed-down Nazi immediately sitting up straight.

MooCow

Raiders of the Lost Ark mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When the temple collapses, Satipo is crouching looking at the chaos. Indy starts to run and there's a wide angle of the passage ahead but Satipo is nowhere around. He couldn't have managed to run that distance in half a second.

Sacha

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: He had a couple of seconds to run away from that spot.

It's a straight passage so he should be seen somewhere along it and he isn't.

Sacha

Continuity mistake: From the outside, the sides of the hole to access the map room are in shadows, from the angle inside they are sunny.

Sacha

Continuity mistake: During the truck chase scene, the radiator bars Indy hangs onto keep swapping back and forth from bent outwards to slightly bent with no continuity at all.

Sacha

Factual error: There's absolutely no way Sallah and Indy would be able to lift that 'lid' (for lack of a better word) off the ark. That thing is solid rock and would weigh close to a metric ton - and none of them look like professional deadlifters to me.

Marion: You're not the man I knew ten years ago.
Indiana: It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage.

More quotes from Raiders of the Lost Ark

Trivia: When a Nazi falls from the back of the truck carrying the Ark, a "Wilhelm scream" can be heard.

More trivia for Raiders of the Lost Ark

Question: I first saw "Raiders" at the cinema when it was released in Australia and I distinctly remember a scene which has never appeared on video or DVD. After the end credits, there's a cut back to the crate housing the Ark in the warehouse, and the U.S Govt. stamp on the side of the crate is slowly burning off, as if a fire within the crate is scorching it. One other friend (also in Australia) also remembers. Does anyone else remember this, and can anyone shed any light on what happened to this scene?

Answer: I also remember this scene. After the ark is sealed, the camera performs a close up of the side of the crate. The stamp reads "Top Secret Army Intel 9906753 Do Not Open" This stamp is burned off just like the swastika is in the scene on the submarine, because in the eyes of God, no nation is holy or worthy enough to claim ownership of the ark. However, this final scene was cut (the burning of the stamp) from the film for a variety of unclear reasons. While it was in theaters, this scene was not included on the DVD version.

Add me to this. We saw the movie in a "pre release" version in Orlando Florida. No advance warning of the movie. We went to see another flick and at the end were "invited" to see this if we were willing to critique it afterwards. This scene was included. I also always wondered why the change.

I also remember seeing this mysterious 'burning' of the logo, most likely it was on a VHS copy of this movie. Yes, it did exist.

I saw it in former Czechoslovakia in the second half of 80's in cinema (west movies came to the east countries' cinemas years later). And I thought it was a great joke that burning out the swastika wasn't just because the Nazis are bad but because nobody is great enough to own the arc. Then after the Velvet revolution I saw the film again on TV (beginning of 90's) and said everyone around: watch it until the end, wait on the post-credit scene, there will be a surprise.

And there was a surprise. The scene was cut off! I was angry on the TV they didn't show the scene. I cannot be influenced by internet discussion or urban legend. The internet didn't exist yet.

I saw it in Portland, Oregon, and was so impressed with the message it carried, that I told friends and we went several times just to see it. Funny thing was when I mentioned it a few years ago, many people said I was a LIAR that it never happened. I could not convince anyone. It was removed because it wasn't Politically Correct. USA is a force for good, God would not burn off AMERICAN TEXT! BUT WE DID SEE IT. Thanks to our Australian eye witness, we know we did not imagine it.

Answer: I also remember that scene.

Answer: This scene never existed. Plus, the crate never has a US Govt logo stamped on it. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbr.com/movie-legends-revealed-alternate-ending-for-raiders-of-the-lost-ark/amp/.

Bishop73

Answer: I remember the side of the crate being "charred" when it was in the ship's cargo hold, in the scene when the Nazi's arrived in the submarine. It was the Nazi swastika on the side of the crate that was burned off. It also showed a rat keeling over dead from the energy it emitted. (I just watched this again on the Paramount cable channel.)

raywest

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