Most people have seen Raiders of the Lost Ark at least once. This 1981 production directed by Stephen Spielberg based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman is as boys’ own adventure tale as it gets, with Harrison Ford in the eponymous role as Indiana Jones, a US archeologist specialising in rare antiquities and trying to find the Ark of the Covenant, a biblical artefact supposedly encasing the original Ten Commandments. Jones is racing to find it before his nemesis does, a rival archeologist, Belloq (Paul Freeman) who is in cahoots with the Nazis. The Reich, of course, have their own nefarious reasons for trying to find this mystical ark that Belloq describes as tantamount to “a radio for speaking to God”.
Most of us will also remember the soundtrack – particularly the thematic refrain – by the prolific and still-working nonagenarian John Williams. And how much better is it when you have musicians playing along to this cinematic classic – considered one of the best movies ever made and one that spurred several sequels in its wake.
Raiders is the latest in this symphonic film initiative, a previous event was the equally popular Back to the Future. And while the latter was held at Hamer Hall, this production is housed in the spacious surrounds of the Plenary, deep in the bowels of Melbourne’s Exhibition Centre.
The set-up, however, remains the same, with a large screen mounted above the hard-working Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO). There are also subtitles and an intermission. The MSO is led by the amiable Benjamin Northey, who introduces himself wearing an Indiana-style fedora, along with his signature whip (The conductor similarly ingratiated himself at the launch of Back to The Future when he carried a skateboard on stage in honour of Marty McFly.)
Northey reminds the audience not to treat the night as a typical hush-hush orchestral concert, but to cheer and boo wildly at Indy’s globe-setting adventures – and, for the most part, we obliged.
From South America, to Nepal to Egypt, and with the MSO ably supplying the thunderous soundtrack, several key Raiders scenes were revisited with relish. Who can forget Indy running away from the giant boulder, dodging poisoned arrows, grimacing at a pit full of writhing snakes and dispatching Nazis one by one as he defensively drives a truck in pursuit of the Ark?
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Sure, in this contemporary world, we can ruminate a lot more about the politics of scavenging priceless relics from another country, but leaving aside cultural misappropriation (British Museum anyone?) Raiders of the Lost Ark is pure escapist fare, an action-adventure flick with the heroes and baddies clearly delineated and a rollicking memorable soundtrack that’s beautifully captured by Northey and his team of musicians.
Raiders of the Lost Ark in Concert will be playing at the Plenary until 1 February 2025.
Featuring
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Benjamin Northey
Tickets: $67-$131
