'RAIDERS' AT 40: THE ARK IS THEIRS!

Overriding his fear of snakes (in this case thousands of them!), Indy, having found the perilous underground location of the Well of Souls, accompanied by his loyal friend Sallah, uncovers the eerie lost Ark of the Covenant before the Germans can. What could possibly go wrong from here!

'RAIDERS' AT 35: THE BIG SQUEEZE!

The Well of Souls has plenty of snakes - why did it have to be snakes! - but just as loathsome for Marion Ravenwood are the multitude of mummified corpses she's soon trapped with, in a filmed sequence ultimately trimmed down for the final version of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.

HAPPY 35TH BIRTHDAY, 'RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK'! (UK RELEASE)

I'd heard on the grapevine that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg were teaming up to make a film together back in 1980, but I had no idea what Raiders of the Lost Ark was ultimately about and what Harrison Ford was going to look and be like in the film until much nearer the time of its release in the UK. I didn't even see an early teaser trailer for it at the cinema- just one of those days when it didn't play when I was going to see something. This issue (37) of the original STARBURST magazine and its superb cover of Indy on the Well of Souls statue (which I haven't really seen published anywhere since), as well as its early, very positive accompanying review, was my vital key into the world of Indiana Jones, and the incredible action/adventure ahead. I literally was bought this magazine by my eyes-alert Dad the afternoon we were going to see Raiders at a late night special advance screening at London's Streatham ABC cinema - and what a great time that was!

CLASSIC INDY: "SNAKES. WHY'D IT HAVE TO BE SNAKES!"

If anybody told me I'd have to film a movie scene in the company of over 5,000 real snakes, I'd run a mile. Thankfully, the cast and crew of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK were a lot braver than I ever could be, as seen in this superb behind the scenes image at Elstree Studios, where Harrison Ford's Indy and Karen Allen's Marion find themselves trapped in the reptile-packed Well of Souls.

BACK ON UK TV: "RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK"

"Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?" Indy descends into trouble in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.

On BBC 1 and HD today at 9pm, and then the other two to follow each week. I'll be intrigued to see which version of RAIDERS is shown: the original as has been seen on the UK's SKY MOVIES over the last year, or two years ago BBC HD copy, which had a new cgi overlay background sequence during one scene in the truck chase (image below):

Old version 1981.

New version-shown on BBC 1 HD during 2010- July 2012- for the so far unreleased INDY Blu-rays? With thanks to ORIGINALTRILOGY.COM

I'll never forget seeing RAIDERS for the first time in 1981. I was eleven years old, and I knew nothing about the film apart from seeing some stills in STARBURST magazine (I didn't even know it was set in the 1930's). Me, mum, my brother and his wife (my dad didn't want to come-he regretted it afterwards!) went to the weekend sneak preview midnight screening, the week before its proper release in UK cinemas, at the lovable flea-pit cinema the Streatham ABC, in the days when you didn't book online or phone for tickets, you just went and hoped you got in there! We did, the cinema was jam packed, and we were all blown away by how exciting the film was- and as the opening scene unfolded we were all impressed by Harrison Ford, superb in a role that was meant for him! My love of STAR WARS got me in trouble, though: when I saw William Hootkins in the film, I remember turning round to my mum and saying, "It's Porkins!", to which I got an aggressive "sshhh" from the angry adult above me!

Great days and happy memories!

UPDATE 6/1/2011: The new version of RAIDERS was shown.