Steven Spielberg’s eye for visionary delight and imagination might even put Anne of Green Gables to shame. One of the director’s ambitious projects that saw the birth of the Indiana Jones franchise in 1981 with Harrison Ford at the helm would begin an adventure spanning over 40 years. And it was in Raiders of the Lost Ark that the snarky, dry-witted Ford found himself coming face-to-face with death.
It was in the first film of the 5-film series that the leading actor was put in an uncomfortably risky position by the extremely ambitious director. And considering Ford’s experience working on visionary films (George Lucas’ Star Wars), the actor jumped right into it. Although not without some apprehension, of course.
Steven Spielberg Introduces Harrison Ford to Indiana Jones
It was 1981 and Steven Spielberg had begun work on an Indiana Jones film, the first of many more to come. Titled Raiders of the Lost Ark, Harrison Ford was jumping from one global franchise to another and fortunately, he had no idea at the time that he would still be jumping across chasms, fighting Nazis in caves, and brandishing his whip across enemy territories even at 80 or most likely, Ford would have bailed right then.
However, Spielberg’s fame as the first director with such vision and the fact that his film was the first one ever to cross the $100 million mark at the box office made him and his story about the extraordinary archaeologist made for an attractive action movie plot with an intellectual treasure hunt mystery set in the era of the Great Wars. But the problem with such an ambitious story is that the scales of the stunts would be equally ambitious. One such stunt involved being chased by a gigantic 800 lb boulder through a cave.
Harrison Ford Went Toe to Toe With Death in Indiana Jones
In the first couple of weeks into principal photography on Raiders of the Lost Ark, Steven Spielberg recalled a particularly dangerous stunt that required Harrison Ford to be particularly present in front of the camera while being chased by a giant boulder. Made from wood, fiberglass, and plaster, the 12-foot boulder approximately weighed 300 to 800 lbs. The director, during an interview with American Cinematographer, claimed:
“Harrison was not doubled in those scenes. Not only that but the sequence was shot in the second week of principal photography in London. I mean, the absolute worst time to eliminate your leading man is in the second week, but because the rock was more effective chasing Harrison with Harrison running toward [the] camera, it just didn’t work as well having him doubled… Harrison volunteered to do it himself… Harrison had to race the rock ten times.”
The latest and last among the action-adventure films, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, has somewhat underperformed at the box office. Starring Mads Mikkelsen and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the Harrison Ford adventure marks one of the actor’s final action films.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is currently playing in theatres.
Source: American Cinematographer
