Raiders Of The Lost Ark

Back in the early 80's, I was at Reuben's Summerhouse, a once-popular (but now sadly gone) restaurant in The Valley, when I overheard a man talking excitedly to his friend about RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981).  I was just a kid at the time, and wanted to go see what all the fuss was about.  Mom thought it was too scary, so I didn't get to see it when it was new.  Last fall, the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood brought back RAIDERS and I went to see it there.  I didn't bother to write about it at the time, but now that it has been re-released nationwide by Paramount, I decided it was time to say a few words about one of my all-time fave films.
When I was a kid, even though I didn't see it in the theatre, I did ultimately see RAIDERS many times on VHS tape and CAV Laserdisc (which looked only a little better than tape on my old TV set).  When it appeared again at the Egyptian, it was shown in digital projection (presumably a prototype for the Blu-ray set).  Technically, the presentation was brilliant.  Beautiful photography, stunning sound, I can see why it won five Oscars (four regular awards, plus one Special Achievement award).  In terms of content, the film holds up well after more than 30 years.  It's just the kind of story that thrills audiences of all ages, and still holds a special place in my heart.