Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

In the action-adventure film Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Lawrence Kasdan (based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman), American archaeologist Indiana Jones retrieves a Golden Idol from a booby-trapped Peruvian temple. However, rival archaeologist René Belloq steals the idol, forcing Jones to escape in a waiting float plane. Upon his return to the US, Jones is briefed by two Army Intelligence agents about Nazi German forces excavating at Tanis, Egypt. A telegram also mentions Jones’ former mentor Abner Ravenwood, leading him to believe that the Nazis are searching for the powerful Ark of the Covenant. As Hitler believes it will make their army unbeatable, the agents recruit Jones to retrieve it first. While at a bar in Nepal, Jones reunites with Ravenwood’s daughter Marion (with whom he had an unspoken relationship) and discovers that Ravenwood has passed away.

During a scuffle with Gestapo agent Arnold Toht, the bar is set ablaze as he attempts to take a medallion from Marion. In his desperation, Toht burns the image onto his hand instead. Jones and Marion seize the opportunity to escape with the medallion. In Cairo, they are reunited with Jones’s friend Sallah who informs them that Belloq is working with the Nazis. The Nazis have created an incomplete replica of the medallion using Toht’s burnt hand as a guide. As Nazi soldiers and mercenaries attack, Marion appears to be killed, leaving Jones devastated. A wise imam deciphers the medallion for Jones, revealing a warning against disturbing the Ark on one side and detailed measurements for locating it on the other. With Sallah’s help, they realize that the Nazis have been digging in the wrong spot for the Ark. Infiltrating their dig site, Jones and Sallah use the medallion and an accurately sized staff of Ra to find the Well of Souls where the Ark is located.