Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) is an adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman, with a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan. Harrison Ford stars as archaeologist Indiana Jones, who in 1936 is recruited by American intelligence after learning that Nazi forces are searching for the Ark of the Covenant. His pursuit takes him from a dangerous expedition in South America to Nepal and Egypt, where he becomes caught in a race against his archaeological rival René Belloq and the Nazis to find the Ark first. Karen Allen stars as Marion Ravenwood, alongside Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies, Ronald Lacey and Denholm Elliott. Built around the spirit of old adventure serials but made with Spielberg’s eye for action and comedy, the film introduced Indiana Jones with an almost uninterrupted succession of memorable sequences, from the rolling boulder and the Well of Souls to the truck chase and the supernatural opening of the Ark.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) was filmed in England, Tunisia, France, Hawaii and California, with each place contributing a very different part of Indy’s journey. Kauaʻi in Hawaii became the South American jungle of the opening sequence, with locations around Kīpū Ranch and the Hulēʻia River used as Indy escapes from the Hovitos and reaches Jock’s waiting seaplane. The temple itself, including the famous boulder sequence, was largely created at Elstree Studios in England. Tunisia provided almost everything seen as Egypt. The old streets of Kairouan became 1930s Cairo, including Place Zarrouk near the Mosque of the Three Doors, where Indy abruptly deals with the sword-wielding assassin. An enormous outdoor set representing the Tanis excavation was constructed near Degache and Tozeur, while surrounding desert roads were used for the celebrated truck chase. Sidi Bouhlel Canyon appears later when Indy catches up with Belloq and the Nazis and threatens to destroy the Ark with a rocket launcher. Back in England, Elstree Studios housed some of the production’s largest interiors, including the Well of Souls, the map room, Marion’s Nepalese bar and the chamber where the Ark is finally opened. The Royal Masonic School for Girls in Rickmansworth supplied the interiors of the college where Indy teaches, while its exterior was filmed at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. Production began at La Pallice in La Rochelle, France, where the real Second World War German submarine pens became the Nazis’ secret Mediterranean base; the U-boat seen there was a full-size replica borrowed from the production of Das Boot (1981). California also appears near the end of the film, with San Francisco City Hall standing in for Washington, D.C., as Indy and Marion walk down its grand staircase after their frustrating meeting with government officials.
La Pallice
La Pallice is the commercial deep-water port of La Rochelle, France used for filming location for Raiders of the Lost Ark and Das Boot.
Place J’raba
Place J’raba has appeared in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Kairouan's medina was extensively transformed into Cairo in 1936 for the film.
San Francisco City Hall
San Francisco City Hall has appeared in Dirty Harry, The Towering Inferno, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Raiders of the Lost Ark, A View to a Kill and more.
Tapis Ali Allani
Tapis Ali Allani has appeared in Raiders of the Lost Ark. When filming took place in Kairouan in 1980, the premises were still operating as Café Hassanet.