Question: I first saw "Raiders" at the cinema when it was released in Australia and I distinctly remember a scene which has never appeared on video or DVD. After the end credits, there's a cut back to the crate housing the Ark in the warehouse, and the U.S Govt. stamp on the side of the crate is slowly burning off, as if a fire within the crate is scorching it. One other friend (also in Australia) also remembers. Does anyone else remember this, and can anyone shed any light on what happened to this scene?
Answer: I also remember that scene.
Answer: This scene never existed. Plus, the crate never has a US Govt logo stamped on it. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbr.com/movie-legends-revealed-alternate-ending-for-raiders-of-the-lost-ark/amp/.
Answer: I remember the side of the crate being "charred" when it was in the ship's cargo hold, in the scene when the Nazi's arrived in the submarine. It was the Nazi swastika on the side of the crate that was burned off. It also showed a rat keeling over dead from the energy it emitted. (I just watched this again on the Paramount cable channel.)
Question: Why did Erle try to kill himself?
Answer: He hated the way they were living. Acting human, hiding who they truly were, integrating into "normal" society. He wanted to be wild and free. When they were feared and worshiped.
Question: How can Michael recognize Laurie as his younger sister since he wouldn't have seen her since she was only two years old?
Answer: There is a scene where Laurie dreams about meeting Michael as a young teen. It's unknown whether this is an actual memory of real events, but since nothing indicates otherwise, we could assume the he saw her at an older age when she looked closer to her 17-year-old self.
Question: How in the world were Nicky and the models able to slip past the guard dogs?
Answer: As shown in Nicky's office, him and the models are professionals, judging from the different tools that they are using and a map of the Mallory Gallery. All they would have to do is watch and wait for the dogs to leave a specific area, and they would be able to get in because of how quiet they were while Kermit and friends were caught because of how much noise Animal made while trying to eat through the bars.
Question: Matty introduces her friend as Mary Ann, but in the year book, the friend is actually Matty Tyler, and she is actually Mary Ann. Were both girls in on the scam? (00:31:22)
Answer: I noticed the problem of the introduction, also. It seemed like a major plot hole to me. There wasn't any material in the movie to support blackmail, etc by the real Matty. I hadn't thought of her possibly being in on the scam. If not, why wouldn't the real Matty have immediately blanched when hearing herself be introduced with the wrong name? So far, I agree with the OP's suggestion.
The real Maddy was at the house when Ned arrived. Presumably, she had already discovered what "Fake Maddy" was up to. It looked like Fake Maddy (Turner) gave the real Maddy a check, presumably a payoff to keep quiet. The real Maddy may or may not have known exactly what Fake Maddy was planning, but went along with being introduced as "Mary Ann." Also, the movie deliberately leaves details vague because it is a big plot twist at the end when Ned, and the audience, learns that Fake Maddy is really Mary Ann.
Answer: It appears that the real Matty Tyler was not initially in on the plan. It's confusing, and there're many plot holes, but it seems the fake "Matty" (Kathleen Turner) intended for the real Matty to eventually discover that her identity was being used (by Turner). The real Matty was then apparently blackmailing fake Matty to keep quiet. It appears that fake Matty intended to lure and then murder the real Matty, framing Ned Racine for her murder, as well as Edmund's. The real Matty's body was identified as being Edmond's wife through her dental records. Fake Matty probably intended for Ned to be killed in the explosion.
Question: It is implied that Satan and the forces of evil are always watching out for Damien so that when anybody gets anywhere near to hurting him they invariably meet a very sticky end. So how is it that, at the end of the film, Kate Reynolds is able to stab Damien to death with such apparent ease when all previous efforts to kill him have failed so dismally?
Answer: Damien states at one point that as the birth of the Nazarene gets closer, his strength fades accordingly. Presumably this also applies to any forces assisting him.
Question: During the film one of the officers was holding a bottle of Becks beer. Was the label on the bottle age/era appropriate?
Answer: The label is absolutely correct, but at this time Beck's Beer was only for export and not regularly available in Germany.
Question: How did Snake lose his eye?
Chosen answer: During a mission known as the "Leningrad Ruse." He and his flight squadron were sent unknowingly on a suicide mission. During it, his goggles cracked and let in a poisonous gas, paralyzing his iris. He has to wear the patch because his eye can't focus against bright light, causing pain. This is mentioned in the novelization.
Question: Evil tells of his assistants, "tell me about computers". And he later says, "show me subscriber trunk dialing". Why does such a powerful entity have an interest in technology? (01:30:45 - 01:31:35)
Answer: Remember his whole speech about technology being his version of the universe, while the Supreme Being concentrated on nature?
Question: What was that first body in the woods that looked like Muffin? It couldn't have been Muffin because she shows up at the end right?
Answer: It never really says what the body is, but I'd assume it were a rabbit or some other small woodland creature. It can't be Muffin because, like you said, Muffin appears later on.
Question: What did Dr. Hirsch mean when he said to Alex how he witnessed "some form of mass neurosis in East Proctor"?
Question: Is it me, or does Medusa's head open her eyes as Perseus holds her head up after leaving the temple?
Answer: To me, it just looks like the way the prop catches the light as the actor lifts it up, and then higher up, the angle of the prop isn't catching the light in the same way.
Answer: I watched this scene several times on YouTube. When Perseus walks out with the severed head, the eyes are closed. Just as Perseus raises it, Medusa's eyes suddenly appear to open. Zeus is then heard telling Perseus to "fulfil his destiny" amid the thunder and lightning. Her eyes are wide open at this point. I interpreted this as showing that Medusa's power still resides within the head, even though she is dead.
Question: What happens to Harold? We go from him killing a classmate to present times where he works as an intern in a hospital. Surely he'd have been in juvenile hall then prison or in a psych ward.
Answer: It is never explained but the implication is that he has somehow escaped justice for his earlier crime and is using a new identity.
Question: If the bear died in the fall, assuming the fall did kill it, then how did Tod survive?
Answer: Since we don't really know how he died, he could have drowned and not died on impact. Bear may not have been a strong swimmer or sustained too much injury from the gunshot to swim to the surface. However, in physics, force = mass * acceleration and thus larger creatures will hit the water with greater force than small creatures (as the old cliche goes; the bigger they are, the harder they fall). So it's possible for Bear to die on impact and not Tod because of his larger size.
Question: Given that Las Vegas is the bigger more glamorous and more well known on sporting events, why didn't The California Dolls vs Toledo Tigers Tag Team Title match take place there instead of Reno?
Answer: No reason is given but there could be any number of factors involved in why this location was chosen. However, it appears to be less about the plot than about real-life logistics. The event takes place at the MGM Grand Hotel in Reno. MGM financially backed this film, so this was an opportunity for them to showcase and promote their expensive hotel in the movie. Also, filming on MGM property would have given the production greater freedom on when, where, and how they wished to film, avoiding many of the costs, restraints, and restrictions often encountered when filming a movie.
Question: It appears that the boomerang would have had to spin in the opposite direction to kill the blonde guy the way it did. Am I looking at this the right way or is my limited knowledge of aerodynamics totally backwards?
Chosen answer: The filmmakers obviously didn't research the intricate logistics of aerodynamics of how a boomerang is thrown. It simply looked cool leaving the kid's hand and killing the blonde guy the way it did.
Question: What was the reason why the two divers at the start of the film chose to go down into the sunken boat to strip and make love? Of all places, why do it there?
Question: What song is everyone whistling while they're carrying the giant egg?
Answer: The music playing while they are carrying the giant egg is from, "The Bridge on the River Kwai." It's a classic World War II movie, soldiers marching into a Japanese prison camp are whistling that tune.
Answer: The song being played is "Colonel Bogey March", which has the whistling in it. No one carrying the egg were whistling themselves though. Although in one shot I did see a character breathing out (something people do when lifting or carrying heavy things) which might look like he's whistling.
Question: Is this the only Bond film that features any references to Tracy Bond (other than the given "On Her Majesty's...")?
Answer: It's mentioned he was married in The Spy Who Loved Me and Licence to Kill.
Answer: It is also vaguely alluded to in The World is Not Enough. When Electra asks Bond, "tell me, Mr. Bond, ha- have you ever lost a loved one." And it's written all over his face, so to speak.
Question: Given that Sergeant Hulka was only the platoon's drill sergeant, that means his authority should have been done once they graduated from basic training. So why did he turn up in Germany and continue to give them orders?
Chosen answer: According to the movie's premise and plot, once they (the platoon) impressed the brass at graduation and was assigned to the Germany gig with the "EM-50", Sgt. Hulka would naturally be with them as he was their original commanding officer. Plus, it would be logical to suggest that he would personally assign himself the detail of overseeing his platoon as they were his to begin with.
He's assigned as a Drill Sergeant, that is his job. Once he was fully healed he would have been assigned another group of recruits.
Answer: He wanted to make sure that they don't screw up this very important assignment, which they did.
Answer: I also remember this scene. After the ark is sealed, the camera performs a close up of the side of the crate. The stamp reads "Top Secret Army Intel 9906753 Do Not Open" This stamp is burned off just like the swastika is in the scene on the submarine, because in the eyes of God, no nation is holy or worthy enough to claim ownership of the ark. However, this final scene was cut (the burning of the stamp) from the film for a variety of unclear reasons. While it was in theaters, this scene was not included on the DVD version.
Add me to this. We saw the movie in a "pre release" version in Orlando Florida. No advance warning of the movie. We went to see another flick and at the end were "invited" to see this if we were willing to critique it afterwards. This scene was included. I also always wondered why the change.
I also remember seeing this mysterious 'burning' of the logo, most likely it was on a VHS copy of this movie. Yes, it did exist.
I saw it in former Czechoslovakia in the second half of 80's in cinema (west movies came to the east countries' cinemas years later). And I thought it was a great joke that burning out the swastika wasn't just because the Nazis are bad but because nobody is great enough to own the arc. Then after the Velvet revolution I saw the film again on TV (beginning of 90's) and said everyone around: watch it until the end, wait on the post-credit scene, there will be a surprise.
And there was a surprise. The scene was cut off! I was angry on the TV they didn't show the scene. I cannot be influenced by internet discussion or urban legend. The internet didn't exist yet.
I saw it in Portland, Oregon, and was so impressed with the message it carried, that I told friends and we went several times just to see it. Funny thing was when I mentioned it a few years ago, many people said I was a LIAR that it never happened. I could not convince anyone. It was removed because it wasn't Politically Correct. USA is a force for good, God would not burn off AMERICAN TEXT! BUT WE DID SEE IT. Thanks to our Australian eye witness, we know we did not imagine it.