Revealing mistake: While Indy and Marion are in the Well of Souls, and they encounter the snakes, Indy falls to the ground only to be confronted by a hissing Cobra rearing its head. Look carefully and you'll see the snake's reflection on the safety glass between it and Indy. Briefly you can also see the torch's reflection while he's waving it around. You can also see Marion's reflection when she falls in later on and is face to face with the cobra. [This has been corrected in the new DVD set. You can only see it if you have the original VHS. I think it's visible in the "making of" on the DVD as well.]
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Ending / spoiler
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Harrison Ford, Alfred Molina, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliott, Paul Freeman, Karen Allen
After the Nazis snatch the Ark out of Indy's hands, they throw him and Marion into the Well of Souls to die. Indy quickly finds a way out only to encounter various fights versus the Nazis. Once he sees that the Ark is being taken away and Marion has been taken prisoner, Indy infiltrates a Nazi base on an isolated island near Greece, and threatens to blow the Ark up with a Bazooka. However, his nemesis Belloq urges him to watch what's inside the Ark before he does. Indy submits and is taken prisoner, along with Marion. While they are cuffed to a pole, Belloq, interrogator Toht, and Dietrich open the Ark. Realising that one cannot watch the power of God, Indy orders Marion to keep her eyes shut. Spirits come out of the Ark, beautiful as they can be - only to turn into demons on earth. The Nazis all scream with fear as the power of God is unleashed upon every Nazi around. Toht's face melts; Dietrich's face is disfigured, and Belloq's head explodes. All of the corpses fly to the sky. Then the Ark is closed. Marion and Indy survive the event due to Indy's advice. In America, the Ark is taken into a warehouse, another box in the middle of nowhere.
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Question: Considering how powerful and dangerous the Ark is, why would Indy hand it over to the United States government, instead of putting it back where it was found and to ensure it's never located, lie to them and say him or the Nazis never found it?
Answer: To add to the previous answer, there is no way that the ark could have been secretly returned to where it was found and then conveniently forgotten. Too many people already knew of its existence and location. It would only be a matter of time before someone more sinister would retrieve it.
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Answer: Indy and Marcus Brody believed that the Ark needed to be studied. They certainly didn't want to put it back where it was found. They believed that the U.S. government would find the best archaeologists, researchers, and scientists in the world to study the Ark. They are both upset that instead, the government has decided to simply lock the Ark away. This is why Indy says, "Fools. They don't know what they've got there," as he is leaving the building.
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