Question: When Jones has the bazooka pointed to the Ark and shouts something, Belloq turns around and there's a moment in which you can see an ant or something going into Belloq's mouth. What is what goes into his mouth exactly? Is this a mistake, a joke on purpose, or something more?
Phixius
7th Jun 2008
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
13th May 2008
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Question: Is it possible for someone to drink to the point of passing out and then moments later appear completely sober (as Marion does)?
Chosen answer: Probably not, but Marion was faking it. She won a betting game that way. If she didn't at least act drunk, she'd never get anyone to compete against her. Sort of like how pool sharks pretend to be bad just to get people to play them, then they play just good enough to be assured of a win, but not so good that the player won't come back for more thinking they have a chance of winning their money back.
10th Nov 2007
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Question: Why exactly do the spirits in the Ark kill everyone who looks at them? Do they only kill evil people such as the Nazis, or everyone who looks at them, regardless of how pure they may be (say, for example, would the Pope be able to open the Ark without incident)? Does that also mean after being closed, the Ark was never supposed to be opened again by anybody ever? I was never quite clear on the explanation to the Ark's somewhat malefic nature.
Answer: The idea that the contents of the Ark could not be viewed was lifted from God's statement to Moses that He could not appear to Moses in all His glory lest Moses be killed by it. The Ark would kill everyone who looked at it because, Biblically speaking, "all [Pope included] have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." No, the Ark was never meant to be opened. The Ark is not, strictly speaking, malefic either. It's just too Holy for human endurance. It is humanity's malefic nature that causes the Ark to kill.
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Answer: When Indiana threatens the Nazis with a Panzerfaust, you can see a fly creeping into the mouth of Paul Freeman. Contrary to popular belief, he did not swallow it. Freeman explained in an interview years later that the fly flew off at about the instant he uttered the word "bad, " but Steven Spielberg noticed it and decided it would be funny to cut out a few frames so the fly would not be seen flying away. This made it look as though Freeman ate it, and he found the edit highly amusing.