Raiders of the Lost Ark

FADE IN:

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1 EXT. PERU - HIGH JUNGLE - DAY 1

The dense, lush rain forests of the eastern slopes of the

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Andes, the place known as “The Eyebrow of the Jungle”.

Ragged, jutting canyon walls are half-hidden by the thick

mists.

The MAIN TITLE is followed by this:

PERU:

1936

A narrow trail across the green face of the canyon. A group

of men make their way along it. At the head of the party is

an American, INDIANA JONES. He wears a short leather jacket,

a flapped holster, and a brimmed felt hat with a weird

feather stuck in the band. Behind him come two Spanish

Peruvians, SATIPO and BARRANCA. Bringing up the rear are five

Yagua INDIANS. They act as porters and are wrangling the two

heavily-packed llamas. The Indians become increasingly

.

nervous. They speak to each other in bursts of Quechua. The

American, who is known to his friends as Indy, glances back

at them.

BARRANCA:

(irritated)

They’re talking about the Curse

again!

He turns and yells at the Indians in Quechua, his anger

giving an indication of his own fears. The party reaches a

break in the canyon wall and takes the trail through it.

When they emerge, their destination is revealed to them in

the distance. Beyond a thick stand of trees is the vegetation

.

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enshrouded TEMPLE OF THE CHACHAPOYAN WARRIORS, 2000 years

old.

.

The entire party is struck by the sight. The Indians,

terrified now, chatter away. Suddenly the three at the back

turn and run, dropping their packs as they go. Barranca yells

at the fleeing Indians and pulls his pistol out. He starts to

raise his arm to aim but Indy restrains it in a muscular

grip.

INDY:

No.

Barranca looks evilly at Indy’s hand upon him. Indy releases

him and smiles in a friendly way.

.

.

2.

INDY:

We don’t need them.

Satipo watches this confrontation with some concern.

BARRANCA:

I do not carry supplies.

INDY:

We’ll leave them. Once we’ve got

it, we’ll be able to reach the

plane by dusk.

He turns back to the trail. Satipo gets the two remaining

Indians moving behind Indy. Satipo and Barranca then have a

fast, silent communication: Barranca indicates his desire to

slit Indy’s throat; Satipo gives him a look that says “Be

patient, you idiot”

2 THE APPROACH TO THE TEMPLE 2

The party fans out to fight their way through the entwined

trees that guard the temple. Visibility is cut to five feet

in the heavy mist. Satipo extracts a short, native dart from

a tree and examines the point gingerly.

SATIPO:

(showing Indy)

The Hovitos are near. The poison is

still fresh...three days. They’re

following us, I tell you.

INDY:

If they knew we were here, they

would have killed us already.

The two Indians jabber in Quechua, near hysteria. Barranca is

sweating profusely, eyes darting. He yells at the Indians in

Quechua to “shut up”.

In the undergrowth, there is slithering movement.

Indian #1 draws aside a branch and is face with a horrific

stone sculpture of a Chachapoyan demon. The Indian is so

frightened no sound comes out when he screams. He turns and

runs silently away.

Indian #2 calls to his friend. Getting no response, he steps

in that direction. A huge macaw, flushed from the

undergrowth, screams and flies away. Indian #2 does exactly

the same thing, never to be seen again.

3.

Indy, Satipo and Barranca, just clearing the trees, look back

in that direction. They all turn to face the Temple.

.

It is dark and awesome. Vegatation curls from every crevice,

over each elaborate frieze. The entrance - round, open and

black - has been designed to look like open jaws.

INDY:

So this is where Forrestal cashed

in.

SATIPO:

A friend of yours?

INDY:

Competitor. He was good, very good.

BARRANCA:

(nervous)

No one has ever come out of there

alive. Why should we put our faith

in you?

Indy takes the weird feather from the band of his hat. From

around its point, he slips a tightly rolled piece of

parchment. Barranca and Satipo exchange a quick “So that’s

where is was!” look. They all kneel as Indy spreads out the

parchment. On it is one-half of a crude floorplan of the

Temple.

INDY:

No one ever had what we have...

partners.

Indy fixes them with an expectant stare. Satipo produces a

similar, but folded, piece of parchment. He lays it - the

other half of the floorplan - next to Indy’s. They all regard

it for a moment, then Indy stands and walks toward the

Temple. Barranca’s eyes are shining as they dart between the

floorplan and Satipo.

INDY:

(back turned)

Assuming that pillar there marks

the corner and...

Barranca is suddenly on his feet, quietly drawing his pistol.

He raises it toward Indy as Satipo realizes with alarm what

he’s doing. Too late. Indy’s head turns and he sees Barranca.

Indy’s next move is amazing, graceful and fast, yet totally

unhurried.

4.

His right hand slides up under the back of his leather jacket

and emerges grasping the handle of a neatly curled bullwhip.

With the same fluid move that brings Indy’s body around to

face the Peruvian, the whip uncoils to its full ten foor

lengeth and flashes out.

.

The fall of the whip (the unplaited strip at the end of the

lash) wraps itself around Barranca’s hand and pistol. He

could not drop the gun now if he tried.

Indy gives the whip a short pull and Barranca’s arm is jerked

down, where it involuntarily discharges the gun into the

dirt. Barranca is amazed, but feels some slack in the whip

and immediately raises the gun toward Indy again, cocking it

with his free hand.

Indy’s face goes hard. And sad.

Indy sweeps his arm in a wide arc. Barranca spins around,

enclosed in the whip, his gun hand stuck tight against his

body. Indy gives one more short jerk on the whip handle and

Barranca’s gun fires. Barranca falls dead.

Indy looks quickly at Satipo, who is shocked and frightened.

He raises his arms in supplication.

SATIPO:

I knew nothing! He was crazy!

Please!

Indy looks him over, then nods. He frees the whip from

Barranca’s body and picks up the man. His eyes sweep the

surrounding woods.

INDY:

Let’s go.

3 INT. TEMPLE - INCLINED PASSAGE - DAY 3

Indy and Satipo, carrying a torch, walk up the slightly

inclined, tubular passage from the main entrance. The

interior is wet and dark, hanging with plant life and

stalactites. Their echoing footsteps intermittently overpower

the sounds of loud dripping, whistling air drafts and

scampering claws.

4 HALL OF SHADOWS 4

Indy leads the way down a twisting hallway, Satipo’s torch

barely lighting his way from behind. Indy disappears in a

shadow and when he reappears a moment later a huge black

tarantula is crawling up the back of his jacket.

5.

Indy doesn’t notice and disappears into another shadow,

emerging with two more tarantulas on his back.

.

Satipo sees them and makes a frightened grunting sound. Indy

looks at him, sees what he’s pointing at and casually brushes

all three spiders off with his rolled whip, as he would a

fly. Satipo pirouettes for an inspection and Indy flicks one

off the Peruvian’s back.

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