Raiders of the Lost Ark Page #18

78.

In the cab of the truck, Indy and the Truck Driver stop their

fight temporarily and cooperate in turning the steering

wheel. The truck barely stays on the road.

A full view reveals the incredible geography of this ride.

The convoy is tiny against the spectacular mountainside, the

cliffs drop hundreds of feet.

At the wheel of the rear car, Gobler swerves to stay on the

road and accidentally sideswipes a boulder. The Gunner

perched in the back is flipped head over heels out of the

road through all the dust the convoy is picking up.

The lead staff car reaches the summit of the road and barely

makes the hairpin turn there, delivering a destructive blow

to the guard rail that has been placed there. The guard rail

is now bent.

In the cab of the truck, Indy and the Truck Driver again stop

trying to choke each other long enough to negotiate the turn

together. The bumper of the truck hits the broken guard rail

and sends it flying off the cliff. The truck, however, holds

the road.

In the rear car, Golber and Belzig are trying to see through

the thick clouds of dust. Suddenly is clears completely.

Unfortunately for them, this happens because their car has

shot out into space at the hairpin turn. They are flying to

their final reward. Belzig, eyes wide behind his evil

spectacles, screams as he goes.

.

In the cab of the truck, the Truck Driver is distracted by

the sight of the flying staff car. Indy plasters him and he

tumbles out.

Far, far below, Belzig’s staff car explodes on the rocks.

In the back of the truck, a TOUGH SERGEANT takes command of

the situation. He picks out six Armed Nazis and motions for

them to start climbing around the outside of the truck to the

cab. With some trepidation the lucky ones begin that

maneuver. The truck is swerving like crazy.

In the front staff car, the Armed Guard aims his submachine

gun back at Indy, alone now in the truck’s cab. Shliemann

knocks the barrel roughly away.

SHLIEMANN:

(yelling)

If anything happens to that Ark,

we’re all dead men! The Fuhrer will

see to it!

79.

Indy sees this from the cab and reacts by speeding up,

putting even more pressure on the Blond Driver.

Along the back of the truck, Armed Nazis are edging up toward

the cab, three on each side. They hang on as the truck rounds

a corner and goes into a straightaway that leads through a

short tunnel.

In the cab, Indy has been concentrating on the lead staff

car. Now, just before entering the tunnel, he looks in the

side view mirror and sees the Nazis on his side. A quick

glance to the other mirror reveals the others. As the truck

sweeps into the tunnel, we see Indy just start to turn his

steering wheel -- he’s going to sideswipe the walls of the

tunnel.

At the other end of the tunnel, we hear the roar of the two

engines and two long, screeching, scraping sounds. The lead

staff car shoots out of the tunnel, then the truck, its sides

cleaned of Nazis.

In the rear of the truck, the Tough Sergeant is looking with

distaste back at the tunnel. There remains only him and two

Armed Nazis with the Ark. He sends these two climbing up over

the top of the truck.

.

In the lead car, the Blond Driver is being pressed hard by

Indy, who now edges up to bump them from the rear. Suddenly

the Armed Guard next to the Driver sees the two Armed Nazis

appear on the top of the truck. Without thinking, he starts

to point them out to Shliemann, then realizes his stupidity.

In the cab, Indy has seen this and is at first mystified. He

checks his side-view mirrors. Then he figures it out and

slams on his brakes. The brakes lock, the wheels burn and the

truck skids to a dusty halt. The two Armed Nazis fly off the

truck, over the cab to the road in front. Indy immediately

hits the gas again. The two Armed Nazis, just aiming their

weapons, get wiped out.

In the rear of the truck, the crated Ark is bouncing all

along, no one in sight, because -

The Tough Sergeant is on the top of the truck, making his way

steadily forward. This guy clearly knows what he’s doing. A

submachine gun is slung acorss his back.

The truck and the staff car race through a series of S-

curves. In the staff car, Belloq and Shliemann spot the Tough

Sergeant as he reaches the front of the truck’s top and

begins to lower his submachine gun barrel toward the cab.

Indy is unaware. Belloq and Shliemann exchange looks.

80.

Then Shliemann yells to the Armed Guard in the front seat.

The Touch Sergeant has a line on Indy. He points his gun. The

Armed Guard blasts away at the truck. The Tough Sergeant dies

in a hail of bullets and flies off.

Indy, who has ducked the gunfire, is confued. But when he

sees the Armed Guard up front lower his gun, Indy again

floors it and begins bumping the staff car in earnest.

.

The road is almost down to a level now. In the distance --

Cairo. The road takes a little dogleg just before reaching

level ground again. Just as the staff car is about to make

the turn, Indy smashes them from behind. The staff car flies

off the road and down a twenty foot embankment. Indy takes

the truck speeding down the road and off toward Cairo.

In the staff car, the occupants are bruised but safe.

Shliemann points at the departing truck and yells at the

Blond Driver. The staff car fishtails out of its sandy

resting place and takes off after the truck.

117 EXT. OUTSKIRTS OF CAIRO (VARIOUS SHOTS) - DAY 117

Indy had an ever-decreasing lead on the staff car as the race

thunders into the narrow streets. People and animals leap out

of the way; carts and barrels go flying helter skelter. Indy

takes the truck down a street so narrow there are only inches

to spare on each side. Pedestrians jump into doorways.

118 EXT. OMAR’S SQUARE - DAY 118

When the truck clears the narrow street, it is in a small

square. Omar’s garage is gaping open on the opposite side.

Indy hits the brakes and the truck skids across the square

and into the garage. The garage door slams shut and tenting

drops from the building to hide the door. Various Arabs,

friends of Omar, rush out with fruit carts and baskets and

set up a mini-bazaar in seconds. Two Arab Boys sweep the

tracks of the truck into oblivion. They throw aside their

brooms just as the staff car appears from the narrow street.

Belloq and Shliemann look around desperately as the Blond

Driver steers the car through the square and out the other

side.

.

119 EXT. CAIRO DOCKS - NIGHT 119

The waterfront is dark and misty. An old tramp steamer, THE

BANTU WIND, sits by the pier. Several fierce Black African

Pirates, the crewmembers, are taking on final stores.

81.

A small light illuminates the top of the gangplank. In its

circle, Indy and Marion exchange long, warm embraces with

Sallah. A short distance away the ship’s Captain, a handsome,

powerful black named SIMON KATANGA, watches the rail, smoking

a pipe.

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