Lost ending to Raiders of the Lost Ark (ark burns US govt crate)

MeetThyReaper · 09-22-2011, 10:40 PM

Hey gang,

I was chatting with a buddy of mine and he was telling me about a scene that he only saw once. I looked it up online and here's the jist of it:

"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?"

So I wanted to ask: does anybody know more about this missing scene? I have been looking online and have not uncovered much information on it.

Thoughts?

-MTR

galactus · 09-22-2011, 11:01 PM

You're not confusing this with the scene on the ship when the Nazi Symbol is burned off, are you?

MeetThyReaper · 09-22-2011, 11:03 PM

I asked my friend the same thing. He specifically explained to me that there was another scene at the end of the movie. Just like the Nazi writings were burned off of the crate earlier in the movie, so too do the etchings on the crate in the US warehouse burn off. He explained that it was the very last scene in the film.

-MTR

galactus · 09-22-2011, 11:04 PM

Sounds interesting, and I wouldn't put it past Spielberg and Lucas to do something like that (they love their symmetry after all....NNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!)

galactus · 09-22-2011, 11:09 PM

Hey, if you type "Raiders of the Lost Ark missing scenes" into Yahoo, this thread is the 5th item to pop up

TNovak · 09-22-2011, 11:12 PM

I remember that scene at the end. I don't remember it burning off any specific emblem but I remember it burning the crate after it was left in the stack and I know it is not the scene when the swastika was burned earlier in the movie. I saw it in the theatre when I was a teenager.

Nidgit · 09-22-2011, 11:18 PM

I don't remember ever seeing that. It does sound remarkably similar to the scene where the swastika is scorched off. It seems odd that they would repeat a very similar scene at the end of the movie.

MeetThyReaper · 09-22-2011, 11:19 PM

I believe the only time people saw this scene was during the early theatrical release back in 1981. From what I heard online, the film was modified within the first month of the film's debut and this particular scene was never seen again. I heard a rumor that the Region 4 (Australian) DVD of Raiders of the Lost Ark still has the scene, but I have not seen any evidence to determine whether this is true.

Unfortunately, I was born in '83, so I didn't have the opportunity to see Raiders in theaters.

-MTR

MeetThyReaper · 09-22-2011, 11:23 PM

Hey Nidgit. Can you look up an Aussie copy of Raiders and look into this? Maybe chat with some of your fellow Australian friends about this topic? I'd definitely like to hear more about this!

-MTR

Nidgit · 09-22-2011, 11:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MeetThyReaper

Hey Nidgit. Can you look up an Aussie copy of Raiders and look into this? Maybe chat with some of your fellow Australian friends about this topic? I'd definitely like to hear more about this!

-MTR

Sure thing . . . I saw it at the cinema but don't remember the scene at the end (that's not to say it didnt happen . . . I don't remember alot of stuff these days

)

I bought alot of R1 DVD's when I lived OS, so I'm not sure where my Raiders would be from but I can check that as well.