Raiders Of The Lost Ark's Thrilling Opening Was Shot On One Of Hawaii's Most Beautiful Islands

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The word "iconic" gets thrown around a bit too much in regards to films. If anything could rightfully earn that moniker, though, it is Steven Spielberg's 1981 action/adventure classic "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Working with his friend and "Star Wars" director George Lucas, Spielberg crafted a cinematic icon like no other in the form of Indiana Jones, played by Harrison Ford in every single movie in the series to date. But it all started with "Raiders." More specifically, it all started with that unforgettable opening sequence.

The introduction of Ford's Indy in the film's opening, from his emergence from the jungle to being chased by that boulder, is cinema history. It's blockbuster filmmaking at its finest. There's a reason why "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is hailed as one of the greatest movies ever made. While that legendary opening scene is supposed to take place in Peru, it was actually filmed in Hawaii. More specifically, the island of Kauai, which is oft-considered one of the most beautiful islands that makes up the U.S. state.

Spielberg filmed "Raiders" all over the world, including some brutal scenes in the Sahara Desert which makes up the Egypt portion of the film. Hawaii and the scenes captured on the island of Kauai though are immeasurably important, as those scenes set the tone for the entire movie. What happened on that island was nothing short of movie magic, instantly gripping audience members who had no idea what they were in for.

Kauai is the fourth largest Hawaiian island filled with peaks, valleys, and lush vegetation, which allowed Spielberg to have the island stand in for Peru. Per Movie-Locations.com, the temple location is on the Kipu Ranch, which is a working cattle ranch that is not typically open to the public.

Though people can't just wander around the Kipu Ranch hoping to get a taste of what it was like to be on the set or "Raiders" all those years ago, the good news is that anyone visiting the island of Kauai in Hawaii can book a tour to scope out the filming location. Kipu Ranch ATV Tours takes visitors through several classic filming locations, including Spielberg's beloved '81 blockbuster.

That's not the only Spielberg blockbuster that made use of Hawaii though, as the filmmaker would later return to film large portions of 1993's groundbreaking box office smash "Jurassic Park" there, which can also be seen on this ATV tour. The majority of the "Jurassic" sequels have also made use of Hawaii's landscapes to help recreate the islands off the coast of Costa Rica where John Hammond brought dinosaurs back from the dead.

Hawaii has a long storied history with Hollywood beyond Spielberg. The vast majority of ABC's hit series "Lost" was filmed on Oahu in Hawaii, for example. Not to mention "Hawaii Five-0." On the movie side of things, everything from Adam Sandler's "50 First Dates" to "Point Break" filmed at least partially in Hawaii. But in all of the years that Hollywood has made use of the beautiful state, nothing quite as seminal as those historic opening minutes of "Raiders" has been committed to film.

You can grab the "Indiana Jones 4-Movie Collection" on 4K, Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon.