British fans of Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones character are set to enjoy a feast of entertainment this March, as “Raiders of the Lost Ark” is to be given a series of special screenings at the celebrated Royal Albert Hall. With John Williams’ distinctive score for the Film playing a fundamental part in the overall cinematic experience, it is only fitting that the music is to be provided live by the 21st Century Symphony Orchestra.

First outing for Indiana Jones

With the news that Ford is set to reprise his swashbuckling role as ‘Indy’ once again in the near future, interest in the franchise seems set to continue undiminished. So the fitting tribute of going back to where it all began in 1981 - when Steven Spielberg directed the first archaeological adventure – promises a great night out to celebrate the film’s 35th anniversary.

‘Raiders’ is scheduled to be shown on the big screen at the London venue, with a full concert orchestra led by its founder, the conductor Ludwig Wicki performing Williams’ score simultaneously.

Tickets selling fast

With tickets selling fast for the London venue, additional dates have been added to satisfy the demand.

Renowned for the annual musical extravaganza that is “The BBC Proms”, the soundtrack accompaniment should be impeccable. Confirmed dates so far include:

  • Wednesday 9th March - Saturday 12th March (2:30pm and 7pm).

High-octane adventure film

The first outing for Dr. Jones set an incredibly high standard for the high-octane films that followed in the series. George Lucas and Philip Kaufman’s story provided Ford with a vehicle to showcase his leading man status as a heroic adventurer, complete with trademark fedora and whip.

In the film, Jones and his enduring love interest Marion Ravenwood (played by Karen Allen) take on the might of Hitler’s Third Reich, as they search for the fabled ‘Ark of the Covenant’.

The result was a masterpiece in the action-adventure genre and has been rated as one of the best films of its kind of all time.

The original film proved to be extremely popular with Cinema audiences on its release, with estimated takings of over $380 million pushing it to the top of the year’s box office charts. It also enjoyed critical acclaim, bagging five Academy Awards but sadly missing out on the ‘Best Picture’ and ‘Best Director’ categories.

Face familiar to UK TV fans

British fans will also no doubt recognize the numerous appearances by a familiar face from the TV programme “Auf Wiedersehen Pet” in the film. Former wrestler Pat Roach, who starred as ‘Bomber’ in the comedy show, became a regular ‘baddie’ in the Indiana Jones films.

In “Raiders of the Lost Ark” he played two parts. Firstly, as a giant Sherpa he fought Dr. Jones in a bar in Nepal and then returned to the action as a shaven-headed German, who meets a particularly nasty end on an airstrip in Egypt after a boxing scene with ‘Indy’.

Roach was to return in the next two films as typically muscle-bound supporting characters, but his untimely death in 2004 pre-dated the fourth film in the franchise “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”.