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Director Steven Spielberg says that out of all his movies, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” is one of the few he can get wrapped up in and experience like any member of the audience instead of picking it apart.
And no wonder. “Raiders” is a winning adventure, enjoyed by most everyone who’s seen it — well, besides the New Yorker’s Pauline Kael, who panned the movie and its commercial pedigree back in 1981, writing, “It appears that [George] Lucas and Spielberg think just like the marketing division.”
That marketing division is still percolating, and this week sees the release of “Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures,” a five-disc Blu-ray set containing the classic trilogy, plus the non-classic “The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” plus seven hours of extras ($99.98).
All the bonus materials have been previously released with the exception of a new, two-part documentary “On Set With Raiders of the Lost Ark: From Jungle to Desert and From Adventure to Legend.”
The behind-the-scenes footage gives viewers a fly-on-the-wall view of the production as Harrison Ford sleeps during takes and Spielberg instructs the baffled Nazi soldiers just how to react when they’re electrocuted by ghosts that will be added during post-production.
Perhaps for continuity’s sake with the other three film titles, “Raiders” on the DVD box is now called “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark,” but it could have just as easily been Indiana Smith. That was George Lucas’ original name for the character, but Spielberg said it was the one aspect he didn’t like. Lucas shrugged and suggested Jones.
Indiana was the name of Lucas’ dog, a furry malamute that had also been the inspiration for Chewbacca in “Star Wars.”
Lucas, Spielberg and writer Larry Kasdan outlined the story in just three days, and Kasdan wrote the screenplay in longhand on yellow paper.
Despite Lucas’ and Spielberg’s track record at the box office, every studio in Hollywood passed on “Raiders” initially, fearing it would be too expensive. Finally, Paramount financed it with the stipulation that it be made quick and dirty, like a TV show, for $20 million.
That suited its makers just fine, as the concept had been inspired by the low-budget matinee serials of the 1940s and ’50s.
Finding the lead proved challenging. Spielberg suggested Harrison Ford, but Lucas had already used him in two previous movies, and he didn’t want the actor to become “his Robert De Niro.”
Tim Matheson, Peter Coyote and Tom Selleck all screen-tested and the director settled on Selleck — only he famously wasn’t allowed out of his “Magnum PI” contract.
Back to Ford they went, who signed up, albeit reluctantly because of the three-film commitment.
The costume designer outfitted him in an Australian-style hat from London milliner Herbert Johnson. The leather jacket was new, but given an aged look with a wire brush and a knife borrowed from Ford.
Sean Young tested for the role of Marion Ravenwood, though the role ultimately went to Karen Allen. Marion was the name of Kasdan’s grandmother, Ravenwood the name of a street he passed by.
One of the film’s most popular scenes, the snake-infested Well of Souls, was as problematic as one might imagine. Initially the set was stocked with some 2,000 serpents, but it still looked bare in long shots. Producers had to rustle up 5,000 more from snake farms across Europe. One unlucky crew member got bitten by a python.
When Ford’s character falls to the ground and comes face to face with a cobra, a sheet of glass was placed between the two to keep the actor safe. In the original film, a reflection was visible. That mistake has been erased in this new set.
For fans reticent to buy any collection of a franchise that gets re-released every few years, rest easy that this is probably all you’ll ever need. Lucas has mentioned the possibility of doing a fifth installment, but producer Frank Marshall recently said it’s unlikely. Meanwhile, Harrison Ford just turned 70.
Best to remember him this way, in all his youthful, Blu-ray glory.
reed.tucker@nypost.com