Smash Cut

Back in the days when George Lucas actually made enjoyable movies, he invited director Steven Spielberg and writer Lawrence Kasdan over to have a little discussion. The focus of the meeting was to come up with a screenplay centered around an rugged archaeologist, one that would be almost like a globe-trotting samurai with a whip instead of a sword. He’d come face-to-face with Nazis and other nefarious evil-doers in a breakneck adventure to uncover a legendary holy relic that’s reputed to bring its bearers power of unfathomable proportions: the Ark of the Covenant.

We all know that this story would become the basis of 1981’s unforgettable action classic Raiders of the Lost Ark. But even before the trio even dreamed up the name of Indiana Jones or thought about having Harrison Ford fill his shoes, they had a conference so that ideas could be bandied about, plot points ironed or abandoned, and characters envisioned in a non-stop volley.

That meeting was a gathering of three creators who, at the time, were at the top of their creative game, and we’re lucky that someone actually transcribed the conference, which is now available for our edification, reading pleasure, or plain old satisfaction of curiosity. If you’d like to have a window into the event that led to an unforgettable film and a truly iconic character, go here to download the transcript. It’s about 6MB in size, in pdf format. While it lasts, folks!