Continuity mistake: When Indiana is confronted by the Cairo swordsman, he already has his left shoulder pointing towards his opponent in the shot where the crowd scatters. But in the following shot, where the swordsman is first seen, Indiana has his right shoulder pointing forward and is just turning around to his left side. (00:40:14)
Continuity mistake: While escaping from the boulder, right before the spiderweb scene, Indy runs facing forward and makes a right turn. A shot later from a wide angle he is facing backwards.
Continuity mistake: When Indy is driving the truck, chasing Belloq and his Nazi cohorts, the last Nazi guarding the Ark of the Covenant climbs to the driver's side of the truck and kicks Indy away from the steering wheel. The first time he punches Indy in the arm, Indy's blood is on his fist. However, the second time he punches Indy in the same spot, there is no blood on his fist.
Continuity mistake: In the bar shootout, a man is shot in the head, and as Marion screams in shock she's holding onto the table. In the very next shot her hand is much lower.
Continuity mistake: When chasing Indy in the truck that he has driven into a fruit market, the Germans in their car are surrounded by fruit sellers. One gives a German soldier a melon, who promptly throws it to the ground on the left side of the car. When the car pulls away, the broken melon lies on the right side.
Continuity mistake: Indy swings on the vine, and his bag is on his hip. As he gets up on the plane, it disappears, but the strap is on his shoulder again in the cockpit.
Continuity mistake: While Indy is chased while running towards the plane, he is in an open field where Jack the pilot can perfectly see him, but when the angle changes Indy is suddenly next to a forest.
Continuity mistake: The huge rock rolls down to ground level, but when the angle changes it's back on a levelled position.
Continuity mistake: The position of the door through which Satipo escapes with the idol is inconsistent in every shot, sometimes it's higher, then almost closed, then back to open.
Continuity mistake: As Marion initiates the drinking challenge with Belloq, from the front she quickly tosses the drink back, tipping her head back then forward. From behind she repeats the motion.
Continuity mistake: When Indy is shot in the arm in the car, there's no blood on the windscreen at first, but in the very next shot there is.
Continuity mistake: After Marion's been thrown in the Well of Souls, a net and pair of sticks over the crate behind Belloq appear or disappear randomly between shots.
Continuity mistake: After the kids save Indy at the bar, he exits and there's a man on the right carrying a load on his shoulder. He appears and disappears randomly depending on the angle.
Continuity mistake: When Indy's crew is lifting the stone door to access the Well of Souls, big clouds of white smoke come out from every corner. A frame later, from a wider angle, they're gone.
Continuity mistake: About to grab the idol, Indy passes a stick over a pile of sand on the ground which has a leaf on the center. A frame later the leaf is on the left side.
Continuity mistake: The amount of dates change from shot to shot before they are poisoned.
Continuity mistake: At the market in Cairo just after one of the guys tries to kill Indy with a sword and misses, the shadow from the wall changes between shots.
Continuity mistake: When Indiana is fighting the bad guys at the market in Cairo, one of them kills another one with a sword instead of Indy - their position changes between shots.
Continuity mistake: Belloq grabs the idol from below its ear. When the angle changes he is holding it by the idol's temple.
Continuity mistake: When the guy at the start who betrayed Indy is shown stabbed by many spears, in the shot when Indy says "adios", he stays with him the entire shot. However, in the next shot, he's far away from him.
Answer: Indy and Marcus Brody believed that the Ark needed to be studied. They certainly didn't want to put it back where it was found. They believed that the U.S. government would find the best archaeologists, researchers, and scientists in the world to study the Ark. They are both upset that instead, the government has decided to simply lock the Ark away. This is why Indy says, "Fools. They don't know what they've got there," as he is leaving the building.
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