14. Indy Actually Fights The Cairo Swordsman - Raiders Of The Lost Ark
Everybody remembers the now iconic moment in Raiders Of The Lost Ark in which Indiana Jones is confronted by a large, dangerous swordsman who proceeds to show off his skills to intimidate our hero, only for Indy to offer a sly grin and a bullet from his fun. Everybody also knows that Indy was originally supposed to face off against this unsavoury character in a full-on fight sequence, but due to Harrison Ford having dysentery, the scene was adapted on the day. As a result, Ford jokingly suggested that Indy just shoot the swordsman dead, Spielberg thought the idea was hilarious, and the rest is history. Before they shot the scene that way, though, various elements of the full-on fight were shot; the filming of which you can see in the video below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAoJrNbgUoI Yep, Indy was originally supposed to use his bullwhip to drive off the swordsman. He wasn't even meant to have a gun on him at the time - the weapon was factored in later. Instead, the swordsman would have lunged at Indy, at which point... well, it's anyone's guess, really.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
