20 Things You Somehow Missed In Raiders Of The Lost Ark

15. The U-boat Pen Is Real

Raiders of the Lost Ark Harrison Ford
LucasFilm

U-boats were, of course, a key symbol of Nazi military might during World War II so, even though Raiders of the Lost Ark is set three years before the onslaught of the war, it is natural to see a U-boat in the film.

Given that production designers such as Sir Ken Adam were building elaborate soundstage sets such as submarine pens as a matter of course for the Bond films around this time, you might be forgiven for believing that the U-boat pen in Raiders was merely a soundstage set at Elstree Studios. In truth, however, it was the real thing.

One of the most famous surviving U-boat pens in the world is the deep water port of La Pallice in La Rochelle, France. At the time that Raiders was being filmed, Wolfgang Petersen was filming his definitive opus on the hardships of a U-boat crew, Das Boot. Spielberg borrowed the use of the U-boat pens in order to depict Paul Freeman's René Belloq arriving at the Nazis' island base with both the Ark and Marion Ravenwood in tow.

Producer, Robert Watts was particularly taken with the authenticity of the location (including the graffiti on its walls) and described it as being a real-life film set.

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I started writing for WhatCulture in July 2020. I have always enjoyed reading and writing. I have contributed to several short story competitions and I have occasionally been fortunate enough to have my work published. During the COVID-19 lockdown, I also started reviewing films on my Facebook page. Numerous friends and contacts suggested that I should start my own website for reviewing films, but I wanted something a bit more diverse - and so here I am! My interests focus on film and television mainly, but I also occasionally produce articles that venture into other areas as well. In particular, I am a fan of the under appreciated sequel (of which there are many), but I also like the classics and the mainstream too.