Let me preface by saying I'm glad this movie is finally on DVD, and I'm not saying this to get people to cancel their preorders or scream, "Luca$ and $peilberg $uck!" But did anyone watching Raiders of the Lost Ark last night notice a slight dialogue alteration?

When Indy and Sallah look down into the Well of Souls for the first time, and Sallah sees the snakes, he originally says, "Indy - why does the floor move?" Now on the DVD he says, "Why does the floor move?"

I played the scene back with subtitles to be sure. Again, it sounded like Sallah's line had been shortened, but the subtitles still read as if he's saying, "Indy - why does the floor move?"

Have I watched this movie waaaaaaay too many times?

Have you compared this to an earlier VHS or Laserdisc copy to be sure?

I still own the VHS. I've viewed that one so many times, if I was ever stranded on a deserted island, I could pretend I was in a theater and recite the whole movie in my head from beginning to end in order to maintain my sanity.

I didn't pop the VHS in last night to compare, however, because the subtitles pretty much confirmed what I had suspected.

It's pretty common for subtitles to not match the dialogue, so the best confirmation would be an earlier copy of the film.

Fair enough. My first concern was that my DVD might be different than all the rest and have some weird sound drop-off or something. But you can still hear the soundtrack music, so I doubt that is what's happening.

I just popped in my laserdisc copy and Sallah says "Indy - why does the floor move." However, when he says "Indy", it is very, very hard to hear. I had to put my ear next to the speaker to hear it.

Right now I can't verify whether or not the line is missing from the DVD.

I have the VHS version and just did a comparison .. I couldn't hear any significant difference. But, damn, having to see the pan&scan version was painful!!

Gee, I'd hate to see what you'd do if you DID go insane!

-Videophile

Oh come on! Trapped on a deserted island with no DVDs? Sometimes you have to go to drastic measures to survive!

I just compared with the VHS, which contains a MONO sound mix.

On the DVD, Sallah still says "Indy..." before "Why does the floor move?" but it's very soft and a little lost in the rear channels, which are a little weak (see DVD File's review for more about the minor audio problems).

Depending on your system some of the dialogue may be further back into the mix than you're used to.

Thanks for the info. Cancelled my predorder. Maybe eventually Luca$ and $pielberg will learn to stop changing these films.

If you cancel orders because of new 5.1 DD sound mixes, you'll pretty much have to not buy most DVDs out there, as many, if not most, contain surround mixes that are *gasp* DIFFERENT THAN THE THEATRICAL PRESENTATION.

It's a fine set. The new mixes are for the most part an improvement.

It's your stereo system that sucks.

Wow. You're going to purposely skip one of the best DVD packages of the year because **one** word of dialogue is hard to hear in the new remix?

It's your loss, man. The set is fantastic.

i believe (and sincerely hope) he was being sarcastic

I think that was a joke.

I noticed this when I saw the movie on ABC a few years ago. It bugged the hell out of me so much I went out and bought the movie to see if the guy actually says "Indy" before the other line. The thing is that its almost inaudible on the tape as well. I figured that perhaps they had a new sound mix and the line just didn't get picked up. Anyone want a slightly used VHS copy of Raiders?

That was a joke.

Oh, I see. Well, never mind, then!

You can never tell on these boards.......

Does Greedo shoot first in this one?

No, but the swordsman in Cairo pulls out a gun and takes a few shots and Indy before he gets gunned down.

For what it's worth, my THX-mastered widescreen VHS copy of "Raiders" that was released in 1999 has a DOlby Pro-Logic surround mix.

Oooh, Pro-Logic!

On my copy, Indy pulls out a radio, points it at the swordsman and tells him to play dead.

Actually, Indy now pulls out a walkie talkie and the swordsman runs away.