With all the talks
of Indiana Jones and
the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull plotlines,
co-stars, set leaks, what treasure he will be
looking for and Harrison Ford's age - there has
been one curious topic that hasn't been addressed;
Which Indiana Jones will be on the screen?
I am not talking about which actor
will be up on the screen next May, but rather
I am talking about the character of Indiana Jones.
You see there has been many variations, call it
development or interpretations of the intrepid
archeologist in the films, TV series, novels and
comics and when discussing it with fans, everyone
sees him a bit differently. And that may have
been the key to Indy's big screen success.
Let's go back to the beginning,
that fabled day in May when the creator, George
Lucas casually mentioned an idea of a character
he thought up to his pal , Mr. Duel,
Steven Spielberg, he envisioned a playboy, rogue
like archeologist -- called Indiana Smith!
"Fortune and glory, kid." |
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As we all know, along with the surname
change there would be a shift towards academia
rather than a ladies man. Yet, what was the dynamic
that drove Indiana Jones? Why did he do the things
he did? In an interview during the making of Raiders
of the Lost Ark, Harrison Ford laughingly
calls him a grave robber. But where's the scholar,
the man who claimed since a teenager that ancient
items "belonged in a museum"? Odd that
the obtainer of rare antiquities was going after
a Shankara stone one year earlier before the Ark,
for the sheer "fortune and glory" of
it all!
Now, contradictions are bound to
arise as writers change from film to film, but
unlike the James Bond character, who had many
years and actors to alter the way fans viewed
him, thus creating a Bond for different tastes
- what happened to Indy? In the novelization
of Raiders, author
Campbell Black describes Indy as a former WWI
veteran, who gets an actual thrill when he touches
long lost artifacts. He does it to satisfy his
never-ending thirst for knowledge. Clearly, this
is an Indiana Jones molded after Henry Jones,
Sr. - a man who is more focused on people who
lived thousands of years ago. Setting up this
rivalry between that professor Indy and Rene Belloq,
a former archeologist turned mercenary fortune
hunter who has no love for nostalgia beyond what
it will bring him monetarily. That is until he
gets the chance of lifetime - to talk to God!
Yet the two do share one great similarity - they
will stop at nothing to get their goals, though
Belloq wouldn't dirty his hands in the same way
Indy would. When it comes down to it, Indiana
Jones is leaving a big body count behind as he
gets his booty while we never see Belloq actually
kill anyone. Let us not forget that Indy also
does things for the - as the line referring to
his satisfactory "settlement" states
he didn't look for the Ark solely out of the love
for learning. Maybe Belloq was right and Indy
was just a shadowy reflection of Rene after all?
"All I want is the girl." |
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However, there is a huge character
defining moment in Raiders,
when the scholarly, soldier of fortune who would
do anything to get his treasure - only to admit
at the end that when it all came to pass he would
pass up the Ark and that all he wanted was the
girl. I always remember that as the defining moment,
one that turned Indiana Jones from just another
comic book hero to one of some substance.
After the release of Raiders,
Marvel Comics showed us an agnostic, Indiana Jones,
who thinks nothing of saving his own skin and
letting the villainess die at the hands of an
ancient, golden zombie in The
Further Adventures of Indiana Jones issue
# 2. Now, while the writers on this series changed
so frequently that a consistent Indy character
never establishes himself, we do get glimpses
of the playboy Indiana Jones when he is reunited
with Marion Ravenwood at her club in a tale by
Howard Chaykin. Alas, the book really collapses
in on itself as it becomes a repetitive series
of two issue story arcs and never touches on the
thrills of the films.
"The deal was for
the diamond." |
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The original, cinematic view of
Indiana Jones in Raiders
is what was etched into the minds of moviegoers
in 1981. But when the sequel or rather prequel
came along in 1984, another, more cynical Indy
showed up. Was the deal for the diamond benefiting
Marcus Brody's gem collection at the National
Museum or Indy's bank account? He is giving up
the remains of the first emperor of the Manchu
dynasty for the money? This Indy is more Han Solo,
"in it for the money", than the scholarly
professor. So much so that he sets out seeking
fortune and glory, to benefit himself. As we learn
in the dinner scene, his reputation and long line
of "misunderstandings" puts him back
into the rogue/playboy/fortune hunter than we
were led to believe. Is it the redemption that
comes from waking from the black sleep of Kali
- that changes Indy into the village savior? The
Indy at the end of the movie doesn't want the
Shankara Stone to become another rock collecting
dust in a museum, he sees the "magic"
that can save a village - and lets it go! So,
if we put the Temple
in chronological order - we have just witnessed
the emergence of the "new" selfless,
Indiana Jones. So, where was the Indiana Jones
who loves the thrill of discovering ancient artifacts
rather than money before all of this? Maybe he
was still feeling the effects of Lao Che's poison
and forgot.
"Yes, I understand its power
now."
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Even with all of its wild antics,
there is still an Indiana Jones character evolution
in Temple of Doom,
it was the seeing the "magic" of the
rock, and the power of being part of a community
over the shallowness of "fortune and glory".
It was like Han Solo realizing he wasn't just
in it for the money as he turned the Millennium
Falcon around and headed back towards the Death
Star. `But wait - the man with the hat returns
in 1989 and is now dedicated to finding treasures
and putting them in museums, as he states several
times, even as a youngster. He is back as a professor,
though one who is somewhat negligent in his student
care (just ask Irene when he will get around to
grading those papers). Yet, he actually passes
initially on the chance to get the Holy Grail,
and only begins the quest to find his father.
At this point, I could diverge from the topic
of Indiana Jones and asked what happened to Marcus
as he became a bubbling idiot rather than someone
who once felt he was up to the challenge of the
Ark quest, but that's another story.
In Last
Crusade, it was a double-edged discovery,
as Indy's and his father, discover what they had
always been searching or was in front all along
- each other and understanding of what motivates
people.
Sean Patrick Flannery as Young Indiana
Jones |
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The Young
Indiana Jones Chronicles are unfortunately
a mish-mash of character development - brought
on by the switching of writers and directors.
Sometimes we see the fun adventurous Indy, then
a somber Indy. Granted the show illustrated his
life from a boy of 9, to a teenager facing the
horrors of World War I, the Russian Revolution,
and in the Masks
of Evil episode - vampires? Indiana Jones
was meeting real life historical figures, and
the character was transformed into more of a realistic
one - that is in some episodes. There is no consistency,
and the audience never gets to see what turned
the character into who he was on screen - this
was not the Batman Begins
or Casino Royale
of Indiana Jones. One explanation of why the TV
Indy isn't not like his celluloid version comes
from comic book version of the show. In the intro
of The Young Indiana
Jones Chronicles comic book, "old"
Indy is complimented by a valet that he had enjoyed
reading all of Dr. Jones adventure books! Maybe
the adventures of the cinematic Indy, were supposed
to be the wild retelling's of an old man's vivid
imagination.
Now, seeing the Indy "family"
standing around on the set during the Comic-Con
video and the bits of film and photos that have
come out from Lucasfilm, one couldn't help but
get a big goofy grin and some chills. The wait
to May 22, 2008 is one that is up there with the
one moviegoers haven't had since May 1983. After
years of anticipation, Star
Wars ended in applause as the heroes of
the trilogy faded off into cinema history surrounded
by a Ewoks. And what will happen to the man with
the hat this time as he matures?
Harrison Ford in the
Comic-Con 2007 video.
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Now, Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood
are together again. That is the pairing we all
waited to see in 1984, when the Indy returned.
Yes, Temple of Doom
was entertaining, and who didn't get a kick out
of the interactions between Indy and Short Round.
But it was missing something. In 1989, moviegoers
met Indy's Dad, and it was fun, especially with
Marcus and Sallah thrown into this adventure,
as well. But as the gang rode off into the sunset,
in the back of everyone's mind was that nagging
question - did Indy ever end up with Marion?The
Young Indiana Jones Chronicles TV series
showed us that at some point episode Indy settled
down, had a daughter and grandkids. But who was
the lucky lady? Willie Scott? That student with
the "Love You" eyes? No there was only
one person who could match Indy's reckless nature
and keep him grounded and that was the shot-swilling,
two-fisted, freckled heroine, Marion. With her
return to Indy's world, maybe that is a glimpse
at the next evolution of the character of Indiana
Jones.
George Hall as the
"Old Indy". |
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On reflection, and seeing that the
"Old Indy" segments have been removed
from the upcoming DVD releases indicates that
Lucas and Spielberg may have revised Indy's
fate. So, one tends to believe that "Old Indy"
is no longer part of the Indy Jones cannon material
anymore - so with Indy
4 who knows what the future holds? Note,
Lucas has performed "revisionist history" on his
creations before - "Old Anakin" portrayed
by Sebastian Shaw was replaced by "Younger Anakin",
Hayden Christiansen in the DVD release of Return
of the Jedi. This appears to be the case
with eye-patch wearing, George Hall's performance
as Old Indy, he lives now only in our memories
and some of those fans lucky enough to have saved
their old videotapes they made back in the early
1990s airings.
And now with Indy
4 - which could be called Indiana
Jones and the Road to Eternity instead
of Indiana Jones and
the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, he is
about to realize what one leaves behind and how
it affects the lives of those one encounters -
even after they are gone. With the character facing
his own inevitable mortality, loss of old friends
(like Marcus and maybe his Dad), and the discovery
of a possible new "family". I think
the audience will see an Indiana Jones, once again
risking himself to save something much more special
than a gold plated trinket - not to be preachy,
but the Indy films have always had more substance
to them, and that is what the poor imitators (like
the Tomb Raider
series) have never understood.
Think about it, in all his adventures
- Indy never gets to keep any of the treasures
he chases after - he always has them "in
his hands", but loses them - but he always
gets something he never bargained for. And contrary
to the popular saying, maybe you can teach the
guy named after the dog some new tricks!
This time he may find something
more sacred than any of the other items from the
previous films - he may even find a family!
Imagine what changes will the character go through
when he knows that he isn't alone and has a new
role!
So when the whip cracks once again
in theatres next spring, we can once again see
what life is like trying to keep up with the Joneses!
We will we see a kinder, gentler, softer side
of Dr. Jones? Perhaps one that has been, dare
I say domesticated? How funny would a closing
shot of Marion making dinner, as Indy comes home
from a long day being a curator at the museum
or to grade papers be? The camera pulls back as
Indy hangs up his fedora on the coat rack and
he sits down and asks Marion, "How was your
day, dear?" I don't' think so.
Then again, she could punch him in the face because
he forgot to take out the garbage or pick up milk.
However the character behaves and
evolves in the next film, there is one sentiment
that all fans can agree on; "Welcome back, Dr.
Jones - we really missed you!"
Fade to black.
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