"I've always been fascinated by the
people and events of history," said George Lucas, creator
of the series that ran on network television from 1992 to 1994.
"Young Indiana Jones gave me the chance
to explore issues and ideas that had so much to do with the emergence
of the modern age we live in today." The Adventures
of Young Indiana Jones Volume One is the first of three collections
of the series and is released by Lucasfilm Ltd., CBS Home Entertainment
and Paramount Home Entertainment. The first 12-disc set includes
seven feature-length episodes as well as 38 in-depth companion documentaries,
an historical overview, an interactive game and an interactive timeline.
The 38 historical companion films are original works from the Lucasfilm
documentary unit, headed by CBS News veteran David Schneider. The
documentaries complement the episodes with insights from scholars,
historians and luminaries from a wide range of disciplines, bringing
remarkable and fresh insight into The Adventures of Young Indiana
Jones. They include interviews with Gen. Colin Powell, Henry
Kissinger, Gloria Steinem, Martin Scorsese, Barbara Boxer, James
Earl Jones, Hal David and Deepak Chopra, along with some of the
nation's pre-eminent academics.
A critically acclaimed combination of adventure, romance and history,
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones was shot in 35 countries
and utilized the talents of the industry's most distinguished actors,
directors and writers, earning 11 Emmy Awards and 26 nominations
over the course of its production. In addition, The Adventures
of Young Indiana Jones was the first television series to use
digital production, pioneering processes that would pave the way
for Lucas' own Star Wars prequels.
"Young Indiana Jones was one of the
most ambitious and complex projects that had ever been attempted
for television, and the result was an amazing series that showed
a completely different side to Indy," said series producer
Rick McCallum, who also produced the three Star Wars prequels
and the Special Editions of the original Star Wars Trilogy.
"Over the years, the fan support for
Young Indiana Jones has swelled, and I'm asked about it everywhere
I go. So, I'm really happy that people who grew up with it can at
last have it for themselves, and that a new generation will be able
to discover the brilliant acting, directing, writing and storytelling
that has always been the hallmark of an extraordinary venture."
The feature-length episodes star Sean Patrick Flanery (Boondock
Saints, "The Dead Zone") as teenaged Indy
and Corey Carrier (Nixon) as 9-year-old Indy. The extraordinary
cast of guest stars includes Christopher Lee, Vanessa Redgrave,
Max von Sydow, Anne Heche, Lukas Haas, Elizabeth Hurley, Catherine
Zeta-Jones, Jeffrey Wright and Daniel Craig.
During its network-television run, critics described the series
as intelligent, daring, well written, irreverent, and unprecedented
in scope and production values.
The Hollywood Reporter called the series "exciting,
fun, adventurous, brilliantly made and with a story that's simply
charming." Bill Moyers said, "These
exciting tales are the way to a youngster's imagination -- and his
grandfather's, too. History's never been told more vividly or more
engagingly for the young and old alike. May Young Indy be my grandson's
companion far into the 21st Century."
The Young Indiana Jones films also feature the work of some of
the industry's biggest names in directing and writing. Directors
include Bille August (Les Miserables), Mike Newell (Harry
Potter And The Goblet Of Fire), David Hare (Strapless,
screenplays for The Hours and Damage), Terry Jones
(Monty Python and the Holy Grail and The Life of Brian),
Deepa Mehta (Water), Joe Johnston (The Rocketeer,
Jurassic Park III), Nicholas Roeg (The Man Who Fell
To Earth, Don't Look Now), and Michael Schultz (Car
Wash, TV's Everwood). Writers include Rosemary Anne
Sisson (Upstairs, Downstairs), Frank Darabont
(The Shawshank Redemption) and Jonathan Hensleigh (Die
Hard with a Vengeance).
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones Volume One, debuts
Oct. 23 and also features an interactive historical timeline that
gives an exciting and educational cross-section of the early 20th
century. Volume Two will follow on Dec. 18, with Volume
Three scheduled for release in Spring 2008. The complete three-volume
collection will contain 22 feature-length movies and 94 documentaries,
interactive games developed by River Deep, an interactive timeline
produced by Terra Incognita Productions and an historical overview
by noted author and University of Texas history professor H.W. Brands.
DVD The first of three comprehensive collections, The Adventures
of Young Indiana Jones Volume One is a 12-disc set presented
in full screen with Dolby Digital English Stereo and English subtitles.
The DVD is Not Rated in the U.S. and rated PG in Canada.
The DVD disc breakdown is as follows:
Disc One: My
First Adventure
While on an archaeological dig in Egypt's Valley of the Kings,
Indy uncovers an ancient mummy and fresh corpse. With the help
of T.E. Lawrence, the legendary Lawrence of Arabia, Indy solves
an intriguing murder mystery only to find himself thrust right
back into danger when he is kidnapped by slave-trading brigands.
Dragged on a terrifying journey across the burning sands of North
Africa to the slave markets of Marrakech, Indy finds that he must
rely on his courage and wits to survive the brutal ordeal.
Companion Historical Documentaries:
- Archaeology: Unearthing Our Past
- Howard Carter and the Tomb of Tutankhamun
- Colonel Lawrence's War: T.E. Lawrence and Arabia
- From Slavery to Freedom
Disc Two: Passion
For Life
The beautiful Masai Mara game reserve in Kenya is the locale as
Indy goes on safari with former President Teddy Roosevelt. When
he becomes lost in the savage African bush, Indy finds that he
must fight for his life against all manner of exotic and dangerous
wildlife. Exotic wildlife of another kind await him in Paris when
he accompanies a young Norman Rockwell on a rollicking tour through
the bohemian world of Parisian fine art. Wild parties, wilder
women and artist temperament are on full display as Pablo Picasso
and Edgar Degas clash over their contrasting styles of painting,
while painting the town red at a gaudy late-night soiree.
Disc Three: (Passion For Life bonus disc)
Companion Historical Documentaries:
- Theodore Roosevelt and The American Century
- Ecology: Pulse of the Planet
- American Dreams: Norman Rockwell and the Saturday Evening
Post
- Art Rebellion: The Making of the Modern
- Edgar Degas: Reluctant Rebel
- Braque Picasso: A Collaboration Cubed
Disc Four: The
Perils of Cupid
In beautiful Vienna, Indy falls for the lovely young daughter
of soon-to-be assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria.
But the course of true love does not run smoothly and he must
seek advice from two of the founding fathers of psychology, Sigmund
Freud and Carl Jung. Romantic complications of another kind turn
up in Florence, Italy, when Indy and his mother meet the great
opera composer Giacomo Puccini. Dismayed to find his lonely mother
succumbing to the sensuous charms of the charismatic Puccini,
Indy frantically looks for a way to reunite his parents and rekindle
their love before it's too late.
Disc Five: (The Perils of Cupid bonus disc)
Companion Historical Documentaries:
- Giacomo Puccini -- Music of the Heart
- It's Opera!
- The Archduke's Last Journey -- End of an Era
- Powder Keg -- Europe 1900 to 1914
- Sigmund Freud -- Exploring the Unconscious
- Carl Jung and the Journey of Self Discovery
- Psychology -- Charting the Human Mind
Disc Six: Travels
with Father
A trip to Russia takes Indy from the opulent palaces of the aristocracy
to the fetid villages of the peasant class when he runs away from
home after an argument with his parents. Joining up with novelist
Leo Tolstoy, the two go on the road, engaging in philosophical
discussions and clashing with colorful Gypsies and ferocious Cossacks.
Realizing that there's no place like home, Indy rejoins his mom
and dad and travels with his father to an isolated Greek monastery
perched high on the peak of a mountain. The arduous journey, including
a harrowing trip in a tiny cage up a thousand-foot mountainside,
brings father and son closer together.
Companion Historical Documentaries:
- Seeking Truth -- The Life of Leo Tolstoy
- Unquiet Voices -- Russian Writers and the State
- Aristotle -- Creating Foundations
- Ancient Questions -- Philosophy and Our Search for Meaning
Disc Seven: Journey
of Radiance
A jaunt through the mystical Far East takes Indy to the Holy City
of Benares where he befriends the lonely and isolated young leader
of the Theosophy movement, Jiddu Krishnamurti. Surrounded by supplicants
and hangers-on, Krishnamurti struggles to have faith in himself
and to fulfill the destiny decreed for him by his worshippers.
In the process he shows Indy just how strong the power of faith
can be. Indy's mother also learns a lesson in faith and trust
when she must rely on some poor Chinese villagers and their traditional
medical techniques to save the life of her son who lies perilously
close to death with typhoid fever.
Companion Historical Documentaries:
- Jiddu Krishnamurti -- The Reluctant Messiah
- Annie Besant -- An Unlikely Rebel
- Medicine in the Middle Kingdom
- Eastern Spirituality -- The Road to Enlightenment
Disc Eight: Spring
Break Adventure
Indy and his girlfriend Nancy Stratemeyer, whose father created
the Nancy Drew mystery series, visit the fascinating laboratory
of inventor Thomas Edison. The two must contend with dangerous
German spies as they struggle to keep Edison's top secret new
invention out of the hands of hostile enemy agents. To keep him
from getting into any more trouble, Indy is sent to visit his
Aunt in New Mexico. While there, he is kidnapped by Pancho Villa
and swept up into the Mexican Revolution. Chaotic, free-wheeling
border towns, a "Wild Bunch" style train robbery and
a colorful barroom encounter with a young George Patton make for
thrilling entertainment in this action-packed movie.
Disc Nine: (Spring Break Adventure bonus disc)
Companion Historical Documentaries:
- Thomas Alva Edison -- Lighting up the World
- Invention and Innovation -- What's Behind a Good Idea?
- The Mystery of Edward Stratemeyer
- Wanted: Dead or Alive -- Pancho Villa and the American Invasion
of Mexico
- General John J. Pershing and his American Army
- George S. Patton -- American Achilles
Disc Ten: Love's
Sweet Song
Landing in Ireland right before the Easter Rebellion, Indy mixes
romance and revolutionary politics when he falls for a beautiful
young colleen whose brother is mixed up in the Irish resistance
movement. Across the waters in England he encounters a similar
problem when his love affair with a strong-willed young woman
is derailed by her fervent belief in the women's suffrage movement
and her need for independence. Violent street brawls, a terrifying
Zeppelin raid and a seriocomic dinner party with Winston Churchill
provide plenty of thrills in this exciting, romantic adventure.
Disc Eleven: (Love's Sweet Song bonus disc)
Companion Historical Documentaries:
- Easter Rising -- The Poets' Rebellion
- The Passions of William Butler Yeats
- Sean O'Casey vs. Ireland
- Ireland -- The Power of the Poets
- Winston Churchill -- The Lion's Roar
- Demanding the Vote -- The Pankhursts and British Suffrage
- Fighting for the Vote -- Women's Suffrage in America
Disc Twelve: (Interactive Disc)
Special Features:
- "Revolution" Interactive Game, based on
Spring Break Adventure allows players
to become Indy and make their own decisions
based on Indy's adventures. As well as entertaining,
this game has educational elements.
- Extensive Interactive Timeline that details
the history and locations of Indy's adventures
and previews footage of the companion documentaries.
- Historical Lecture: The Promise of Progress
is an exploration of the people and events
of the Industrial Revolution, spanning the
late 19th century to the early 20th century.
