Do the clothes make the man? In old war movies they did, simply
so you could tell the Americans and the Germans
apart in the heat of battle, although sometimes
Americans dressed like Germans on infiltration
missions in films like The
Dirty Dozen, while Germans often dressed
up like Americans to sabotage and confuse in flicks
like Battle of the Bulge.
So, essentially the clothes don't make the
man.
Indy at The Raven bar. |
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Arguably, this goes for Indiana
Jones as well. The intrepid Dr. Jones is certainly
more than the clothes he wears. Nevertheless,
his clothes have become so irrevocably linked
to his character that he is known as "the
man with the hat," and his dynamic silhouette
is instantly recognizable. So recognizable in
fact that Indy's duds have become one of
the most popular costumes in film history and
easily ranks as one of the most sought outfits
by "filmophiles."
For almost a decade now, the Internet
discussions on Indy's "gear" have
gone on nonstop. This is understandable because
the clothing Harrison Ford wears in the Indiana
Jones films is not overtly a costume like Darth
Vader or Lara Croft. His clothes are real clothes,
and can be worn in various combinations in everyday
life, provided you leave the gunbelt and bullwhip
at home of course.
The problem is the fact that much
of the exact information on how Indy's costume
was created remains a mystery floating in the
dissipating wisps of the creators' memories.
You see, Raiders of the
Lost Ark was made at the tail end of the
film industry's analog era. With today's
digital databases and organizational systems in
place, movie costumes and props are better catalogued
now than ever before and nothing simply goes missing
like so much did in the past. In fact, these modern
systems are now being used to reorganize the past
as dusty warehouses are opened and the formerly
unorganized film cans and props of classic movies
are finally being permanently pinned down like
their modern counterparts.
With Indiana Jones' outfit,
thousands of fan hours have been spent researching
and going to great lengths to determine the whys,
whats and hows of Harrison Ford's famous
clothes. Some fans have personally gotten in touch
with costume designers and stuntmen who worked
on the Indiana Jones series. What's the
real story? So far, it seems everyone's
tale is slightly different.
Indy's
intro in Raiders. |
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This section does not attempt to
pin down the exact truths, but it does intend
to give readers a historical perspective on the
various articles of Indy's outfit and provide
them with some answers. For those more tenacious
readers bent on obtaining the "real story"
behind all the technical details of Indy's
costume acquisition and design, TheRaider.net
has recently conducted an extensive
interview with Deborah Nadoolman, who conceived
and created Harrison Ford's original outfit
for Raiders of the Lost
Ark. She provides interesting information
on the creation of Indy's clothes.
There are two sides to every story
and some people remember things differently. In
the case of Indy's famous hat and leather
jacket, the debate continues to rage as to the
exact designers and styles. To hear all sides
of these subjects, IndyGear.com
provides an exhaustive archive of information
on the design of the hat and the jacket among
Indy's other accoutrements.
We at TheRaider.net
make no assertions to the accuracy of either Deborah's
accounts or those of the Indiana Jones series'
various creators and craftsmen quoted at IndyGear.com.
We do know that Deborah was the sole Costume Designer
on Raiders and
worked closely with Steven Spielberg on developing
the character of Indiana Jones. However, we feel
it is invaluable to provide a virtual podium for
all of the men and women who worked on the Indiana
Jones film series to provide their thoughts and
memories of these indelible adventure classics
so that all interested parties can partake of
their experiences.
Now let's get down to business…
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