Indiana Jones'
shoulder bag, or satchel, is actually a chronological
anachronism. While Indy gallivants around the
world in the mid to late 1930s, his shoulder bag
is actually from the mid 1940s! In looking for
a container in which Indy could store things like
pencils, maps and bronze headpieces, the props
people on Raiders
settled for what is known as a Mark
VII, or "MKVII," gas mask bag
used by both British military personnel and British
civilians during World
War II
Left, authentic
1943 MKVII gas mask bag.
Right, common found
accurate reproduction. |
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These bags were standard issue to
everyone in London, because the government was
concerned that Hitler's attacks might involve
poison gas. As such, hundreds of thousands of
these bags were manufactured and issued. This
was ideal for the production team on Raiders
because they could acquire them cheaply and replace
them often if one was destroyed in a stunt.
These bags can often be seen in
other films doubling as World
War I era gas mask bags, although this
is also technically inaccurate. For Indiana Jones,
this bag's wide web strap was removed and
replaced with a buckled leather strap. There are
a number of good films in which you can see these
bags in their proper environment, specifically
Battle of Britain
and Hope and Glory.
In Temple of Doom,
during the climactic scene with Indy and Mola
Ram fighting over the bag, the crew used a Mark
VI bag instead of a Mark
VII, which is indicated by the three lower
"drains" in the bottom of the bag instead
of the usual two for the MKVII.
2 screenshots
from Raiders
and ToDoom
next to 1 from Battle
of Britain,
showing the shoulder bag as it was intended
to be used during the war. |
Today these bags are quite rare,
being over sixty years old. Some can still be
found in military surplus stores but this is a
difficult hunt. Many excellent reproductions are
currently made.
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