The Fun of Indiana Jones 1-3: Part 2

The heroism and action of Indiana Jones may owe a lot to James Bond,¹ but the horror, humor, and style pull from different sources altogether. Want to see a few ingredients that have made the franchise memorable for over forty years? Let’s take a look.

HORROR LIKE HITCHCOCK

Melting faces, cascading corpses, seething snakes, and hordes of bugs, bats, and rats: sounds like a real horror movie, right? But these are just a few of the unnerving images we get to enjoy in Indiana Jones. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a big ol’ chicken when it comes to scary movies. I mean, I don’t need that kind of negativity in my life; reality is scary enough. So while I don’t make a habit of watching anything Hitchcock, every red-blooded American has seen enough clips from Psycho and The Birds to become familiar with his style. That’s why I still feel qualified to cite the Hitchcockian influence on Indiana Jones.²

If the scariest part of the movies was a bug infestation or a boxcar full of snakes, though, the term “horror” might be an overstatement. But Lucas and Spielberg crossed the line in The Temple of Doom. Once you show a pagan priest ripping a man’s heart out through his chest, you’ve left Spookyville and entered Horror City, a fact that many parents asserted after their children watched this PG-rated violence. Thus, the PG-13 rating was born, and we’ve all been more forewarned and forearmed ever since.³ Personally, I was glad the other Indy films weren’t quite so gruesome. Bugs? Sure. Human sacrifice? Not so much.

CLASSIC HUMOR

But it’s not all blood and guts with Indiana Jones. The films’ lighthearted tone keeps them from wallowing in the macabre. Even The Temple of Doom starts out with a jazzy little musical number by Willie Scott, the ditzy female lead. Although poisoning, shooting, screaming, and general mayhem ensue afterward, the music and dialogue keep us entertained rather than worried.

One of my favorite funny moments from Raiders of the Lost Ark is when Marion is modeling her satin nightgown in front of a dusty, double-sided mirror while Indy is gingerly examining his injured face on the other side. When she flips the mirror to get a better look at herself, she cracks him in the jaw with the wooden frame and sends him howling to kingdom come. I love that kind of gag. And if Lucas and Spielberg were trying to make up for the heaviness of The Temple of Doom by making The Last Crusade the funniest of all, I think they nailed it. The father/son dynamic between the Jones boys is perfect.

ICONIC STYLE

To me, the final aspect that makes the films so memorable is the iconic style of the costume, music, characters and quotes. First, everyone knows that Indiana Jones is synonymous with a bull whip, a leather jacket, and a brown fedora. While there’s nothing unique or surprising about his costume, it has become a staple of the visual vernacular of film.

And when it comes to the most recognizable film scores, Indiana Jones is among the best. The main theme is triumphant and energetic, the catchy brass melody urging you to sally forth on an adventure, while the romantic strings section causes you to swoon. Great work, as always, Williams!

Characters

Time would fail me to enumerate all the characters who deserve attention in this trilogy, but I have to acknowledge Sallah and Henry Jones, Sr. Sallah shows up in two movies, and he really does have some of the best lines. In Raiders of the Lost Ark, he and Indy peer down into an ancient crypt that’s crawling with snakes. “Asps,” Sallah observes. “Very dangerous. You go first.” Also in Raiders, Sallah and Indy are scheming about the location of the Ark as a hitman secretly pours poison on a bowl of dates. A monkey eats one and kicks the bucket just before Indy tosses a date up in the air for himself. Sallah reaches out and grabs it just before it enters Indy’s awaiting mouth. For Casual Understatement of the Year award, I nominate the line, “Bad dates.”

Dr. Henry Jones, Sr., is Indy’s father and the perfect foil to his character. While he’s hopeless in physical combat, he’s the perfect blend of dorky, blundering, and wise. The Last Crusade has some great moments, like Indy’s discovery that his father had previously slept with Indy’s current fling. Henry protests, “Well, I’m as human as the next man,” to which Indy replies, “I was the next man.” But despite all Henry’s shortcomings as a father, he finally gives Indy what he wants—his full attention and preferred name: “Indiana, let it go.” Lucas and Spielberg really hit a homerun with this duo.

Quotes

You’ve got to love the quotability of these films! In Raiders, Marion remarks that a beat-up-looking Jones isn’t the man she knew ten years ago, to which he replies, “It’s not the years, honey. It’s the mileage.” In Temple of Doom, Indy finally jumps on a small plane to escape the man who’s been trying to kill him for the past hour. Just before he takes off, he calls back, “Nice try, Lao Che!” Then he slams the plane’s door, only to reveal the words “Lao Che Air Freight” on the side. Nice try, Indy.

The Last Crusade may be the most quotable of all. For example, Indy dresses as a flight attendant and then punches a Nazi out the window of the Hindenburg. When the rest of the well-to-do customers look alarmed, he improvises, remarking, “No ticket.” Suddenly the aircraft is aflutter with tickets waving in nervous hands. And finally, as Indy and his father escape from the Hindenburg on a biplane, Henry Jones, Sr., exclaims, “I didn’t know you know you could fly a plane!” None too reassuringly, Indy replies, “Fly? Yes. Land? No.” Happy trails, Drs. Jones.  

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Two weeks isn’t nearly enough time to spend on these fantastic films, but I’m afraid it will have to do. We’ve looked at a few ingredients that make this trilogy and enduring classic, but there are plenty of other aspects we didn’t even acknowledge. Feel free to comment your favorite part of the original Indiana Jones trilogy, and then go grab some popcorn and settle in for a movie marathon!

Check out the next post here!

1 https://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/21/movies/meanwhile-back-at-the-ranch.html
2 http://www.theraider.net/features/articles/hitchcock_01.php
3 https://www.businessinsider.com/indiana-jones-and-the-temple-of-doom-created-pg-13-rating-2014-4