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Cities Stocks Weather Movies Coupons Travel Blogs Health Horoscope Maps ASIA EUROPE Classifieds Yellow PagesThis article is about the fictional character. For the media franchise, see Indiana Jones franchise.
| Indiana Jones character | |
| |
| Dr. Henry "Indiana" Walton Jones, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | Raiders of the Lost Ark |
| Portrayed by | Harrison Ford (Ages 36-58) River Phoenix (Age 13) Corey Carrier (Ages 8-10) Sean Patrick Flanery (Ages 17-21) George Hall (Age 93) Doug Lee (voice) David Esch voice |
Henry "Indiana" Walton Jones, Jr., Ph.D.,The character\'s full name is stated in the Corey Carrier narration of the feature-length episode My First Adventure from the The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. is a fictional professor of archaeology, adventurer, and the main protagonist of the 1981 adventure film Raiders of the Lost Ark, its prequel (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom), and sequels (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull). Jones is notable for his trademark bullwhip, fedora, leather jacket, and fear of snakes.
The character is most famously played by Harrison Ford; however, he has also been portrayed by River Phoenix (as the young Indy in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade), and in the television series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles by Corey Carrier, Sean Patrick Flanery, and George Hall. Doug Lee has supplied Indy\'s voice to two LucasArts video games, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis and Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine, while David Esch supplied Indy\'s voice to Indiana Jones and the Emperor\'s Tomb.
In addition to his film and television appearances, the character has been featured in novels, comics, video games, and other media. The fourth theatrical film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, is currently in post production and scheduled for international simultaneous release on Thursday, May 22, 2008.
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Since his introduction in 1981\'s Raiders of the Lost Ark (later retitled on VHS and DVD box covers as Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark), he has made appearances in three more feature films, a three-season TV series, dozens of novels, comic books, video games, role-playing games, and even his own amusement park rides.
Indiana Jones, played by Harrison Ford, was first introduced in the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark, set in 1936. He is portrayed as an adventurous throwback to the 1930s film serial treasure hunters, with an alter ego of Doctor Jones, a respected archaeologist at a New England college (Barnett College, according to the adventure games). In this first adventure, he is pitted against the Nazis, traveling the world to prevent them from recovering the Ark of the Covenant (see also Biblical archaeology). The Nazis are led by Indy\'s arch rival, a French archaeologist named Belloq.
The 1984 prequel Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, set in 1935, took the character into a more horror-oriented story, skipping his legitimate teaching job and globe trotting, and taking place almost entirely in India. This time, Jones attempts to recover children and a sacred stone from a bloodthirsty cult.
The third film, 1989\'s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, set in 1938, returned to the formula of the original, reintroducing characters such as Sallah and Marcus Brody, a scene from Professor Jones\' classroom, the globe trotting element of multiple locations, and the return of the infamous Nazi mystics, this time trying to find the Holy Grail. The film\'s introduction, set in 1912, provided some back story to the character\'s fear of snakes, the scar on his chin (from the bullwhip incident in the lion car of a train) and his trademark fedora. The title is ironically fitting as, although Lucas intended at the time to do five films, this ended up being his "last crusade" for over 18 years, until Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.Daniel Robert Epstein. "David Koepp and the Press Blockade", Film Stew, 2007-01-17. Retrieved on 2007-01-19.
From 1992 to 1996, George Lucas executive produced a television series named The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles designed as an educational program for children, spotlighting historical figures and important events, using the concept of a prequel to the films as a draw. The show featured a standard formula of a 93-year-old Jones (George Hall) introducing a story, and then an adventure with either a 17-year-old Jones (Sean Patrick Flanery) or a 10-year-old Jones (Corey Carrier). Historical figures featured on the show include Leo Tolstoy, Pancho Villa, Charles de Gaulle, and John Ford, in such diverse locations as Egypt, Austria-Hungary, India, China, and the whole of Europe. One episode, Young Indiana Jones and the Mystery of the Blues, features an introduction by Harrison Ford, reprising his role as Indiana Jones.
The show provided some back story for the films. His relationship with his father, first introduced in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, was further fleshed out with stories about his travels with his father as a young boy, and his activities during World War I were shown.
In 1999, George Lucas removed the episode introductions and epilogues by George Hall when he released a VHS collection of the series.
The character has appeared in several officially licensed video games, beginning with adaptations of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and two adaptations of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - one action oriented, one with a more overt adventure bias.
Following this, the games branched off into original storylines with Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine, and Indiana Jones and the Emperor\'s Tomb, which sets up Indy\'s companion Wu Han and the search for Nurhaci\'s ashes seen at the beginning of Temple of Doom. The first two games were developed by Hal Barwood and starred Doug Lee as the voice of Indiana Jones, while Emperor\'s Tomb had David Esch fill the role. There is also a small game from Lucas Arts Indiana Jones and His Desktop Adventures.
A new Indiana Jones video game is in development by LucasArts, and is expected to coincide with the release of the upcoming fourth film.Indiana Jones. Lucas Arts. Retrieved on 2007-12-11.
Another game, Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures is scheduled for Summer 2008.LEGO Indiana Jones. Lucas Arts. Retrieved on 2007-12-11.
Indiana Jones is modeled after the strong-jawed heroes of the matinée serials and pulp magazines that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg enjoyed in their childhoods (such as the Republic Pictures serials, and the Doc Savage series). The two friends first discussed the project in Hawaii around the time of the release of the first Star Wars film.Making Raiders of the Lost Ark. IndianaJones.com (2003-09-23). Spielberg told Lucas how he wanted to direct a James Bond film — Lucas responded that he "had something better than that".
The character was originally named Indiana Smith, after an Alaskan malamute Lucas owned in the 1970s ("Indiana"); however, Spielberg disliked the name "Smith", and Lucas casually suggested "Jones" as an alternative.
The general appearance for the character of Indiana Jones was chosen before anyone was even cast. He was envisioned as an amalgam of several characters — most notably treasure hunter Fred C. Dobbs (as played by Humphrey Bogart in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre), and adventurer Harry Steele (as played by Charlton Heston in Secret of the IncasOther Science Fiction Influences. Star Wars Origins.).
Upon requests by Spielberg and Lucas, the costume designer gave the character a distinctive silhouette through the styling of the hat; after examining many hats, the designers chose a tall-crowned, wide-brimmed fedora. The hat became so iconic that the filmmakers could only come up with very good reasons or jokes to remove it. If it ever fell off during a take, filming would have to stop to put it back on. In jest, Ford put a stapler against his head when a documentary crew visited during shooting of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. This created the urban legend that Ford stapled the hat to his head.Hat and Jacket featurette. Official site (2008-02-08). Retrieved on 2008-02-08. Although other hats were also used throughout the movies, the general style and profile remained the same. Other elements of the outfit include:
Jones\'s fedora and leather jacket (as used in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) are on display at the Smithsonian\'s American History Museum in Washington, D.C.Shrine to the Famous: Indiana Jones\'s hat and jacket, 1980s. Smithsonian Institue. Retrieved on 2007-12-11. The collection of props and clothing from the films has become a thriving hobby for some aficionados of the franchise.IndyGear.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-11. Jones\'s whip was the third most popular film weapon, as shown by a 2008 poll held by 20th Century Fox, which surveyed approximately two thousand film fans.Sophie Borland. "Lightsabre wins the battle of movie weapons", The Daily Telegraph, 2008-01-21. Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
Originally, Spielberg suggested Harrison Ford; Lucas resisted the idea, since he had already cast the actor in three of his movies (American Graffiti, Star Wars, and its sequel The Empire Strikes Back), and did not want Ford to become known as his "Bobby De Niro" (in reference to the fact that fellow director Martin Scorsese regularly cast Robert De Niro in his films). During an intensive casting process, Lucas and Spielberg auditioned many actors, and finally cast then little-known actor Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones. Shortly afterward pre-production began in earnest on Raiders of the Lost Ark.
However, CBS refused to release Selleck from his contractual commitment to Magnum, P.I. (which was gradually gaining momentum in the ratings), forcing him to turn down the role. After Spielberg suggested Ford again, Lucas finally gave in, and he was cast in the role — less than 3 weeks before principal photography began.
Many people are said to be the real-life inspiration of the Indiana Jones character — although it should be noted that none of the following have been confirmed as inspirations by Lucas or Spielberg. In alphabetical order by last name:
In his guise as a college professor, Henry Jones Junior is an average joe, who can also rise to the occasion in the guise of "Indiana", a superhero image he has concocted for himself.Douglas Brode (1995). The Films of Steven Spielberg. Citadel, 90-98. ISBN 0-8065-1540-6. Producer Frank Marshall said, "Indy [is] a fallible character. He makes mistakes and gets hurt. [...] That\'s the other thing people like: He\'s a real character, not a character with superpowers."Anthony Breznican. "First look: Whip cracks over new \'Indiana Jones\' movie", USA Today, 2007-12-09. Retrieved on 2007-12-10. Spielberg said there "was the willingness to allow our leading man to get hurt and to express his pain and to get his mad out and to take pratfalls and sometimes be the butt of his own jokes. I mean, Indiana Jones is not a perfect hero, and his imperfections, I think, make the audience feel that, with a little more exercise and a little more courage, they could be just like him."Jim Windolf. "Q&A: Steven Spielberg", Vanity Fair, 2007-12-02. Retrieved on 2007-12-02. According to Spielberg biographer Douglas Brode, Indiana is a childish man who created his heroic figure so to escape the dullness of teaching at a school. Both of Indiana\'s personas reject one another in philosophy, creating a duality. Harrison Ford said the fun of playing the character was because Indiana is both a romantic and a cynic.Shinji Hata (interviewer). (1994). From Star Wars to Indiana Jones: The Best of the LucasFilm Archives. LucasFilm.
Like many characters in his films, Jones has some autobiographical elements of Spielberg. Indiana lacks a proper father figure because of his strained relationship with his father, Henry Senior (played by Sean Connery). His own contained anger is misdirected at the likes of Professor Abner Ravenwood, his mentor at the University of Chicago, leading to a strained relationship with his daughter, Marion Ravenwood (played by Karen Allen in Raiders of the Lost Ark). The teenage Indiana bases his own look on a villainous figure from the prologue of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, after being given his hat when told he has lost the battle for the Cross of Coronado.Douglas Brode (1995). The Films of Steven Spielberg. Citadel, 174, 176-187. ISBN 0-8065-1540-6. Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott) acts as Indiana\'s positive role model at the college. Indiana\'s own insecurities are made worse by the absence of his mother.Douglas Brode (1995). The Films of Steven Spielberg. Citadel, 141-43. ISBN 0-8065-1540-6. In Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the character becomes the father in a temporary family unit with Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw) and Short Round (Jonathan Ke Quan) in order to survive. Indiana is rescued from the evil of Kali by Short Round\'s self-confessed love for him and being burned in the torso with a torch wielded by his child companion. Indiana also saves many children from slavery.Douglas Brode (1995). The Films of Steven Spielberg. Citadel, 141-43. ISBN 0-8065-1540-6.
Douglas Brode argued that because of Indiana\'s strained relationship with his father, a Christian searching for the Holy Grail, the character rejects the spiritual side of the profession he has followed in. The inconsistency of the three films is that after becoming a believer in Judaism (in Raiders), Hinduism (in Doom) and Christianity (Crusade), Indiana reverts back in the next film. Temple of Doom, chronologically the earliest of the films, has Indiana as a mercenary, searching for "fortune and glory". Indiana uses his belief in Shiva to ultimately defeat Mola Ram (Amrish Puri). In Raiders, the cynical Indiana accepts humility and refuses to open his eyes in the presence of the spirits who have been disturbed from their slumber in the Ark of the Covenant. By contrast, his rival Rene Belloq (Paul Freeman) is killed for his attempt to communicate directly with God. In Crusade\'s prologue, Indiana\'s intentions are revealed as social, as he believes artifacts "belong in a museum". In the film\'s climax, Indiana undergoes literal tests of faith to retrieve the Grail and save his father\'s life. He also recognizes Jesus as a humble carpenter when he recognizes the simple nature and tarnished appearance of the real Grail amongst a large assortment of much more desirable ones. Henry Senior returns the favor by rescuing his son from falling to his death when reaching for the fallen Grail, telling him to "let it go", overcoming his mercenary nature. In the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Frank Marshall said the film would show Indy as "older and wiser", whereas his sidekicks Mutt (Shia LaBeouf) and Mac (Ray Winstone) are respectively arrogant (being young) or greedy."News, Etc.", Empire, March 2008, pp. 17.
Whilst himself arguably a pastiche of various prior adventurers, the character can also be seen as a forerunner to (or in some cases direct influence on) other more recent fictional adventurers of a similar nature. These include:
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