Introduction
Indiana Jones is an American media franchise which has a total of five movies and a prequel television series. It also has games, comics, and tie-in novels, that portrays the adventures of Dr. Henry Walton “Indiana” Jones, Jr. and this role is played in all movies by Harrison Ford. Indiana Jones is a fictional professor of archaeology.
The series began in 1981 with the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark. In 1984 came a prequel, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and in 1989, a sequel, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. A fourth movie was released in 2008, titled Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The fifth and final movie, titled Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, came out on June 30, 2023. The series was created by George Lucas. The first four movies were directed by Steven Spielberg, who worked closely with Lucas during their production. The fifth movie was directed by James Mangold. In 1992, the franchise expanded to a television series with The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, exploring the character in his childhood and youth, and including adventures with his parents.
Marvel Comics started publishing The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones in 1983, and Dark Horse Comics got the comic book rights to the character in 1991. Novelisations of the films have been published along with many novels with original adventures. This also includes a series of German novels by Wolfgang Hohlbein which is a set of twelve novels before the films published by Bantam Books. This was followed by a series set during the character’s childhood inspired by the television show. Numerous Indiana Jones video games have been released since 1982.
Amongst many things, dad was a mega fan of Indiana Jones. That overwhelming love obviously flowed into mom’s and my life. He used to give many many descriptions of things from this movie and his favourite book series written by American novelist and short story writer Louis Dearborn L’Amour that I wouldn’t be shocked if someone told me that the first words I uttered was “Indiana Jones” or “Louis L’Amour”. He used to talk about these with such passion that it was tough for anyone to not fall in love with it. One could surely not notice the spark in his eye when he spoke about them. It was his window to the world. The world that he was not sure that he could travel to explore for various reasons. As a kid, all the things he said would go over my head and I was unsure more than half the time on what he was talking about but when I rewatched these movies in my teens with him, I understood where he was coming from and also had a overview that was my own. Then as I grew a little more older, we used to debate on whose version of a particular scene was better and why. It took off of mom’s strength to get us over the heated conversation most times. Of all the things, I think I will cherish these moments the most!
My Favourite and Why!
One such not-a-debate but more of an appreciation of a particular scene is in the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”.
Indiana Jones’ father Professor Henry Walton Jones, Senior became obsessed with the Holy Grail after a vision he had beheld in 1898. He made thorough researches and travels for its study, and kept several notes about it in his Grail Diary. Devoting his life to uncover the legendary vessel, Dr. Jones didn’t see the search as a vulgar hunt for a powerful relic, but instead, did recognised the quest as one of virtue, healing and compassion. By contrast, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler later wanted the Grail for his own glory.
A cup found in Antioch was thought by many scholars to be the Holy Grail due to being an ancient chalice. While in the ruin of Kaffa after the end of World War I, the scholar G. Codirolli discovered a parchment with the testimony of the physician who attended to the dying of the Franciscan friar who spoke of three trials at the location of the Grail. Codirolli later shared the Kaffa parchment with Henry Jones.
Despite his father’s obsession with the Cup of Christ, Indiana Jones himself didn’t believe that the Holy Grail had a basis in reality, as he dismissed the relic as mythical along with King Arthur’s sword Excalibur. The following year, Indy scoffed an offering on a find worth $500, if he had the Holy Grail, Noah’s Ark and Atlantis. In his lust for obtaining the Cup of Christ, Hitler dispatched his dreaded Schutzstaffel troops to search for the Holy Grail, leading his soldiers to primarily look for the relic.
Henry Jones was hired to search for the Grail alongside Doctor Elsa Schneider. While working on the project, Jones and Schneider became lovers but as Jones traced the location of the second marker to Venice, Italy with his Grail Diary, which told them to go to Alexandretta, he discovered Schneider’s Nazi affiliations and sent the book to his estranged son: Indiana Jones. He was abducted by the Nazis soon afterwards.
Indiana was contacted a few years later to pick up where Henry had left off and find the Grail, which Jones used as an opportunity to seek out his father. Indiana rescued his father and the pair resumed the Grail quest to prevent the Nazis from harnessing its powers. The Grail was located in a mountain-side temple in the Canyon of the Crescent Moon in the Republic of Hatay. After overcoming a lot of challenges, the Grail had to be found among the altar’s other cups. While the Holy Grail would grant eternal life to its drinker, the wrong chalice would see their life taken away.
On Elsa Schneider’s recommendation, antiquities collector Donovan made the mistake of choosing a False Grail which he saw as most befitting a “King of Kings”. Donovan toasted to eternal life, but instead rapidly aged to death. Indiana Jones, however, found the most modest of the chalices and recognised the true Grail as the cup of a carpenter, though the Grail Knight warned him about the Holy Grail’s limitations.
Indiana retrieved the Grail in order to heal a gunshot wound that Donovan had inflicted upon Henry Jones Sr. After Henry was healed, Schneider tried to take the Grail from the temple despite the warning not to do so by the Grail Knight. Her actions caused a large earthquake, and the Grail fell onto a ledge in a ravine which had opened up in the temple floor. Schneider, who had nearly fallen in herself, was saved by Indiana but greedily tried to grab the Grail below with her free arm. Indiana had a hard time holding on to one arm and pleaded with Elsa with give him her second arm so he could get a firm grip to save her. Elsa insisted she almost had the Grail, but her hand broke free of her glove, thus losing her grip and plummeting to her death in a seemingly bottomless pit. A tremor then knocked Indiana into the pit, but he was caught by his father. Indiana, like Schneider, tried to reach the cup, but was persuaded by Henry to let it go thus avoiding Schneider’s fate. Consequently, the Grail fell into the vast chasm.
Though the Holy Grail was ultimately lost, the experience gave both Indiana and his father the chance to mend their rocky relationship, as the journey itself revealed the Grail’s true nature, allowing them to rediscover each other and heal their long-estranged relationship. Before leaving the Temple of the Sun, Indy and his father looked at the Grail Knight. He smiled at them, content that the Grail, beyond anyone’s reach, was once again safe.
The movie came out in 1989 and everything in the movie was way ahead of its time. It was teaching the tiny life lessons but the efforts put into the movie was enormous and dad, mom & I had an eye for it and appreciated it deeply. Dad specifically appreciated the thought that went into coming up with such a great story and the creativity of the writers and directors. Mom appreciated the efforts put by the actors in bringing the story from words to visually getting it to life. I.. I am not sure what I appreciated though when I look back at it now, may be it was just the common love for it that made me appreciate it!
Most Recent Experience
Back in 2008 when Indiana Jones and the and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull released, it was a family emergency to immediately watch the movie. Dad was a little disappointed with the story not being that great but that me was just happy seeing the magic on the screen and the popcorn that came along! June 30th is when the 5th movie released and in the rush of life I absolutely forgot about it and since there was not much noise made about it either, it just slipped off easily. I ended up watching the last day last show and would have deeply regretted if I didn’t. I did a quick 5 min recap of all movies just before my show and I was all prepared for the movie! Just looking at Harrison Ford on the big screen gave me goosebumps and actually transported me through time! I became the 10 years old me in the theatre while watching the movie and throughly enjoyed every second of the movie! There were hardly people in the theatre which made my woots and screams much more natural than controlled.
So if you are wondering what movie to watch next and are open to having your mind blown, presenting to you, “Indiana Jones”!