COMPLETE ADVENTURES OF INDIANA JONES VHS BOXSET trilogy young Indy widescreen

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Seller: sidewaysstairsco ✉️ (1,180) 100%, Location: Santa Ana, California, US, Ships to: US & many other countries, Item: 204391646262 COMPLETE ADVENTURES OF INDIANA JONES VHS BOXSET trilogy young Indy widescreen. Check out our other new and used items>>>>>HERE! (click me) FOR SALE: Part of the unfinished Indiana Jones VHS collection 1999 THE COMPLETE ADVENTURES OF INDIANA JONES BOX SET (CHAPTERS 18, 23, 24, 25) DETAILS: The last time the original trilogy saw a VHS release! "The Complete Adventures of Indiana Jones is the banner name given to the 1999 VHS release that combined The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones with the three movies existing at that time. It was the first time episodes from The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles television series were officially released on home video in the United States, albeit re-edited, and the final time the theatrical films saw a release on VHS. LaserDisc versions were announced for the collection which ultimately never materialized. The collection was intended to have 25 chapters in total (one on each videotape), numbered in the chronological story order. However, only twelve of the chapters from The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones were released. Upcoming chapters were announced for the following year but were canceled... As well as being sold individually, the theatrical trilogy (Chapters 23-25) were sold in a boxset that came bundled with Chapter 18: Treasure of the Peacock's Eye. The set is notable for being the first and only time Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was marketed as a prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark. However, the trilogy boxset inscription and opening commercial promoted the film as the second installment in the trilogy. This release also marked the first time that the three Indiana Jones theatrical films were released on VHS in widescreen format, and with THX remastering. Each film's opening titles and end credits on the pan-and-scan versions were presented in letterbox. Additionally, the box set versions of the films included new interviews with Harrison Ford, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. The videos of The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones included customized introductions from Lucas, and interviews with Lucas and Sean Patrick Flanery." (indianajones.fandom.com) CONDITION: In very good, pre-owned condition. The covers have some wear. Please see photos. To ensure safe delivery all items are carefully packaged before shipping out. THANK YOU FOR LOOKING. QUESTIONS? JUST ASK. *ALL PHOTOS AND TEXT ARE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF SIDEWAYS STAIRS CO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.* "Indiana Jones is an American media franchise consisting of five films and a prequel television series, along with games, comics, and tie-in novels, that depicts the adventures of Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr. (portrayed in all films by Harrison Ford), a fictional professor of archaeology. The series began in 1981 with the film Raiders of the Lost Ark. In 1984, a prequel, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, was released, and in 1989, a sequel, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. A fourth film followed in 2008, titled Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. A fifth film, titled Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2023, and was theatrically released in the United States on June 30, 2023.[1][2] The series was created by George Lucas. The first four films were directed by Steven Spielberg, who worked closely with Lucas during their production, while the fifth film 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 began publishing The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones in 1983, and Dark Horse Comics gained the comic book rights to the character in 1991. Novelizations of the films have been published, as well as many novels with original adventures, including a series of German novels by Wolfgang Hohlbein, twelve novels set before the films published by Bantam Books, and a series set during the character's childhood inspired by the television show. Numerous Indiana Jones video games have been released since 1982. Background During 1973, George Lucas wrote The Adventures of Indiana Smith.[3] Like Star Wars, it was an opportunity to create a modern version of the movie serials of the 1930s and 1940s.[4][5] Lucas discussed the concept with Philip Kaufman, who worked with him for several weeks and decided upon the Ark of the Covenant as the MacGuffin. The project was stalled when Clint Eastwood hired Kaufman to write The Outlaw Josey Wales.[6] In May 1977, Lucas was in Maui, trying to escape the worldwide success of Star Wars. His friend and colleague Steven Spielberg was also there, on vacation from work on Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Spielberg told Lucas he was interested in making a James Bond film, but Lucas told him of an idea "better than James Bond", outlining the plot of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Spielberg loved it, calling it "a James Bond film without the hardware",[7] and had the character's surname changed to Jones.[5] Spielberg and Lucas made a deal with Paramount Pictures for five Indiana Jones films.[7] Spielberg and Lucas aimed to make Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom much darker, because of their personal moods following their respective breakups and divorces. Lucas made the film a prequel because he did not want the Nazis to be the villains again. He had ideas regarding the Monkey King and a haunted castle, but eventually created the Sankara Stones, that would be used in the film.[8] He hired Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz to write the script; he knew of their interest in Indian culture.[9] The major scenes that were dropped from Raiders of the Lost Ark were included in this film: an escape using a giant rolling gong as a shield, a fall out of a plane in a raft, and a mine cart chase.[5] For the third film, Spielberg revisited the Monkey King and haunted castle concepts, before Lucas suggested the Holy Grail. Spielberg had previously rejected this as too ethereal, but then devised a father-son story and decided that "The Grail that everybody seeks could be a metaphor for a son seeking reconciliation with a father and a father seeking reconciliation with a son."[10] Following the 1989 release of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Lucas let the series end as he felt he could not think of a good plot device to drive the next installment and chose instead to produce The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, which explored the character in his early years. Ford played Indiana in one episode, narrating his adventures in 1920 Chicago. When Lucas shot Ford's role in December 1992, he realized that the scene opened up the possibility of a film with an older Indiana set in the 1950s. The film could reflect a science fiction 1950s B-movie, with aliens as the plot device.[11] Ford disliked the new angle, telling Lucas: "No way am I being in a Steven Spielberg movie like that."[12] Spielberg himself, who depicted aliens in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, resisted it. Lucas devised a story, which Jeb Stuart turned into a script from October 1993 to May 1994.[11] Lucas wanted Indiana to get married, which would allow Henry Jones Sr. to return, expressing concern over whether his son is happy with what he has accomplished. After learning that Joseph Stalin was interested in psychic warfare, Lucas decided to have Russians as the villains and the aliens to have psychic powers.[13] Following Stuart's next draft, Lucas hired Last Crusade writer Jeffrey Boam to write the next three versions, the last of which was completed in March 1996. Three months later, Independence Day was released, and Spielberg told Lucas he would not make another alien invasion film (or at least not until War of the Worlds in 2005). Lucas decided to focus on the Star Wars prequels instead.[11] In 2000, Spielberg's son asked when the next Indiana Jones film would be released, which made him interested in reviving the project.[14] The same year, Ford, Lucas, Spielberg, Frank Marshall, and Kathleen Kennedy met during the American Film Institute's tribute to Ford, and decided they wanted to enjoy the experience of making an Indiana Jones film again. Spielberg also found returning to the series a respite from his many dark films during this period.[15] Spielberg and Lucas discussed the central idea of a B-movie involving aliens, and Lucas suggested using crystal skulls to ground the idea. Lucas found these artifacts as fascinating as the Ark,[16] and had intended to feature them for a Young Indiana Jones episode before the show's cancellation.[11] M. Night Shyamalan was hired to write for an intended 2002 shoot,[14] but he was overwhelmed by the task, and claimed it was difficult to get Ford, Spielberg, and Lucas to focus.[17] Stephen Gaghan and Tom Stoppard were also approached.[14] Frank Darabont, who wrote various Young Indiana Jones episodes, was hired to write in May 2002.[18] His script, titled Indiana Jones and the City of Gods,[11] was set in the 1950s, with ex-Nazis pursuing Jones.[19] Spielberg conceived the idea because of real-life figures such as Juan Perón in Argentina, who allegedly protected Nazi war criminals.[11] Darabont claimed Spielberg loved the script, but Lucas had issues with it, and decided to take over writing himself.[11] Lucas and Spielberg acknowledged that the 1950s setting could not ignore the Cold War, and the Russians were more plausible villains. Spielberg decided he could not satirize the Nazis after directing Schindler's List,[20] while Ford felt "We plum[b] wore the Nazis out."[12] Darabont's main contribution was reintroducing Marion Ravenwood as Indiana's love interest, but he gave them a 13-year-old daughter, which Spielberg decided was too similar to The Lost World: Jurassic Park.[11] Jeff Nathanson met with Spielberg and Lucas in August 2004, and turned in the next drafts in October and November 2005, titled The Atomic Ants. David Koepp continued on from there, giving his script the subtitle Destroyer of Worlds,[11] based on the J. Robert Oppenheimer quote. It was changed to Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, as Spielberg found this a more inviting title which actually named the plot device.[21] Koepp wanted to depict the character of Mutt as a nerd, but Lucas refused, explaining he had to resemble Marlon Brando in The Wild One; "he needs to be what Indiana Jones's father thought of [him] – the curse returns in the form of his own son – he's everything a father can't stand".[11] Koepp collaborated with Lawrence Kasdan on the film's "love dialogue".[22] Development of the film began in 2008, but the project stalled for years.[23][24] In 2012, The Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm, the series' production company, thereby becoming the owner of the Indiana Jones intellectual property.[25] The following year, Walt Disney Studios acquired the distribution and marketing rights to future Indiana Jones films, with Paramount retaining the distribution rights to the first four films and receiving "financial participation" from any additional films.[26][27][28][29] Development on a fifth film continued, eventually forming into Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. The film was directed by James Mangold, who co-wrote the script with Jez and John-Henry Butterworth.[30][31] Spielberg was initially set to direct the film, before passing it to Mangold. Spielberg instead served as an executive producer with Lucas, along with producers Kennedy and Marshall.[32] Ford reprised the title role, along with Karen Allen and John Rhys-Davies and new cast members included Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Kretschmann, Boyd Holbrook, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Toby Jones and Antonio Banderas.[33][34] The film was co-produced by Lucasfilm and Walt Disney Pictures, marking the first film in the series with Disney's involvement.[35] Filming eventually began in the United Kingdom in June 2021[36][37] and wrapped in February 2022.[38] It is intended to be Ford's last time playing the title character and is stated to be the last film in the franchise overall.[39] Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was released by Disney on June 30, 2023.[40] Films Film     U.S. release date     Director     Screenwriter(s)     Story by     Producer(s) Raiders of the Lost Ark     June 12, 1981     Steven Spielberg     Lawrence Kasdan     George Lucas & Philip Kaufman     Frank Marshall Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom     May 23, 1984     Gloria Katz & Willard Huyck     George Lucas     Robert Watts Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade     May 24, 1989     Jeffrey Boam     Menno Meyjes & George Lucas Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull     May 22, 2008     David Koepp     George Lucas & Jeff Nathanson     Frank Marshall Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny     June 30, 2023     James Mangold     David Koepp, James Mangold, Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth     Simon Emanuel, Frank Marshall & Kathleen Kennedy Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Main article: Raiders of the Lost Ark The first film is set in 1936. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is hired by government agents to locate the Ark of the Covenant, the gold plated chest containing the stone tablets Moses used to inscribe the Ten Commandments before the Nazi Germans steal it for themselves. The Nazis have teams searching for religious artifacts, including the Ark, which is rumored to make an army that carries the Ark before it invincible.[41] The Nazis are being helped by Indiana's arch-rival and French archaeologist René Belloq (Paul Freeman). With the help of his former lover and tough bar owner Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) and his excavator friend Sallah (John Rhys-Davies), Indiana manages to recover the Ark in Egypt. The Nazis steal the Ark and capture Indiana and Marion. Belloq and the Nazis perform a ceremony to open the Ark, but when they do so, all they find inside is sand. Suddenly, spirits come out of the Ark and the Nazis are all killed by the Ark's wrath. Indiana and Marion, who survived by closing their eyes, manage to get the Ark to the United States, where it is stored in a secret government warehouse. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) Main article: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom The second film is a prequel set in 1935, a year before Raiders of the Lost Ark. Indiana escapes Chinese gangsters led by Lao Che with the help of singer/actress Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw) and his twelve-year-old sidekick Short Round (Ke Huy Quan). The trio crash-land in India, where they come across a Punjabi village whose children have been kidnapped. The Thuggee cult led by Mola Ram (Amrish Puri) has also taken the holy Sankara Stones, which they will use to take over the world. Indiana manages to overcome Mola Ram's evil power, rescues the children and returns the stones to their rightful place, overcoming his own mercenary nature. The film has been noted as an outlier in the franchise, as it does not feature Indy's university or any antagonistic political entity, and is less focused on archaeology, being presented as a dark movie with gross-out elements, human sacrifice and torture. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) Main article: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade The third film is set in 1938. Indiana and his friend Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott) are assigned by American businessman Walter Donovan (Julian Glover) to find the Holy Grail. They are teamed up with Dr. Elsa Schneider (Alison Doody), following on from where Indiana's estranged father Henry (Sean Connery) left off before he disappeared. It transpires that Donovan and Elsa are in league with the Nazis, who captured Henry Jones to get Indiana to help them find the Grail. However, Indiana recovers his father's diary filled with his research, and manages to rescue him before finding the location of the Grail. Both Donovan and Elsa fall to the temptation of the Grail, while Indiana and Henry realize that their relationship with each other is more important than finding the relic. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) Main article: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull The fourth film is set in 1957, nineteen years after The Last Crusade. Indiana is having a quiet life teaching before being thrust into a new adventure. He races against agents of the Soviet Union, led by Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) for a crystal skull. His journey takes him across Nevada, Connecticut, Peru, and the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. Faced with betrayal by one of his best friends, Mac (Ray Winstone), Indiana is introduced to a greaser named Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf), who turns out to be his son (his real name revealed to be Henry Jones III), and is reunited with, and eventually marries, Marion Ravenwood, who was the lead female character introduced in the first movie. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) Main article: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny The fifth and concluding film is set in 1969, twelve years after The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Indiana has moved to New York City, teaching at Hunter College with plans to retire, after his marriage with Marion collapsed following Mutt's death in the Vietnam War. Once his estranged goddaughter Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) arrives asking for Archimedes' Dial, a relic Jones and her father Basil (Toby Jones) retrieved from the Nazis in 1944 during the Allied liberation of Europe in World War II, a Nazi-turned-NASA scientist Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen) starts pursuing Jones, wanting to exploit the Dial's unusual properties to change the outcome of World War II. Indiana's journey takes him to Morocco, Greece, and Italy, where he inadvertently ends up traveling back in time to the 212 BC Siege of Syracuse after Voller uses the Dial to locate a time fissure in hopes of assassinating Adolf Hitler prior to the Invasion of Poland to usurp him and lead the Nazis to victory. Upon returning to New York in the present time, Indiana reconciles with Marion. Television The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles Main article: The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles Season    Episodes    Originally aired First aired    Last aired    Network 1    6    March 4, 1992    April 8, 1992    ABC 2    22    September 21, 1992    July 24, 1993 TV films    4    October 15, 1994    June 16, 1996    The Family Channel A television series titled The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992–1996) featured three incarnations of the character: Sean Patrick Flanery played Indiana aged 16–21; Corey Carrier played an 8- to 10-year-old version in several episodes; and George Hall narrated the show as the 93-year-old Jones, who bookended each episode. Lucas began developing the series in 1990 as "edutainment" that would be more cerebral than the films. The show was his first collaboration with producer Rick McCallum, and he wrote the stories for each episode. Writers and directors on the show included Carrie Fisher, Frank Darabont, Vic Armstrong, Ben Burtt, Terry Jones, Nicolas Roeg, Mike Newell and Joe Johnston. In the Chronicles, Jones crosses paths with many historical figures, played by stars such as Daniel Craig, Christopher Lee, Bob Peck, Jeffrey Wright, Marc Warren, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Elizabeth Hurley, Anne Heche, Vanessa Redgrave, Julian Fellowes, Timothy Spall and Harrison Ford as a 50-year-old Indiana in one episode (taking the usual place of Hall).[42][43][44] The show was filmed in over 25 countries for over 150 weeks. Season one was shot from March 1991 to March 1992; the second season began two months later and wrapped in April 1993.[45] The ABC network was unsure of Lucas's cerebral approach, and attempted to advertise the series as an action-adventure like the films. Ratings were good if unspectacular, and ABC was nervous enough to put the show on hiatus after six episodes until September 1992.[42] With only four episodes left of the second season to air, ABC eventually sold the show to the Family Channel, who changed the format from 50-minute episodes to 90-minute TV movies. Filming for the final four episodes took place from January 1994 to May 1996.[45] The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles received a mixed reception from fans, although it won 10 Emmy Awards out of 23 nominations, as well as a 1994 Golden Globe nomination for Best Drama series. It was also an experimentation ground in digital effects for Lucasfilm.[42] The original broadcast versions of some episodes were briefly released in Japan on laserdisc in 1993 and on VHS in 1994. However, Lucas re-edited and restructured the show for its worldwide home video release. Major structural changes were made, including the complete removal of the 'bookend' sections narrated by the 93-year-old Jones. The editing combined episodes together into creating roughly an hour and a half movies to streamline the series into a more consistent structure. Approximately half of the series was released on VHS in various markets around the world in 1999, but the entire series was not released until its DVD debut, in a series of three boxsets released from 2007 to 2008, to tie in with the theatrical debut of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Among other extras, the DVDs include approximately 100 new historical featurettes. Proposed Disney+ series In November 2022, it was reported that Lucasfilm was developing an Indiana Jones series for Disney+. The series was set to be a prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark and would have been the second prequel series following The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.[46] However, by March 2023, Lucasfilm was reported to have canceled the planned spin-off series to focus on the Star Wars franchise, this being similarly cited as the reason behind the cancellation of the fellow non-Star Wars Lucasfilm show Willow.[47] On May 11, 2023, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy expressed interest in continuing the Indiana Jones franchise through a television series centering on characters aside from Jones, due to Harrison Ford retiring from the role after Dial of Destiny.[48] Cast and crew Cast Main article: List of Indiana Jones characters List indicator(s) This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in in the Indiana Jones film franchise.     An empty, dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.      P indicates an appearance in onscreen photographs. Characters     Films     Television series Raiders of the Lost Ark     Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom     Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade     Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull     Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny     The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles Season 1     Season 2 Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones, Jr.     Harrison Ford     Harrison Ford     Harrison Ford     Sean Patrick Flanery (age 16–21) Corey Carrier (age 8–10) George Hall (age 93) River Phoenix (age 13)[49] Boutalat (age 3)     Harrison Ford (age 50) Neil Boulane (infant) Marcus Brody     Denholm Elliott         Denholm Elliott     Denholm ElliottP      Sallah     John Rhys-Davies         John Rhys-Davies     John Rhys-DaviesP     John Rhys-Davies      Marion Ravenwood     Karen Allen         Karen Allen      René Emile Belloq     Paul Freeman[50]      Major Arnold Ernst Toht     Ronald Lacey[51]      Colonel Herman Dietrich     Wolf Kahler[52]      Wilhelmina "Willie" Scott         Kate Capshaw         Kate CapshawP      Wan "Short Round" Li         Ke Huy Quan[53]      Mola Ram         Amrish Puri[54]      Maharaja Zalim Singh         Raj Singh      Chattar Lal         Roshan Seth      Professor Henry Jones, Sr.         Sean Connery     Sean ConneryP     Lloyd Owen Alex Hyde-White (young)[55] Walter Donovan         Julian Glover[56]      Dr. Elsa Schneider         Alison Doody[57]      Colonel Ernst Vogel         Michael Byrne[58]      Kazim         Kevork Malikyan      Herman         J. J. Hardy      Henry "Mutt" Jones III         Shia LaBeouf     mentioned      Irina Spalko         Cate Blanchett      George "Mac" Michale         Ray Winstone      Professor Harold Oxley         John Hurt      Colonel Dovchenko         Igor Jijikine      Dean Charles Stanforth         Jim Broadbent      Helena Shaw         Phoebe Waller-Bridge[59]      Dr. Jürgen Voller         Mads Mikkelsen      Colonel Weber         Thomas Kretschmann      Klaber         Boyd Holbrook      Agent Mason         Shaunette Renée Wilson      Basil Shaw         Toby Jones      Renaldo         Antonio Banderas      Teddy Kumar         Ethann Isidore      Hauke         Olivier Richters      Anna Mary Jones         Ruth De Sosa Helen Seymour         Margaret Tyzack Remy Baudouin         Ronny Coutteure Thomas Edward "T. E." Lawrence         Joseph A. Bennett     Douglas Henshall Additional crew and production details Film     Executive producer(s)     Composer     Editor     Cinematographer     Production company     Distributor Raiders of the Lost Ark     George Lucas & Howard Kazanjian     John Williams     Michael Kahn     Douglas Slocombe     Lucasfilm Ltd.     Paramount Pictures Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom     George Lucas & Frank Marshall Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull     George Lucas & Kathleen Kennedy     Janusz Kamiński Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny      Steven Spielberg & George Lucas     Michael McCusker, Andrew Buckland & Dirk Westervelt     Phedon Papamichael     Walt Disney Pictures[35] Lucasfilm Ltd.[35]     Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures1 Reception Box office performance Film     Original release date     Total box office gross     Box office ranking     Budget     Ref North America     Other territories     Worldwide     All time North America     All time worldwide Raiders of the Lost Ark     June 12, 1981     $248,159,971     $141,766,000     $389,925,971     No. 85 (#20(A))     No. 237     $18 million     [60] Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom     May 23, 1984     $179,870,271     $153,237,000     $333,107,271     No. 187 (#86(A))     No. 321     $28 million     [61] Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade     May 24, 1989     $197,171,806     $277,000,000     $474,171,806     No. 153 (#99(A))     No. 174     $48 million     [62] Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull     May 22, 2008     $317,101,119     $473,552,823     $790,653,942     No. 76 (#131(A))     No. 93     $185 million     [63] Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny     June 30, 2023     $121,205,329     $126,700,000     $247,905,329     TBA     TBA     $295 million      Total     $1,063,508,496     $1,172,255,823     $2,235,764,319         $574 million     [64] List indicator(s)     (A) indicates the adjusted totals based on current ticket prices (calculated by Box Office Mojo). Critical and public response Each film is linked to the "Critical response" section of its article Film     Critical     Public Rotten Tomatoes     Metacritic     CinemaScore Raiders of the Lost Ark     93% (148 reviews)[65]     85 (16 reviews)[66]     — Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom     77% (137 reviews)[67]     57 (14 reviews)[68]     — Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade     84% (134 reviews)[69]     65 (14 reviews)[70]     A[71] Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull     77% (308 reviews)[72]     65 (40 reviews)[73]     B[71] Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny     69% (343 reviews)[74]     57 (63 reviews)[75]     B+[71] Accolades The series has been nominated for 14 Academy Awards, of which they have won 7. Raiders of the Lost Ark was also given a Special Achievement Award for Best Sound Effects Editing. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Award     Category     Recipient/Nominee     Result Academy Awards     Best Picture     Frank Marshall     Nominated Best Director     Steven Spielberg     Nominated Best Cinematography     Douglas Slocombe     Nominated Best Film Editing     Michael Kahn     Won Best Original Score     John Williams     Nominated Best Production Design     Norman Reynolds, Leslie Dilley, Michael D. Ford     Won Best Sound     Bill Varney, Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker, Roy Charman     Won Best Visual Effects     Richard Edlund, Kit West, Bruce Nicholson, Joe Johnston     Won Special Achievement Academy Award     Ben Burtt, Richard L. Anderson (for Sound Effects Editing)     Won British Academy Film Awards     Best Film     Frank Marshall     Nominated Best Actor in a Supporting Role     Denholm Elliott     Nominated Best Cinematography     Douglas Slocombe     Nominated Best Editing     Michael Kahn     Nominated Best Original Music     John Williams     Nominated Best Production Design     Norman Reynolds     Won Best Sound     Roy Charman, Ben Burtt, Bill Varney     Nominated Directors Guild of America Awards     Outstanding Directing – Feature Film     Steven Spielberg     Nominated Golden Globe Awards     Best Director     Steven Spielberg     Nominated Saturn Awards     Best Fantasy Film     Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark     Won Best Director     Steven Spielberg     Won Best Actor     Harrison Ford     Won Best Actress     Karen Allen     Won Best Supporting Actor     Paul Freeman     Nominated Best Writing     Lawrence Kasdan     Won Best Costume Design     Deborah Nadoolman Landis     Nominated Best Music     John Williams     Won Best Special Effects     Richard Edlund     Won Writers Guild of America Awards     Best Original Screenplay     Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas, Philip Kaufman     Nominated Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) Award     Category     Recipient/Nominee     Result Academy Awards     Best Original Score     John Williams     Nominated Best Visual Effects     Dennis Muren, Michael J. McAlister, Lorne Peterson, George Gibbs     Won British Academy Film Awards     Best Cinematography     Douglas Slocombe     Nominated Best Editing     Michael Kahn     Nominated Best Sound     Ben Burtt, Simon Kaye, Laurel Ladevich     Nominated Best Special Visual Effects     Dennis Muren, George Gibbs, Michael J. McAlister, Lorne Peterson     Won Saturn Awards     Best Fantasy Film     Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom     Nominated Best Director     Steven Spielberg     Nominated Best Actor     Harrison Ford     Nominated Best Performance by a Younger Actor     Ke Huy Quan     Nominated Best Writing     Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz     Nominated Best Costume Design     Anthony Powell     Nominated Best Make-up     Tom Smith     Nominated Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) Award     Category     Recipient/Nominee     Result Academy Awards     Best Original Score     John Williams     Nominated Best Sound Editing     Richard Hymns, Ben Burtt     Won Best Sound Mixing     Ben Burtt, Gary Summers, Shawn Murphy, Tony Dawe     Nominated British Academy Film Awards     Best Actor in a Supporting Role     Sean Connery     Nominated Best Sound     Richard Hymns, Tony Dawe, Ben Burtt, Gary Summers, Shawn Murphy     Nominated Best Special Visual Effects     George Gibbs, Michael J. McAlister, Mark Sullivan, John Ellis     Nominated Golden Globe Awards     Best Supporting Actor     Sean Connery     Nominated Saturn Awards     Best Fantasy Film     Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade     Nominated Best Actor     Harrison Ford     Nominated Best Writing     Jeffrey Boam     Nominated Best Costume Design     Anthony Powell, Joanna Johnston     Nominated Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) Award     Category     Recipient/Nominee     Result British Academy Film Awards     Best Special Visual Effects     Pablo Helman, Marshall Krasser, Steve Rawlins     Nominated Critics' Choice Awards     Best Action Movie     Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull     Nominated Golden Raspberry Awards     Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel     Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull     Won MTV Movie Awards     Best Summer Movie So Far     Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull     Nominated Saturn Awards     Best Science Fiction Film     Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull     Nominated Best Director     Steven Spielberg     Nominated Best Actor     Harrison Ford     Nominated Best Supporting Actor     Shia LaBeouf     Nominated Best Costume Design     Mary Zophres     Won Best Special Effects     Pablo Helman, Daniel Sudick     Nominated Screen Actors Guild Awards     Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture     Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull     Nominated Visual Effects Society Awards     Best Single Visual Effect of the Year     Stephanie Hornish, Pablo Helman, Jeff White, Craig Hammack     Nominated Outstanding Matte Paintings in a Feature Motion Picture     Richard Bluff, Barry Williams, Yannick Dusseault, Yusei Uesugi     Nominated Outstanding Models and Miniatures in a Feature Motion Picture     David Fogler, Craig Hammack, Brian Gernand, Geoff Herson     Nominated Outstanding Created Environment in a Feature Motion Picture     Michael Halsted, David Fogler, Steve Walton, David Weitzberg     Nominated Other media Novels A novelization of Raiders of the Lost Ark was written by Campbell Black and published by Ballantine Books in April 1981.[76] It was followed by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, written by James Kahn and published by Ballantine in May 1984.[77] Finally, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was published in May 1989, and was the first Indiana Jones novel by Rob MacGregor.[78] A fan of the first two films, MacGregor admitted that writing the novelization made him "somewhat disappointed" with the third film, as he had expanded the script whereas Steven Spielberg had cut scenes to tighten the story.[79] George Lucas asked MacGregor to continue writing original novels for Bantam Books. These were geared toward an adult or young adult audience, and were prequels set in the 1920s or early 1930s after Jones graduates from college. Of the film characters, Lucas only permitted Marcus Brody to appear.[79] He asked MacGregor to base the books on real myths, but except for the deletion of a sex scene, the writer was given total creative freedom. His six books – Indiana Jones and the Peril at Delphi, Indiana Jones and the Dance of the Giants, Indiana Jones and the Seven Veils, Indiana Jones and the Genesis Deluge, Indiana Jones and the Unicorn's Legacy, and Indiana Jones and the Interior World – were published from February 1991 to November 1992. The Genesis Deluge, published in February 1992 and featuring Noah's Ark, was the bestselling novel; MacGregor felt this was because it "had a strong following among religious-oriented people [...] because they tend to take the Noah's Ark story to heart and think of it as history and archaeological fact, rather than myth." MacGregor's favorite book was The Seven Veils,[79] which featured real-life explorer Percy Fawcett and the death of Indiana's wife, Deirdre Campbell.[80][81][82][83][84][85] Martin Caidin wrote the next two novels in Bantam's series, Indiana Jones and the Sky Pirates and Indiana Jones and the White Witch. These feature Gale Parker as Indiana's sidekick; they introduced afterwords to the series, regarding each novel's historical context.[86][87] Caidin became ill, so Max McCoy took over in 1995 and wrote the final four novels: Indiana Jones and the Philosopher's Stone, Indiana Jones and the Dinosaur Eggs, Indiana Jones and the Hollow Earth, and Indiana Jones and the Secret of the Sphinx. McCoy set his books closer in time to the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark, which led to his characterizing Indiana as "a bit darker". The prologue of his first book featured a crystal skull,[88] and this became a recurring story, concluding when Jones gives it up in the final novel. Lucas's involvement with McCoy's novels was limited, although Lucasfilm censored sexual or outlandish elements to make the books appeal to younger readers;[89] they also rejected the theme of time travel in the final book.[88] Sallah, Lao Che, Rene Belloq and the Nazis made appearances, and McCoy also pitted Jones against Benito Mussolini's fascists and the Japanese. Jones also has a doomed romance with Alecia Dunstin, a librarian at the British Museum.[90][91][92][93] A novel involving the Spear of Destiny was dropped, because Dark Horse Comics was developing the idea.[88] The books were only published in paperback, as the series editor felt readers would not be prepared to pay the hardback price for an adventure novel.[94] In February 2008, the novelizations of the first three films were published in one edition;[95] James Rollins' Kingdom of the Crystal Skull novelization arrived the following May.[96] Children's novelizations of all four films were published by Scholastic in 2008.[97] MacGregor was said to be writing new books for Ballantine for early 2009, but none have been published.[98] A new adult adventure, Indiana Jones and the Army of the Dead by Steve Perry, was released in September 2009.[99] A novel based on the video game Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings, written by MacGregor to coincide with the release of the game, was canceled due to problems around the game's production.[100] Additionally, German author Wolfgang Hohlbein wrote eight Indiana Jones novels in the early 1990s, which were never translated to English. List of novels All of the following were published by Bantam Books, with the exception of Army of the Dead, which was published by Del Rey.     Indiana Jones and the Peril at Delphi (Feb 1991) – by Rob Macgregor     Indiana Jones and the Dance of the Giants (June 1991) – by Rob Macgregor     Indiana Jones and the Seven Veils (Dec 1991) – by Rob Macgregor     Indiana Jones and the Genesis Deluge (Feb 1992) – by Rob Macgregor     Indiana Jones and the Unicorn's Legacy (Sept 1992) – by Rob Macgregor     Indiana Jones and the Interior World (1992) – by Rob Macgregor     Indiana Jones and the Sky Pirates (Dec 1993) – by Martin Caidin     Indiana Jones and the White Witch (1994) – by Martin Caidin     Indiana Jones and the Philosopher's Stone (1995) – by Max McCoy     Indiana Jones and the Dinosaur Eggs (1996) – by Max McCoy     Indiana Jones and the Hollow Earth (1997) – by Max McCoy     Indiana Jones and the Secret of the Sphinx (1999) – by Max McCoy     Indiana Jones and the Army of the Dead (2009) – by Steve Perry Indiana Jones novels by Wolfgang Hohlbein:     Indiana Jones und das Schiff der Götter (1990) – (Indiana Jones and the Longship of the Gods)     Indiana Jones und die Gefiederte Schlange (1990) – (Indiana Jones and the Feathered Snake)     Indiana Jones und das Gold von El Dorado (1991) – (Indiana Jones and the Gold of El Dorado)     Indiana Jones und das verschwundene Volk (1991) – (Indiana Jones and the Lost People)     Indiana Jones und das Schwert des Dschingis Khan (1991) – (Indiana Jones and the Sword of Genghis Khan)     Indiana Jones und das Geheimnis der Osterinseln (1992) – (Indiana Jones and the Secret of Easter Island)     Indiana Jones und das Labyrinth des Horus (1993) – (Indiana Jones and the Labyrinth of Horus)     Indiana Jones und das Erbe von Avalon (1994) – (Indiana Jones and the Legacy of Avalon) Children's novels Find Your Fate Ballantine Books published a number of Indiana Jones books in the Find Your Fate line, written by various authors. These books were similar to the Choose Your Own Adventure series, allowing the reader to select from options that change the outcome of the story. Indiana Jones books comprised 11 of the 17 releases in the line, which was initially titled Find Your Fate Adventure.[101]     Indiana Jones and the Curse of Horror Island (June 1984) – R. L. Stine     Indiana Jones and the Lost Treasure of Sheba (June 1984) – Rose Estes     Indiana Jones and the Giants of the Silver Tower (Aug 1984) – R. L. Stine     Indiana Jones and the Eye of the Fates (Aug 1984) – Richard Wenk     Indiana Jones and the Cup of the Vampire (Oct 1984) – Andy Helfer     Indiana Jones and the Legion of Death (Dec 1984) – Richard Wenk     Indiana Jones and the Cult of the Mummy's Crypt (Feb 1985) – R. L. Stine     Indiana Jones and the Dragon of Vengeance (Apr 1985) – Megan Stine and H. William Stine     Indiana Jones and the Gold of Genghis Khan (May 1985) – Ellen Weiss     Indiana Jones and the Ape Slaves of Howling Island (1986) – R. L. Stine     Indiana Jones and the Mask of the Elephant (Feb 1987) – Megan Stine and H. William Stine Scholastic In 2008, Scholastic released a series of middle-grade novels based on the stories and screenplays. Each book of this edition included several pages of color stills from filming.     Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark – Ryder Windham     Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom – Suzanne Weyn     Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade – Ryder Windham In May 2009, two new middle-grade books were to begin a new series of Untold Adventures, though no further books appeared.[102]     Indiana Jones and the Pyramid of the Sorcerer – Ryder Windham     Indiana Jones and the Mystery of Mount Sinai – J.W. Rinzler Young Indiana Jones In the early 1990s, different book series featured childhood and young adult adventures of Indiana Jones in the early decades of the century. Not all were directly tied to the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles TV series. Random House The following books are set in Indy's mid- to late-teen years.     Young Indiana Jones and the Plantation Treasure (1990) – by William McCay     Young Indiana Jones and the Tomb of Terror (1990) – by Les Martin     Young Indiana Jones and the Circle of Death (1990) – by William McCay     Young Indiana Jones and the Secret City (1990) – by Les Martin     Young Indiana Jones and the Princess of Peril (1991) – by Les Martin     Young Indiana Jones and the Gypsy Revenge (1991) – by Les Martin     Young Indiana Jones and the Ghostly Riders (1991) – by William McCay     Young Indiana Jones and the Curse of Ruby Cross – by William McCay     Young Indiana Jones and the Titanic Adventure (1993) – by Les Martin     Young Indiana Jones and the Lost Gold of Durango (1993) – by Megan Stine and H. William Stine     Young Indiana Jones and the Face of the Dragon – by William McCay     Young Indiana Jones and the Journey to the Underworld (1994) – by Megan Stine and H. William Stine     Young Indiana Jones and the Mountain of Fire (1994) – by William McCay     Young Indiana Jones and the Pirates' Loot (1994) – by J.N. Fox     Young Indiana Jones and the Eye of the Tiger (1995) – by William McCay     Young Indiana Jones and the Mask of the Madman (unpublished) – by Megan Stine and H. William Stine     Young Indiana Jones and the Ring of Power (unpublished) – Megan Stine Random House These books were novelizations of episodes of the TV series. Some feature Indy around age 8; others have him age 16–18.     The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: The Mummy's Curse – by Megan Stine and H. William Stine     The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Field of Death – by Les Martin     The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Safari Sleuth – by A.L. Singer     The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: The Secret Peace – by William McCay     The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: The Trek of Doom – by Les Martin     The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Revolution! – by Gavin Scott     The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Race to Danger – by Stephanie Calmenson     The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Prisoner of War – by Sam Mclean Bantam Books These are labeled Choose Your Own Adventure books. Like the TV series, some feature Indy around age 8, others age 16–18. The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles:     The Valley of the Kings – by Richard Brightfield     South of the Border – by Richard Brightfield     Revolution in Russia – by Richard Brightfield     Masters of the Louvre – by Richard Brightfield     African Safari – by Richard Brightfield     Behind the Great Wall – by Richard Brightfield     The Roaring Twenties – by Richard Brightfield     The Irish Rebellion – by Richard Brightfield Ballantine Books Young Indiana Jones:     The Mata Hari Affair – by James Luceno     The Mummy's Curse – by Parker Smith Graphic novels     The Curse of the Jackal – by Dan Barry     The Search for the Oryx – by Dan Barry     The Peril of the Fort – by Dan Barry Non-fiction books     Lost Diaries of Young Indiana Jones – by Eric D. Weiner     The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: On the Set and Behind the Scenes – by Dan Madsen     Indiana Jones Explores Ancient Egypt – by John Malam     Indiana Jones Explores Ancient Rome – by John Malam     Indiana Jones Explores Ancient Greece – by John Malam     Indiana Jones Explores The Vikings – by John Malam     Indiana Jones Explores The Incas – by John Malam     Indiana Jones Explores The Aztecs – by John Malam Comic books Main article: Indiana Jones (comics) Indiana Jones has appeared in numerous comic books, from two different publishers. Marvel Comics initially held the comic book licensing rights, leading to adaptations of the films Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Following the Raiders of the Lost Ark adaptation, Marvel published The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones from 1983 to 1986. This ongoing monthly series ran for thirty-four issues and featured the character's first original adventures in comic book form. After Marvel's licensing of the character ended, Dark Horse Comics acquired publishing rights and adapted the Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis video game. From 1992 to 1996, following the Fate of Atlantis adaptation, Dark Horse published seven limited series, as well comics based on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles television series. In 2004, Indiana Jones appeared in the non-canon story, "Into the Great Unknown", first published in Star Wars Tales #19. The story sees Indiana Jones and Short Round discover a crashed Millennium Falcon in the Pacific Northwest, along with Han Solo's skeleton and the realization that a rumored nearby Sasquatch is in fact Chewbacca. With the franchise's revival in 2008, Dark Horse published an adaptation of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Dark Horse followed this with Indiana Jones Adventures, a short-lived series of digest-sized comics aimed at children. An additional limited series, titled Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Gods, was also published from 2008 to 2009. Video games Since the release of the original film, there have been a number of video games based on the Indiana Jones series. These include both games based on (or derived from) the films, as well as those featuring the characters in new storylines. Games adapted or derived from the films     Raiders of the Lost Ark (1982, Atari Inc) – The first Indiana Jones video game. Released on the Atari 2600.     Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1985, Atari Games) – Arcade game, later converted to many home computer and console formats, including an NES version in 1988.     Indiana Jones a Chrám zkázy (1985, František Fuka) – A Czech text adventure game based on Temple of Doom.     Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Action Game (1989, LucasArts) – One of two Last Crusade-based games released by LucasArts in 1989.     Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure (1989, LucasArts)     Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1991, Taito) – Released for the NES console.     Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures (1994, JVC/LucasArts) – The final film adaptation until 2008, based upon all three original films. Released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.     Indiana Jones (2008, LeapFrog Enterprises) - An adaptation of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull for the Didj Custom Gaming System.[103]     Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (2008, LucasArts) – Based on the original three movies and the Lego toy franchise.     Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues (2009, LucasArts) – A sequel to the original Lego Indiana Jones game. Original games     Indiana Jones in the Lost Kingdom (1985, Mindscape)     Indiana Jones in Revenge of the Ancients (1987, Mindscape) – Released for the Apple II and PC DOS computer platforms.     Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (1992, LucasArts) – Released for DOS (IBM PC) compatibles in 1992.     The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1993, Jaleco) – Released for the NES console.     Instruments of Chaos starring Young Indiana Jones (1994, Sega) – Released for the Sega Genesis     Indiana Jones and His Desktop Adventures (1996, LucasArts)     Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine (1999, LucasArts) – Released in 1999 on the PC, as well as for the Nintendo 64     Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine (2D version) (2001, LucasArts) – A 2D version of Infernal Machine released for the Game Boy Color     Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb (2003, LucasArts) – a prequel to Temple of Doom. Released on the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Microsoft Windows in 2003.     Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings (2009, LucasArts) – Released in June 2009 for the Nintendo DS, Wii, PSP and PS2.[104]     Indiana Jones and the Lost Puzzles (2009, THQ) – Developed by Universomo and published by THQ Wireless for BlackBerry, iOS, and Windows Mobile.[105][106][107][108]     Indiana Jones Adventure World (2011, Zynga) – The social gaming company Zynga partnered with Lucasfilm to produce this game late 2011.[109]     Untitled Indiana Jones game (TBA, Bethesda Softworks, MachineGames, Lucasfilm Games) – a new game announced to be in development, with Todd Howard executive producing.[110] Cancelled games     Indiana Jones and the Iron Phoenix – An intended sequel to The Fate of Atlantis, intended for a 1995 release, but was canceled.     Core Design developed a game around 2006 as a reskin of a cancelled Tomb Raider game, but this incarnation was not successful either.[111] Other     Indiana Jones appears in Fortnite: Battle Royale (2017, Epic Games) as part of the Chapter 3 – Season 3 Battle pass.[112] Theme park attractions Action on the set of the "Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!" Prior to Disney's acquisition, George Lucas collaborated with Walt Disney Imagineering on several occasions to create Indiana Jones attractions for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts worldwide. Indiana Jones-themed attractions and appearances at Disney theme parks include:     The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! show opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, in 1989.     The Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril roller-coaster opened at Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-Vallée, France, in 1993.     The Indiana Jones Adventure, which opened at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, in 1995 and at Tokyo DisneySea in Chiba, Japan, in 2001.     An Indiana Jones-themed bar lounge, "Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar", opened in 2015 at Disney Springs at the Walt Disney World Resort.[113][114]     The Great Movie Ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios featured a scene based on Raiders of the Lost Ark. Toy lines Further information: LEGO Indiana Jones For the holiday season following the June 1981 debut of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Kenner produced a 12-inch-tall "Authentically styled Action Figure" of Indiana Jones. The next spring they delivered nine smaller-scale (33⁄4") action figures, three playsets, replicas of the German desert convoy truck and Jones's horse, all derived from the Raiders movie.[115] They also offered a Raiders board game.[116] In conjunction with the theatrical release of The Temple of Doom in 1984, TSR, Inc. released miniature metal versions of twelve characters from both films for a role playing game. LJN Toys Ltd. also released action figures of Jones, Mola Ram, and the Giant Thugee. No toys were produced to tie in with The Last Crusade in 1989 Hasbro released toys based on Raiders of the Lost Ark and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008. Further figures, including characters from The Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade, followed later in the year,[117] but were distributed on a very limited basis. This line of toys included 33⁄4-inch and 12-inch figures, vehicles, a playset, and a series of "Adventure Heroes" aimed at young children.[118] Hasbro announced the cancellation of the line in the fall of 2008, due to decreasing sales, although some figures continued to be released up until the 2011 San Diego Comic Convention. Sideshow Collectibles, Gentle Giant, Diamond Select Toys and Kotobukiya[119] also earned Indiana Jones licensing rights in 2008.[120][121][122][123] Lego released eight play sets to coincide with the fourth film, based on Raiders and The Last Crusade as well as on Kingdom of the Crystal Skull[124][125] Merchandise featuring franchise cross-overs include a Mr. Potato Head "Taters Of The Lost Ark" set by Hasbro,[126] Mickey Mouse as Indiana Jones,[127] and a Muppets-branded Adventure Kermit action figure, produced by Palisades Toys and based on the frog's appearance in the Disney World stunt show as seen in The Muppets at Walt Disney World.[128] Disney Vinylmation introduced a series based on Indiana Jones characters in 2014.[129] Role-playing games There have been two publications of role-playing games based on the Indiana Jones franchise. The Adventures of Indiana Jones Role-Playing Game was designed and published by TSR, Inc. under license in 1984.[130] Ten years later, West End Games acquired the rights to publish their own version, The World of Indiana Jones. Pinball Main article: Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure A pinball machine based on the first three films was released in 1993. Stern Pinball released a new edition in 2008, which featured all four movies." (wikipedia.org) "Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., also known simply by the nickname Indy, is the title character and protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials. The character first appeared in the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark, to be followed by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in 1984, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles from 1992 to 1996, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in 2023. The character is also featured in novels, comics, video games, and other media. Jones is also the inspiration for several Disney theme park attractions, including Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril, the Indiana Jones Adventure, and Epic Stunt Spectacular! attractions. Jones is most famously portrayed by Harrison Ford and has also been portrayed by River Phoenix (as the young Jones in 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 the voice of Jones for two LucasArts video games, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis and Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine, David Esch supplied his voice for Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb, and John Armstrong for Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings. Jones is characterized by his iconic accoutrements (bullwhip, fedora, satchel,[12] and leather jacket), wry, witty and sarcastic sense of humor, deep knowledge of ancient civilizations and languages, and fear of snakes. Since his first appearance in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones has become one of cinema's most famous characters. In 2003, the American Film Institute ranked him the second-greatest film hero of all time.[13] He was also named the greatest movie character by Empire magazine.[14] Entertainment Weekly ranked Jones 2nd on their list of The All-Time Coolest Heroes in Pop Culture.[15] Premiere magazine also placed Jones at number 7 on their list of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.[16] Appearances Films and television     Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)     Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)     Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)     The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992–1996)     Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)     Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) A native of Princeton, New Jersey, Indiana Jones was introduced as a tenured professor of archaeology in the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark, set in 1936. The Joneses are a family of paternal Scottish descent.[17] The character is an adventurer reminiscent of the 1930s film serial treasure hunters and pulp action heroes. His research is funded by Marshall College (a fictional school named after producer Frank Marshall),[18] where he is a professor of archaeology. He studied under the Egyptologist and archaeologist Abner Ravenwood at the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago.[19] Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Main article: Raiders of the Lost Ark In the first adventure, Raiders of the Lost Ark, set in 1936, Indiana Jones is pitted against Nazis commissioned by Hitler to recover artifacts of great power from the Old Testament (see Nazi archaeology). In consequence, Jones travels the world to prevent them from recovering the Ark of the Covenant (see also Biblical archaeology). He is aided by Marion Ravenwood and Sallah. The Nazis are led by Jones' archrival, a Nazi-sympathizing French archaeologist named René Belloq, and Arnold Toht, a sinister Gestapo agent. The Temple of Doom (1984) Main article: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom In the 1984 prequel, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, set in 1935, Jones travels to India and attempts to free enslaved children and the three Sankara stones from the bloodthirsty Thuggee cult. He is aided by Wan "Short Round" Li, a boy played by Ke Huy Quan, and is accompanied by singer Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw). The prequel is not as centered on archaeology as Raiders of the Lost Ark and is considerably darker. The Last Crusade (1989) Main article: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 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 (he now teaches at Barnett College), 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 backstory to the character, specifically the origin of his fear of snakes, his use of a bullwhip, the scar on his chin, and his hat; the film's epilogue also reveals that "Indiana" is not Jones' first name, but a nickname he took from the family dog. The film was a buddy movie of sorts, teaming Indiana with his father, Henry Jones, Sr., often to comical effect. Although Lucas intended to make five Indiana Jones films, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was the last for over 18 years, as he could not think of a good plot element to drive the next installment.[20] The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992–1996) Main article: The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles George Hall as 93-year-old Indiana Jones George Hall portrayed the 93-year-old Indiana Jones in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. From 1992 to 1996, Lucas wrote and executive-produced The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, a television series aimed mainly at teenagers and children, which showed many of the important events and historical figures of the early 20th century through the prism of Jones' life. The show initially featured the formula of an elderly (93 to 94 years of age) Indiana Jones played by George Hall introducing a story from his youth by way of an anecdote: the main part of the episode then featured an adventure with either a young adult Indy (16 to 21 years of age) played by Sean Patrick Flanery or a child Indy (8 to 10 years) played by Corey Carrier. One episode, "Young Indiana Jones and the Mystery of the Blues", is bookended by Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, rather than Hall. Later episodes and telemovies did not have this bookend format. The bulk of the series centers around the young adult Indiana Jones and his activities during World War I as a 16- to 17-year-old soldier in the Belgian Army and then as an intelligence officer and spy seconded to French intelligence. The child Indiana episodes follow the boy's travels around the globe as he accompanies his parents on his father's worldwide lecture tour from 1908 to 1910. The show provided some backstory for the films, as well as new information regarding the character. Indiana Jones was born July 1, 1899, and his middle name is Walton (Lucas's middle name). It is also mentioned that he had a sister called Suzie who died as an infant of fever, and that he eventually has a daughter and grandchildren who appear in some episode introductions and epilogues. 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. Jones damages or loses his right eye sometime between the events in 1957 and the early 1990s, when the "Old Indy" segments take place, as the elderly Indiana Jones wears an eyepatch. In 1999, Lucas removed the episode introductions and epilogues by George Hall for the VHS and DVD releases, and re-edited the episodes into chronologically ordered feature-length stories. The series title was also changed to The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones. The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) Main article: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull The 2008 film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, is the fourth film in the series. Set in 1957, nineteen years after the third film, it pits an older, wiser Indiana Jones against Soviet KGB agents bent on harnessing the power of an extraterrestrial device discovered in South America. Jones is aided in his adventure by his former lover, Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), and her son—a young greaser named Henry "Mutt" Williams (Shia LaBeouf), later revealed to be Jones' unknown child. There were rumors that Harrison Ford would not return for any future installments and LaBeouf would take over the franchise.[21] This film also reveals that Jones was recruited by the Office of Strategic Services during World War II, attaining the rank of colonel in the United States Army, and implies very strongly that in 1947 he was forced to investigate the Roswell UFO incident, and the investigation saw that he was involved in affairs related to Hangar 51. He is tasked with conducting covert operations with MI6 agent George Michale against the Soviet Union. The Dial of Destiny (2023) Main article: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny The 2023 film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, is the fifth and final film in the series. Set in 1969—twelve years after the fourth film and during the height of the Space Race—Jones has moved to New York City, teaching at Hunter College with plans to retire, after his marriage with Marion collapsed following Mutt's death in the Vietnam War. Once his estranged goddaughter Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) arrives asking for Archimedes' Dial, a relic Jones and her father Basil retrieved from the Nazis in 1944 during the Allied liberation of Europe in World War II, a Nazi-turned-NASA scientist Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen) starts pursuing Jones, wanting to exploit the Dial's unusual properties to change the outcome of World War II. Attractions Main article: Indiana Jones Adventure Indiana Jones as he appears at Disney theme parks. Indiana Jones is featured at several Walt Disney theme park attractions. The Indiana Jones Adventure attractions at Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea ("Temple of the Forbidden Eye" and "Temple of the Crystal Skull," respectively) place Indy at the forefront of two similar archaeological discoveries. These two temples each contain a wrathful deity who threatens the guests who ride through in World War II troop transports. The attractions, some of the most expensive of their kind at the time,[22] opened in 1995[23] and 2001,[24] respectively, with sole design credit attributed to Walt Disney Imagineering.[citation needed] Ford was approached to reprise his role as Indiana Jones, but ultimately negotiations to secure Ford's participation broke down in December 1994, for unknown reasons.[25][26] Instead, Dave Temple provided the voice of Jones.[27] Ford's physical likeness, however, has nonetheless been used in subsequent Audio-animatronic figures for the attractions.[28][29] Disneyland Paris also features an Indiana Jones-titled ride where people speed off through ancient ruins in a runaway mine wagon similar to that found in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril is a looping roller coaster engineered by Intamin, designed by Walt Disney Imagineering, and opened in 1993. The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! is a live show that has been presented in the Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park of the Walt Disney World Resort with few changes since the park's 1989 opening, as Disney-MGM Studios. The 25-minute show presents various stunts framed in the context of a feature film production, and recruits members of the audience to participate in the show. Stunt artists in the show re-create and ultimately reveal some of the secrets of the stunts of the Raiders of the Lost Ark films, including the well-known "running-from-the-boulder" scene. Stunt performer Anislav Varbanov was fatally injured in August 2009, while rehearsing the show.[30] Also formerly at Disney's Hollywood Studios, an audio-animatronic Indiana Jones appeared in another attraction; during The Great Movie Ride's Raiders of the Lost Ark segment.[31] Literature Comic books Main article: Indiana Jones (comics) Indiana Jones has appeared in numerous comic books, from two different publishers. Marvel Comics initially held the comic book licensing rights, leading to adaptations of the films Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Following the Raiders of the Lost Ark adaptation, Marvel published The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones from 1983 to 1986. This ongoing monthly series ran for thirty-four issues and featured the character's first original adventures in comic book form. After Marvel's licensing of the character ended, Dark Horse Comics acquired publishing rights and adapted the Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis video game. From 1992 to 1996, following the Fate of Atlantis adaptation, Dark Horse published seven limited series, as well comics based on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles television series. In 2004, Indiana Jones appeared in the non-canon story, "Into the Great Unknown", first published in Star Wars Tales #19. The story sees Indiana Jones and Short Round discover a crashed Millennium Falcon in the Pacific Northwest, along with Han Solo's skeleton and the realization that a rumored nearby Sasquatch is in fact Chewbacca. With the franchise's revival in 2008, Dark Horse published an adaptation of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Dark Horse followed this with Indiana Jones Adventures, a short-lived series of digest-sized comics aimed at children. An additional limited series, titled Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Gods, was also published from 2008 to 2009. Movie tie-in novelizations The first four Indiana Jones film scripts were novelized and published in the time-frame of the films' initial releases.[32] Raiders of the Lost Ark was novelized by Campbell Black based on the script by Lawrence Kasdan that was based on the story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman and published in April 1981 by Ballantine Books; Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was novelized by James Kahn and based on the script by Willard Huyck & Gloria Katz that was based on the story by George Lucas and published May 1984 by Ballantine Books; Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was novelized by Rob MacGregor based on the script by Jeffrey Boam that was based on a story by George Lucas and Menno Meyjes and published June 1989 by Ballantine Books. Nearly 20 years later Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was novelized by James Rollins based on the script by David Koepp based on the story by George Lucas and Jeff Nathanson and published May 2008 by Ballantine Books. In addition, in 2008 to accompany the release of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Scholastic Books published juvenile novelizations of the four scripts written, successively in the order above, by Ryder Windham, Suzanne Weyn, Ryder Windham, and James Luceno. All these books have been reprinted, with Raiders of the Lost Ark being retitled Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. While these are the principal titles and authors, there are numerous other volumes derived from the four film properties. Original novels From February 1991 through February 1999, 12 original Indiana Jones-themed adult novels were licensed by Lucasfilm, Ltd. and written by three genre authors of the period. Ten years afterward, a 13th original novel was added, also written by a popular genre author. The first 12 were published by Bantam Books; the last by Ballantine Books in 2009. (See Indiana Jones (franchise) for broad descriptions of these original adult novels.) The novels are:[33] Written by Rob MacGregor     Indiana Jones and the Peril at Delphi, February 1991.     Indiana Jones and the Dance of the Giants, June 1991.     Indiana Jones and the Seven Veils, December 1991.     Indiana Jones and the Genesis Deluge, February 1992.     Indiana Jones and the Unicorn's Legacy, September 1992.     Indiana Jones and the Interior World, December 1992. Written by Martin Caidin     Indiana Jones and the Sky Pirates, December 1993.     Indiana Jones and the White Witch, April 1994. Written by Max McCoy     Indiana Jones and the Philosopher's Stone, May 1995.     Indiana Jones and the Dinosaur Eggs, March 1996.     Indiana Jones and the Hollow Earth, March 1997.     Indiana Jones and the Secret of the Sphinx, February 1999. Written by Steve Perry     Indiana Jones and the Army of the Dead, September 2009. Video games The character has appeared in several officially licensed games, beginning with adaptations of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, two adaptations of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (one with purely action mechanics, one with an adventure- and puzzle-based structure) and Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures, which included the storylines from all three of the original films. Following this, the games branched off into original storylines with Indiana Jones in the Lost Kingdom, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine, Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb and Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings.[34] Emperor's Tomb sets up Jones' 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; Emperor's Tomb had David Esch fill the role and Staff of Kings starred John Armstrong. Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine was the first Indy-based game presented in three dimensions, as opposed to 8-bit graphics and side-scrolling games before. There is also a small game from Lucas Arts Indiana Jones and His Desktop Adventures. A video game was made for young Indy called Young Indiana Jones and the Instruments of Chaos, as well as a video game version of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. Two Lego Indiana Jones games have also been released. Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures was released in 2008[35] and follows the plots of the first three films. It was followed by Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues in late 2009. The sequel includes an abbreviated reprise of the first three films, but focuses on the plot of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. However, before he got his own Lego games, he appeared as a secret character in Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga as a playable character. He also makes a brief appearance in a minigame in Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars during the level "Hostage Crisis", and also made a cameo alongside Henry Jones Sr. in the level "Legacy of Terror". Social gaming company Zynga introduced Indiana Jones to their Adventure World game in late 2011.[36] Indiana Jones is parodied in the shooter game Broforce as a playable character known as Indiana Brones. He is also parodied in an action-adventure sandbox game Terraria as a rare enemy known as Doctor Bones, which appears as a zombified version of himself. Indiana Jones appears in Fortnite Battle Royale as part of the Chapter 3 Season 3 Battle pass. Character description and formation Harrison Ford as Jones (left) in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. "Indiana" Jones's full name is Dr. Henry Walton Jones, Jr.,[37] and his nickname is often shortened to "Indy". In his role as a college professor of archaeology Jones is scholarly, wears a tweed suit, and lectures on ancient civilizations. At the opportunity to recover important artifacts, Dr. Jones transforms into "Indiana," a "non-superhero superhero" image he has concocted for himself.[38] 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."[39] 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."[40] According to Spielberg biographer Douglas Brode, Indiana created his heroic figure so as to escape the dullness of teaching at a school. Both of Indiana's personas reject one another in philosophy, creating a duality.[38] Harrison Ford said the fun of playing the character was that Indiana is both a romantic and a cynic,[41] while scholars have analyzed Indiana as having traits of a lone wolf; a man on a quest; a noble treasure hunter; a hardboiled detective; a human superhero; and an American patriot.[42] 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 Jones, Sr. His own contained anger is misdirected towards Professor Abner Ravenwood, his mentor at the University of Chicago, leading to a strained relationship with Marion Ravenwood.[38] The teenage Indiana bases his own look on a figure from the prologue of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, after being given his hat.[43] Marcus Brody acts as Indiana's positive role model at the college.[43] Indiana's own insecurities are made worse by the absence of his mother.[44] In Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, he becomes the father figure to Short Round, to survive; he is rescued from Kali's evil by Short Round's dedication.[44] In Raiders of the Lost Ark, he is wise enough to close his eyes in the presence of God in the Ark of the Covenant. By contrast, his rival Rene Belloq is killed for having the audacity to try to communicate directly with God.[38] In the prologue of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Jones is seen as a teenager, establishing his look when given a fedora hat. Indiana's intentions are revealed as prosocial, 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 remembers Jesus as a historical figure—a humble carpenter—rather than an exalted figure when he recognizes the simple nature and tarnished appearance of the real Grail amongst a large assortment of much more ornately decorated ones. Henry Senior rescues his son from falling to his death when reaching for the fallen Grail, telling him to "let it go," overcoming his mercenary nature.[43] The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles explains how Indiana becomes solitary and less idealistic following his service in World War I.[45] In Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Jones is older and wiser, whereas his sidekicks Mutt and Mac are youthfully arrogant, and greedy, respectively.[46] Origins and inspirations 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). Sir H. Rider Haggard's safari guide/big game hunter Allan Quatermain of King Solomon's Mines is a notable template for Jones.[47] The two friends first discussed the project in Hawaii around the time of the release of the first Star Wars film.[48] Spielberg told Lucas how he wanted his next project to be something fun, like a James Bond film (this would later be referenced when they cast Sean Connery as Henry Jones, Sr.). According to sources, Lucas responded to the effect that he had something "even better",[48] or that he'd "got that beat."[49] One of the possible bases for Indiana Jones is Professor Challenger, created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1912 for his novel, The Lost World. Challenger was based on Doyle's physiology professor, William Rutherford, an adventuring academic, albeit a zoologist/anthropologist.[50] Another important influence on the development of the character Indiana Jones is the Disney character Scrooge McDuck. Carl Barks created Scrooge in 1947 as a one-off relation for Donald Duck in the latter's self-titled comic book.[51] Barks realized that the character had more potential, so a separate Uncle Scrooge comic book series full of exciting and strange adventures in the company of his duck nephews was developed. This Uncle Scrooge comic series strongly influenced George Lucas.[52] This appreciation of Scrooge as an adventurer influenced the development of Jones, with the prologue of Raiders of the Lost Ark containing homage to Barks' Scrooge adventure "The Seven Cities of Cibola", published in Uncle Scrooge #7 from September 1954.[53] This homage in the film takes the form of playfully mimicking the removal-of-the-statuette-from-its-pedestal and the falling-stone sequences of the comic book.[54][55] The character was originally named Indiana Smith, after an Alaskan Malamute called Indiana that Lucas owned in the 1970s[56] and on which he based the Star Wars character Chewbacca.[57] Spielberg disliked the name Smith, and Lucas casually suggested Jones as an alternative.[48] The Last Crusade script references the name's origin, with Jones' father revealing his son's birth name to be Henry and explaining that "we named the dog Indiana", to his son's chagrin.[58] Some have also posited that C.L. Moore's science fiction character Northwest Smith may have also influenced Lucas and Spielberg in their naming choice.[59] Lucas has said on various occasions that Sean Connery's portrayal of British secret agent James Bond was one of the primary inspirations for Jones, a reason Connery was chosen for the role of Indiana's father in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.[60][61] Spielberg earned the rank of Eagle Scout and Ford the Life Scout badge in their youth, which gave them the inspiration to portray Indiana Jones as a Life Scout at age 13 in The Last Crusade.[62] Historical models Many people are said to be the real-life inspiration of the Indiana Jones character—although none of the following have been confirmed as inspirations by Lucas or Spielberg. There are some suggestions listed here in alphabetical order by last name:     Beloit College professor and paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews.[63]     Edgar James Banks (May 23, 1866 – May 5, 1945) – American diplomat, antiquarian and novelist. Banks is credited with the sale of an ancient cuneiform tablet famously known as Plimpton 322 proving the Babylonians beat the Greeks to the invention of trigonometry—the study of triangles—by more than 1,000 years.[64]     Italian archaeologist and circus strongman Giovanni Battista Belzoni (1778–1823).[65]     Yale University professor, historian, US senator, and explorer Hiram Bingham III, (1875–1956) who rediscovered and excavated the lost city of Machu Picchu,[66] and chronicled his find in the bestselling book The Lost City of the Incas in 1948.[67]     University of Chicago archaeologist Robert Braidwood.[68]     University of Chicago archaeologist James Henry Breasted.[69]     Frederick Russell Burnham, the celebrated American scout and British Army spy who heavily influenced Haggard's fictional Allan Quatermain character and also became the inspiration for the Boy Scouts.[70][71]     British archaeologist Percy Fawcett, who spent much of his life exploring the jungles of northern Brazil, and who was last seen in 1925 returning to the Amazon Basin to look for the Lost City of Z. A fictionalized version of Fawcett appears to Jones in the book Indiana Jones and the Seven Veils.[7]     American archaeologist Walter Fairservis.[72]     Harvard University paleontologist Farish Jenkins.[73]     Lintel of Torah Ark – Nabratein Synagogue     Ark of Nabratein synagogue, found in 1981, inviting comparisons of discoverers Eric and Carol Meyers to Indy and Marion.[74][75]     Duke University biblical scholar, archeologist, and Bernice and Morton Lerner Emeritus Professor in Judaic Studies Eric M. Meyers, who with his wife and Mary Grace Wilson Professor Emerita of Religious Studies Carol Lyons Meyers uncovered the oldest known remnant of an ark found to date. It was unearthed at Nabratein synagogue in Israel around the time Raiders was released,[76] prompting media interest and a cosplay photo of the Meyers as Indy and Marion in People magazine.[77]     Northwestern University political scientist, anthropologist, professor and adventurer William Montgomery McGovern.[78]     American archaeologist and adventurer Wendell Phillips led well-publicized expeditions in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula in the 1940s and 1950s.[79]     American chess expert and adventurer Albert Pincus, a Manhattan Chess Club member who innovated the 2 Knights Defense, and went on expeditions into South America.[80]     German archaeologist Otto Rahn.[81]     Harvard University archaeologist and art historian Langdon Warner.[82]     Vendyl Jones (1930–2010) led digs in Israel searching for the holy ark. He discovered items identified as the Temple incense and a clay vessel for holy anointing oil.[83] In his book A Door of Hope: My Search for the Treasures of the Copper Scroll, he discusses the similarities.[84] Costume 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. As a documentary of Raiders pointed out, the hat served a practical purpose. Following the lead of the old "B"-movies that inspired the Indiana Jones series, the fedora hid the actor's face sufficiently to allow doubles to perform the more dangerous stunts seamlessly. Examples in Raiders include the wider-angle shot of Indy and Marion crashing a statue through a wall, and Indy sliding under a fast-moving vehicle from front to back. Thus it was necessary for the hat to stay in place much of the time. 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 to stop his hat from falling off 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.[85] Anytime Indy's hat accidentally came off as part of the storyline (blown off by the wind, knocked off, etc.) and seemed almost irretrievable, filmmakers would make sure Indy and his hat were always reunited, regardless of the implausibility of its return. Although other hats were also used throughout the films, the general style and profile remained the same. Elements of the outfit include:     The fedora was supplied by Herbert Johnson Hatters in England for the first three films.[86] An Australian model was used by costume designer Deborah Landis to show hat maker Richard Swales the details when making the iconic hat from "the Poets" parts.[87] The fedora for Crystal Skull was made by Steve Delk and Marc Kitter of the Adventurebilt Hat Company of Columbus, Mississippi.[88]     The leather jacket, a hybrid of the "Type 440" and the A-2 jacket, was made by Leather Concessionaires (now known as Wested Leather Co.) for Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. For Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, jackets were made in-house at Bermans & Nathans in London based on a stunt jacket they provided for Raiders of the Lost Ark. Tony Nowak made the jacket for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.[89]     The Indiana Jones shirt is based on a typical safari-style shirt. Its distinctive feature is two vertical strips running from the shoulders to the bottom of the shirt tails and continued over both breast pockets. A common debate regards the original shirt color. Surviving samples of the original shirts seem to be darker in reality than they appear on screen. Most fans look for an off-white "stone" color for their replicas. The original shirts, however, may have been more of a "tan" or "natural" color. The shirt varied little from film to film, the only notable difference being the darker buttons in Temple of Doom and Last Crusade. Originally designed by Andreas Dometakis for the films, this shirt was once one of the hardest pieces of gear to find.     The trousers worn by Indiana Jones in all three films were based on original World War II Army and Army Air Corps officer trousers. Although not original Pinks they are based on the same basic design and do carry a slight pinkish hue. The trousers made for Raiders are said to be more of a greyish-brown whereas the trousers made for Temple of Doom and Last Crusade were supposedly a purer reddish brown. The trousers were made of a khaki wool-twill, pleated with seven belt loops, two scalloped button flap rear pockets, a button fly and a four-inch military style hem. They were all most likely subcontracted by the costume department and made by famed London based cinema costumers, Angels and Bermans, to be tailored perfectly for Harrison Ford for the production.     The satchel was a modified Mark VII gas mask bag that was used by British troops and civilians during World War II.     The whip was an 8- to 10-foot (2.4 to 3.0 m) bullwhip crafted by David Morgan for the first three films. The whips for Crystal Skull were crafted by a variety of people, including Terry Jacka, Joe Strain and Morgan (different lengths and styles were likely used in specific stunts).[citation needed]     The pistol was usually a World War I-era revolver, including the Webley Government (WG) Revolver (Last Crusade and Crystal Skull), or a Smith & Wesson Second Model Hand Ejector revolver (Raiders). He has also used a Colt Official Police revolver (Temple of Doom), a Nagant M1883 (Young Indiana Jones), and a 9 mm Browning Hi-Power (Raiders).[90] The weapon is carried in a military pattern flap holster.     The shoes were made by Alden. A stock style (model 405) that had been a favorite of Ford's before the films, they are still sold today (though in a redder (brick) shade of brown than seen in the films) and are popularly known as "Indy Boots."[91] The fedora and leather jacket from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade are on display at the Smithsonian Institution's American History Museum in Washington, D.C.[92] The collecting of props and clothing from the films has become a thriving hobby for some aficionados of the franchise.[93] Jones' 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.[94] Casting Originally, Spielberg suggested Harrison Ford; Lucas resisted the idea, since he had already cast the actor in American Graffiti, Star Wars and 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 casts Robert De Niro in his films).[48] During an intensive casting process, Lucas and Spielberg auditioned many actors, and finally cast actor Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones. Shortly afterward pre-production began in earnest on Raiders of the Lost Ark.[48] CBS refused to release Selleck from his contractual commitment to Magnum, P.I., forcing him to turn down the role.[48] Shooting for the film could have overlapped with the pilot for Magnum, P.I. but it later turned out that filming of the pilot episode was delayed and Selleck could have done both.[95] Subsequently, Peter Coyote and Tim Matheson both auditioned for the role. After Spielberg suggested Ford again, Lucas relented, and Ford was cast in the role less than three weeks before filming began.[48] Cultural influence Archaeological influence The industry magazine Archaeology named eight past and present archaeologists who they felt "embodied [Jones's] spirit" as recipients of the Indy Spirit Awards in 2008.[96] That same year Ford himself was elected to the board of directors for the Archaeological Institute of America. Commenting that "understanding the past can only help us in dealing with the present and the future," Ford was praised by the association's president for his character's "significant role in stimulating the public's interest in archaeological exploration."[97] He is perhaps the most influential character in films that explore archaeology. Since the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981, the very idea of archaeology and archaeologists has fundamentally shifted. Prior to the film's release, the stereotypical image of an archaeologist was that of an older, lackluster professor type. In the early years of films involving archaeologists, they were portrayed as victims who would need to be rescued by a more masculine or heroic figure.[98] Following 1981, the stereotypical archaeologist was thought of as an adventurer consistently engaged in fieldwork.[99] Archeologist Anne Pyburn described the influence of Indiana Jones as elitist and sexist, and argued that the film series had caused new discoveries in the field of archaeology to become oversimplified and overhyped in an attempt to gain public interest, which negatively influences archaeology as a whole.[100] Eric Powell, an editor with the magazine Archaeology, said "O.K., fine, the movie romanticizes what we do", and that "Indy may be a horrible archeologist, but he's a great diplomat for archeology. I think we'll see a spike in kids who want to become archeologists".[96] Kevin McGeough, associate professor of archaeology, describes the original archaeological criticism of the film as missing the point of the film: "dramatic interest is what is at issue, and it is unlikely that film will change in order to promote and foster better archaeological techniques".[98] Other characters inspired by Jones While himself an homage to various prior adventurers, aspects of Indiana Jones also directly influenced some subsequent characterizations:     Lara Croft, the female archaeologist of the Tomb Raider series, was originally designed as a man but was changed to a woman, partly because the developers felt the original design was too similar to Indiana Jones.[101] Paramount Pictures, which distributed the first four installments of the Indiana Jones film series, would later make two films based on the Tomb Raider games.     Rick O'Connell from The Mummy films has often been compared to the likes of Indiana Jones.     The producer of the Prince of Persia (2008) video game, Ben Mattes, explained that its "inspiration was anything Harrison Ford has ever done: Indiana Jones, Han Solo."[102]     Nathan Drake, the protagonist from the video game series Uncharted, shares many similarities with Jones himself, both visually and personality-wise.[103]     Dr. Smolder Bravestone, the main protagonist's video game avatar in the Jumanji films shares similarities to Jones." (wikipedia.org) "Raiders of the Lost Ark[b] is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. Set in 1936, the film stars Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, a globetrotting archaeologist vying with Nazi German forces to recover the long-lost Ark of the Covenant which is said to make an army invincible. Teaming up with his tough former romantic interest Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), Jones races to stop rival archaeologist Dr. René Belloq (Paul Freeman) from guiding the Nazis to the Ark and its power. Lucas conceived Raiders of the Lost Ark in the early 1970s. Seeking to modernize the serial films of the early 20th century, he developed the idea further with Kaufman, who suggested the Ark as the film's goal. Lucas eventually focused on developing his 1977 film Star Wars. Development on Raiders of the Lost Ark resumed that year when he shared the idea with Spielberg, who joined the project several months later. While the pair had ideas for set pieces and stunts for the film, they hired Kasdan to fill in the narrative gaps between them. Principal photography began in June 1980 on a $20 million budget, and concluded that September. Filming took place on sets at Elstree Studios, England, and on location mainly in La Rochelle, France, Tunisia, and Hawaii. Pre-release polling showed little audience interest in the film leading up to its June 12, 1981, release date, especially compared to Superman II. Despite this, Raiders of the Lost Ark became the highest-grossing film of the year, earning approximately $354 million worldwide, and played in some theaters for over a year. It was also a critical success, receiving praise for its set pieces, humor, and action. The film was nominated for several awards, and won five Academy Awards, seven Saturn Awards, and one BAFTA, among other accolades. Raiders of the Lost Ark is now considered one of the greatest films ever made and has had a lasting impact on popular culture, spawning a host of imitators across several media and inspiring other filmmakers. The United States Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1999. Raiders of the Lost Ark is the first entry in what became the Indiana Jones franchise, which includes four more films—Temple of Doom (1984), Last Crusade (1989), Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), and Dial of Destiny (2023)—a television series, video games, comic books, novels, theme park attractions, toys, and an amateur remake. Plot In 1936, American archaeologist Indiana Jones recovers a Golden Idol from a booby-trapped Peruvian temple. Rival archaeologist René Belloq corners him and steals the idol; Jones escapes in a waiting seaplane. After returning to the United States, Jones is briefed by two Army Intelligence agents that Nazi German forces are excavating at Tanis, Egypt, and one of their telegrams mentions Jones' former mentor Abner Ravenwood. Jones deduces that the Nazis are seeking the Ark of the Covenant, which Adolf Hitler believes will make their army invincible. The agents recruit Jones to recover the Ark first. At a bar in Nepal, Jones reunites with Ravenwood's daughter Marion, with whom Jones once had an illicit relationship, and learns that Ravenwood is dead. The bar is set ablaze during a scuffle with Gestapo agent Arnold Toht, who arrives to take a medallion from Marion. Toht attempts to recover the medallion from the flames, but only burns its image into his hand. Jones and Marion take the medallion and escape. Traveling to Cairo, the pair meet Jones's friend Sallah. Sallah reveals Belloq is assisting the Nazis, who have fashioned an incomplete replica medallion from the burns on Toht's hand. Nazi soldiers and mercenaries attack Jones, and Marion is seemingly killed, leaving Jones despondent. An imam deciphers the medallion for Jones, revealing that one side bears a warning against disturbing the Ark, and the other bears the complete measurements for the "staff of Ra", an item used to locate the Ark. Jones and Sallah realize that the Nazis are digging in the wrong location, infiltrate the Nazi dig site, and use the medallion and the correctly-sized staff of Ra to locate the Well of Souls, the Ark's resting place. They recover the Ark, a golden, intricately decorated chest, but Belloq and the Nazis discover them and seize it. Jones and Marion, whom Belloq has held captive, are sealed inside the well, but the pair escape and Jones captures a truck carrying the Ark. Alongside Marion, Jones arranges to transport the Ark to London aboard a tramp steamer. A German U-boat intercepts the steamer and seizes the Ark and Marion; Jones covertly boards the U-boat. The vessel travels to an island in the Aegean Sea, where Belloq intends to test the power of the Ark before presenting it to Hitler. On the island, Jones ambushes the Nazi group and threatens to destroy the Ark, but surrenders after Belloq deduces that Jones would never destroy something so historically significant, also surmising that Jones wants to know if the Ark's power is real. The Nazis restrain Jones and Marion at the testing site as Belloq ceremonially opens the Ark but finds only sand inside. At Jones' instruction, he and Marion close their eyes to avoid looking at the opened Ark, as it releases spirits, flames, and bolts of energy that kill Belloq, Toht, and the assembled Nazis before sealing itself shut. Jones and Marion open their eyes to find the area cleared of bodies and their bindings removed. Back in Washington, D.C., the United States government rewards Jones for securing the Ark. Despite Jones' insistence, the agents state only that the Ark has been moved to an undisclosed location for "top men" to study. In a vast warehouse, the Ark is crated up and stored among countless other crates. Cast Main article: List of Indiana Jones characters Harrison Ford (left, in 2017) and Karen Allen in 2013. They portrayed archaeologist Indiana Jones and his love interest Marion Ravenwood, respectively.     Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones: An archaeology professor and adventurer[4]     Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood: A spirited, tough bar owner and Jones' former lover[5]     Paul Freeman as René Belloq: A rival archaeologist to Jones, in the employ of the Nazis[6]     Ronald Lacey as Major Arnold Toht: A sadistic Gestapo agent[7]     John Rhys-Davies as Sallah: An Egyptian excavator and old acquaintance of Jones[8]     Denholm Elliott as Marcus Brody: A museum curator and Jones' loyal friend[8] Raiders of the Lost Ark also features Wolf Kahler as Nazi officer Colonel Dietrich[9] and Anthony Higgins as Major Gobler, Dietrich's right-hand man.[10] Don Fellows and William Hootkins appear as United States Army Intelligence agents Colonel Musgrove and Major Eaton, respectively.[10][11][12] George Harris plays Simon Katanga, captain of the Bantu Wind tramp steamer,[13] and Fred Sorenson portrays Jones' pilot Jock.[14] Producer Frank Marshall appears as the Flying Wing pilot.[10] Pat Roach and Vic Tablian each portray two characters in the film: Roach appears as the Nazi who brawls with Jones by the Flying Wing and one of Toht's Nepalese Sherpas;[15] Tablian plays Jones's treacherous Peruvian guide Barranca and the Monkey Man in Cairo.[15][16] The film features the first theatrical appearance of Alfred Molina as Jones' guide Satipo.[17] Terry Richards portrays the Cairo swordsman shot by Jones.[10][18] Production Conception George Lucas (left) in 2011 and Steven Spielberg in 2017 George Lucas conceived Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1973, shortly after finishing the comedy drama American Graffiti (1973).[19][20] An old movie poster of a heroic character leaping from a horse to a truck reminded Lucas of the early 20th-century serial films he enjoyed as a youth, such as Buck Rogers (1939), Zorro's Fighting Legion (1939), Spy Smasher (1942), and Don Winslow of the Navy (1942).[12][15][19][20] He wanted to make a B movie modeled on those serials and conceived The Adventures of Indiana Smith, featuring a daring archaeologist named after his Alaskan Malamute dog.[12][19][20][21] Around the same time, Lucas was trying to adapt the space opera serial Flash Gordon (1936), but could not obtain the rights.[12][15][19] He shelved the Indiana Smith project to focus on creating his own space opera, Star Wars (1977).[12][19] In 1975, Lucas discussed his serial film idea with his friend Philip Kaufman. The pair worked on a story for two weeks.[22] Lucas imagined his character as a college professor and archaeologist adventurer, based on his own appreciation for archaeology and famous archaeologists like Hiram Bingham III, Roy Chapman Andrews, and Leonard Woolley.[23] Kaufman removed Lucas' vision of Smith as a nightclub patron and womanizer, and suggested the Ark of the Covenant as the film's central goal;[19][22] he learned of the Ark from his childhood dentist. The Ark provided a source of conflict for the hero and the Nazis, playing off Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's historical fascination with the occult.[24] Lucas wanted Kaufman to direct the film, but because he was already committed to working on the western The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), Lucas paused the idea again and resumed working on Star Wars.[19][25] In May 1977, Lucas vacationed in Hawaii to avoid any potential negative news about the theatrical debut of Star Wars. He invited Steven Spielberg to join him and his wife. On a beach near Mauna Kea, Lucas and Spielberg discussed their next projects. Spielberg wanted to direct a James Bond film, but Lucas pitched him The Adventures of Indiana Smith.[26][27][28] Lucas still hoped Kaufman would direct it, but a few months later it was clear he could not participate and Lucas asked Spielberg to replace him.[27] Writing Philip Kaufman (left) in 1991 and Lawrence Kasdan in 2015. Kaufman originated the idea of using the Ark of the Covenant as a central plot device. Kasdan wrote the finished script based on individual set pieces devised by Lucas and Spielberg. Lawrence Kasdan, Spielberg's recent discovery, was chosen to write the script. Kasdan had been working as a professional screenwriter for only a month but Lucas agreed to hire him after reading his script for Continental Divide (1981).[21][27] In January 1978, Lucas, Kasdan, and Spielberg spent about nine hours a day over three to five days at Lucas' assistant's house in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, developing Lucas' outline.[12][21][22][29] Several ideas came from these discussions, including the boulder trap, the monkey in Cairo, Toht burning the medallion's imprint into his hand, and government agents locking the Ark away.[29] Kasdan realized Spielberg and Lucas had several set pieces in mind, but they were looking for someone else to do the hard work of piecing them together.[21] Spielberg hated the name Indiana Smith, believing it would remind audiences of the Steve McQueen character Nevada Smith. All three men agreed to use "Jones" instead.[12][29] Actors Clint Eastwood and Toshiro Mifune, and the James Bond character, were the basis of Jones' own.[12][27] Lucas wanted Jones to be a kung fu practitioner and a playboy, funding his lifestyle with the spoils of his adventures, but Spielberg and Kasdan felt the character was complicated enough being an adventurer and archaeologist.[12][17][29] Spielberg suggested making Jones an avid gambler or an alcoholic, but Lucas wanted Jones to be a role model who is "honest and true and trusting."[12][29] Both men felt it was important Jones be fallible, vulnerable, and as capable of comedic moments as well as serious ones. They intended him to be someone the audience could relate to and idolize.[26] Lucas suggested Marion would have a romantic past, at the age of 11, with the much older Jones; Spielberg replied, "she had better be older".[21] While Spielberg directed 1941 (1979), Kasdan used his office to write Raiders, taking inspiration from early 20th-century serials and adventure films like Red River (1948), Seven Samurai (1954), and The Magnificent Seven (1960).[21][30] He wrote Jones as an antihero, an archaeologist reduced to grave-robbing.[30] Kasdan wanted a supporting cast with their own unique characteristics and believed it was important these characters had a memorable impact.[30] He described how the hardest part of writing was explaining how Jones would fall into successive dangerous events and survive, and how he traveled between locations.[21] In August 1978, after approximately five months, Kasdan completed his first draft.[12][19][27] Spielberg described the draft as good but too long; Kasdan and Lucas collaborated to trim and refine it.[27] The script was a globe-spanning tale set in the United States, Egypt, Greece, and Nepal.[12] Several elements were cut, including a journey to Shanghai that would lead to a minecart chase and Jones using a gong to shield himself from gunfire, ideas later used in the prequel Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984).[15][21] To his frustration, much of Kasdan's love story between Jones and Marion was trimmed, as were scenes showing the mutual attraction between Marion and Belloq.[12][21][31] The screenplay was completed by December 1979.[27] Development and pre-production A photograph of producer Frank Marshall Producer Frank Marshall in 2012. As well as producing, Marshall had a minor role in the film as a Nazi pilot. Lucas wanted to fund Raiders of the Lost Ark himself, but lacked the money.[12] Lucasfilm offered the project to several Hollywood studios. They rejected it, in part because of the proposed $20 million budget,[c] but also because of the deal Lucas offered.[12][30] He wanted the studio to provide the budget, have no creative input and allow him to retain control of the licensing rights and any sequels.[30] The studios considered this deal unacceptable.[12][30] They were also hesitant because Spielberg's had delivered a succession of films over-schedule and over-budget;[30] his recent effort, 1941, was both over-budget and a critical failure. However, Lucas refused to do the project without Spielberg.[17][30][32] Paramount Pictures president Michael Eisner compromised with Lucas, agreeing to his deal in exchange for exclusive rights to any sequels and severe penalties for exceeding the schedule or budget. Lucas reportedly negotiated a salary between $1 million and $4 million plus a share of the gross profits, though a separate report stated he received only net profits. Spielberg received up to $1.5 million as director and a share of the gross profits.[12][19] Producer Frank Marshall, who had experience on smaller independent films, was hired because Spielberg believed he would keep the film on schedule and budget. Spielberg also hired cinematographer Douglas Slocombe and production designer Norman Reynolds because he liked their previous works, and his long-time collaborator Michael Kahn as editor.[12][27] Lucas served as a second unit director[31][33] and the film's executive producer, along with his acquaintance Howard Kazanjian, whom Lucas believed would be a disciplined influence and not indulge the filmmakers' larger ambitions. He also brought in his long-time collaborator Robert Watts as associate producer and production manager. Paramount mandated a filming schedule of 85 days; Lucas, Spielberg, and Marshall agreed on a self-imposed 73-day schedule. Spielberg was determined to avoid criticism for another schedule overrun.[12][27] Six months of pre-production began in December 1979.[27][34] Spielberg preferred to spend a year in pre-production, but worked at a faster pace to keep the budget low.[27] Spielberg and Lucas were both simultaneously working on other projects.[12] Artists Ed Verreaux, Dave Negron, Michael Lloyd, and Joe Johnston provided extensive storyboarding, with over 80% of the script represented, equaling approximately 6,000 images. This helped Spielberg pre-visualize scenes and limit the time taken to set up shots. The script described the opening of the ark only as "all hell breaks loose", and the artists were tasked with envisioning what should happen. Each offered different aspects: spirits, flames, and weird light effects; Johnston was tasked with combining all three.[12][27] Spielberg also had miniature sets of larger scenes built to plan layouts and lighting, including the Well of Souls, the Tanis dig site, and the Cairo marketplace.[34] They contained 1-inch tall figurines to suggest how many extras would be required.[35] Among changes made at this stage, Spielberg abandoned his idea for Toht to have a mechanical arm that could be replaced with a machine gun or flamethrower. Lucas said it put the film into a different genre.[21] Casting A photograph of Tom Selleck Actor Tom Selleck. Initially cast as Indiana Jones, Selleck was forced to withdraw due to his contractual obligations to the television series Magnum, P.I.. Lucas wanted a relatively unknown actor, willing to commit to a trilogy of films, to play Indiana Jones.[12] Those considered for the role included Bill Murray, Nick Nolte, Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Tim Matheson, Nick Mancuso, Peter Coyote, Jack Nicholson, Jeff Bridges,[15] John Shea,[30] Sam Elliott,[36] and Harry Hamlin.[37] Casting director Mike Fenton favored Bridges but Lucas' wife and frequent collaborator Marcia Lucas preferred Tom Selleck.[12][19] Selleck was contractually obligated to filming the television series Magnum, P.I. if it were to be made into a full series. Lucas and Spielberg asked the show's studio, CBS, to release him 10 days early from his contract. Realizing Selleck was in demand, CBS greenlit Magnum P.I., forcing him to drop out and leaving the production with no lead actor only weeks before filming.[15][19][30] The 1980 actors strike later put the show on hiatus for three months, which would have allowed Selleck to star as Jones.[12] Spielberg said Ford was perfect for the role after seeing him in The Empire Strikes Back; Kanzanjian said Ford had always been considered but not cast because he was already a well-known actor.[19] Lucas was concerned about seeming reliant on Ford by casting him in another film after Star Wars, and he also did not think he would commit to three films.[30] However, Ford thought it would be a fun project and agreed to the deal.[12][30] He negotiated a seven-figure salary, a percentage of the gross profits, and the option to re-write his dialogue.[12][19] Ford undertook extensive exercise to enhance his physique and trained for several weeks under stunt coordinator Glenn Randall to use a bullwhip, becoming proficient enough to disarm the Monkey Man (Vic Tablian); his wrist had to be rehabilitated to compensate for an old injury.[12][30] Ford's interpretation of the character was as an academic first and an adventurer second.[30] For Jones' love interest Marion, Spielberg wanted someone akin to early 20th-century leading ladies like Irene Dunne, Barbara Stanwyck, and Ann Sheridan, who equaled their male counterparts.[26] Lucas wanted Debra Winger, but she was not interested, and Spielberg wanted his girlfriend Amy Irving, but she was unavailable.[12][19][38] They also considered Stephanie Zimbalist, Barbara Hershey and Sean Young.[15][30][37] Spielberg was aware of Karen Allen from her performance in Animal House (1978), portraying an independent female character, and she impressed him with her professionalism during auditions for Raiders.[12][39] One of the first things Spielberg asked Allen was "how well do you spit?".[19] Allen developed a backstory for Marion that included her mother's death and her relationship with Jones when she was 15–16, but Spielberg said it belonged in a different movie.[31] Kasdan named Marion after his grandmother-in-law,[31] and took Ravenwood from a Los Angeles street.[34] Belloq was intended to be a sophisticated villain to counter the "beer-drinking" hero.[12] Spielberg cast Freeman after seeing him in the docudrama Death of a Princess (1980); Freeman's piercing eyes had captivated him.[40] Giancarlo Giannini and singer Jacques Dutronc were also considered.[30][40] Danny DeVito was approached to portray Sallah, described as a skinny, 5 ft (1.5 m) tall Egyptian like Gunga Din in Gunga Din (1939).[30][40] DeVito could not participate because of scheduling conflicts with his sitcom Taxi and because his agent wanted too much money.[19][40] Rhys-Davies was cast based on his performance in the 1980 miniseries Shōgun. Spielberg asked him to play the character as a mix of his Shōgun role and the character John Falstaff.[19][30] Ronald Lacey was cast as Toht because he reminded Spielberg of actor Peter Lorre.[15] Klaus Kinski was offered the role but chose to appear in the horror film Venom (1981) because it offered more money.[15] Filming A front-facing exterior photograph of Elstree Studios On-set filming location, Elstree Studios (pictured 2009) in Hertfordshire, England. Principal photography began on June 23, 1980.[12][41] Filming took place on location in La Rochelle in France, Tunisia in North Africa, and Hawaii, and on sets at Elstree Studios, England.[41][42] Elstree was chosen because it was well-staffed with artists and technicians who had worked on Star Wars.[12][14][27] On-location shooting cost around $100,000 a day in addition to crew salaries; sets cost an additional $4 million. The production could afford certain equipment only for a limited time, including a Panaglide camera stabilizer for smoother shots, and a camera crane for higher angles.[27] To maintain the tight schedule, Spielberg said he "...didn't do 30 or 40 takes; usually only four... Had I had more time and money, it would have turned out a pretentious movie."[12][42] Filming began in La Rochelle, depicting the capture of the Bantu Wind by a Nazi U-boat.[12][41] Watts borrowed a submarine from the war film Das Boot (1981) on condition it not be taken into deep waters.[12] World War II German U-boat pens in La Rochelle represented the U-boat dock.[19][41] An original coal-fired tramp steamer boat could not be found for filming, so an Egyptian boat found in an Irish port was decorated appropriately and sailed to France.[12] The production moved to Elstree Studios by June 30. Interiors included the scene featuring an imam deciphering the staff headpiece and the Peruvian temple.[12][14] There were repeated delays while filming the Well of Souls scene: there were too few snakes, a lack of anti-venom, and Stanley Kubrick's daughter Vivian—who was visiting Kubrick on the set of The Shining—called the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) about the treatment of the snakes.[12] The interior of Jones' school was filmed at The Royal Masonic School for Girls in Rickmansworth, near Hertfordshire; the exterior was the University of the Pacific in California.[43] A photograph of sand dunes in the Sahara desert near Tozeur in Tunisia The Sahara desert near the Tozeur oasis in Tunisia was the location of the Tanis dig site in the film. Tunisia was used to portray Egypt.[44] Spielberg described this phase as one of his worst filming experiences: the temperature was often over 130 °F (54 °C), and over 150 crew members became sick with amoebic dysentery from the local food.[12][17][18][27][34] Spielberg was one of the few to remain healthy because he ate food and water he brought from England.[31] Lucas also suffered a severe sunburn and facial swelling.[12][31] The Cairo village was filmed in the city of Kairouan.[43] A day of filming was lost there because over 300 TV antennas had to be removed from the surrounding houses.[12] Budget constraints affected Spielberg's desire to have 2,000 extras as diggers; he had to settle for 600.[27] Stuntman Terry Richards, who portrayed the swordsman nonchalantly dispatched by Jones, spent weeks practicing sword skills for an extended fight scene. Ford was unable to perform for long periods while suffering from dysentery, and it was decided to shorten the fight scene significantly.[18] The Sidi Bouhlel canyon near the city of Tozeur is where a rocket launcher-equipped Jones confronts the Nazis for the Ark. Lucas had used the canyon in Star Wars to portray the planet Tatooine.[43][44][45] During the scene, a fly crawled onto Freeman's lip during his dialogue, but he continued to deliver his lines.[31] Although it appeared to be eaten, Freeman clarified it flew away.[46] In late September, filming moved to Hawaii for exterior shots for the film's Peruvian opening.[12][43] The Paramount logo dissolving into a natural mountain was an improvization by Spielberg based on his own childhood habit of doing the same while making films; the mountain is Kalalea Mountain on the island of Kauaʻi.[14][15][34] Though the scene appears to be a single location, it was shot across 10 areas in Hawaii, including the Huleia National Wildlife Refuge.[14][44] It was originally more elaborate and longer, featuring an added betrayal by one of Jones' guides, resulting in a fight, and it had more dialogue; this was deemed unnecessary and removed for a tighter paced sequence.[14] The cave's exterior was considered a perfect location, though a nearby pool was a mosquito breeding ground; even with anti-mosquito equipment the crew was bitten.[12] The donkeys used for the trek suffered lameness. It was difficult to find replacements, and eventually, a pair of gray donkeys were painted brown with colored hairspray and flown by helicopter to the Nā Pali Coast State Park to finish the scene.[12] The loosely detailed script led to much improvization; where the script described three people talking in a room, in the film it took place in a quarry alongside 500 extras.[31] Scenes like a student of Jones's flashing the "Love You" message written across her eyelids and Marion putting on a dress to conceal a weapon were also improvized.[12][34] Allen believed the latter scene focused on her character seducing Belloq, undermining her loyalty and love for Jones. She and Freeman collaborated to develop the idea of Marion getting Belloq drunk instead.[39] Allen, Lacey, Freeman, and Rhys-Davies often spent time together between filming to talk and discuss their characters. Allen described Ford as a private person who would not discuss his character in detail, and it took her a while to adapt to his working style.[31] Filming concluded in September 1980, after 73 days.[12][27][42] Lucas described it as the film he had the least problems with because of the lack of studio interference.[31] Post-production Post-production lasted about two months and focused mainly on special effects and pick-up shots.[12] Spielberg's first cut was close to three hours long before he and Kahn re-edited it to just under two hours.[12] Lucas was happy with this edit, but later asked if he could shorten the ending. He and Kahn collaborated on the edit; Spielberg said he was happy with their changes.[47] The final cut of the film runs for 115 minutes.[48] Marcia Lucas opined there was no emotional closure for Jones and Marion because she was absent following the closure of the Ark. Marcia is not credited in the film, but her suggestion led Spielberg to shoot a final exterior sequence on the steps of San Francisco City Hall showing Jones and Marion together.[43][49] Other changes included the addition of a scene where the Ark makes a humming noise in the Bantu Wind hold and the removal of a scene showing Jones holding on to the U-boat periscope to follow the Nazis; Spielberg thought it looked poor and hoped the audiences would not care how Jones accomplished the feat.[12][34] Lucas removed a scene of a man fainting at the sight of Indiana and Marion emerging from the Well of Souls because he thought the joke did not fit with the tone of the movie.[21] Shots of the Douglas DC-3 in which Jones flies to Nepal were repurposed from the adventure film Lost Horizon (1973), and a street scene outside Jones' home was taken from The Hindenburg (1975). Spielberg said it was cost-effective and only sharp-eyed viewers would ever notice.[12][33] Special effects supervisor Richard Edlund maintained the street scene was done with miniatures.[12] Music Main article: Raiders of the Lost Ark (soundtrack) John Williams served as composer for Raiders of the Lost Ark. He said the music did not have to be serious for the film and was instead theatrical and excessive.[50] Williams spent a few weeks working on the Indiana Jones theme, more commonly known as "The Raiders March" that plays during the main character's heroic scenes. Two separate pieces were played for Spielberg, who wanted to use both. These pieces became the main theme and musical bridge of "The Raiders March".[51] For the romantic theme, Williams took inspiration from older films like the drama Now, Voyager (1942) to create something more emotionally monumental that he felt would contrast well with the film's humor and lighter moments.[50][51] Williams used "dark" orchestral pieces to represent the actions of the Nazis, using the "seventh degree on the scale of the bottom". He said this signified a militaristic evil.[51] To create something suitably biblical for the Ark of the Covenant, he used a mix of chorus and orchestra.[50] Design Stunts A photograph of a 1930s-era Mercedes-Benz truck used in the film on display at Disneyland in California A 1930s Mercedes-Benz 2.5 ton diesel truck used in the film on display at Disneyland, California The Peruvian temple interiors used in the film were life-sized sets.[14][27] The giant boulder—made of fiberglass, plaster and wood—was designed to be 65 ft (20 m) wide, but this was reduced to 22 ft (6.7 m), with the resulting prop weighing 300 lb (140 kg).[12][14][27] Spielberg liked the effect and had its ramp extended to give it more screen time.[14] The boulder was controlled by a steel rod concealed in the wall by rubber rock outcroppings.[27] Ford performed the stunt ten times for the different camera angles. Spielberg said he was an idiot for letting Ford do it, but it would not have looked as good with a stuntman concealing their face.[12][27] Ford performed as many of his stunts as was allowed throughout Raiders, suffering various injuries.[15][47] The tarantulas on Molina's body would not move because they were male and non-aggressive. A female spider was put on his chest to encourage movement.[14][15][17] Abandoned ideas for the temple included a crushing wall trap and a pit concealed by spider-webs. The golden idol also had mechanically operated eyes that could follow Jones.[14] For the last part of the scene where Jones flees by plane, the first take ended in near-disaster when the plane crashed from a height of 20 ft (6.1 m) because Ford's dangling leg was blocking the aircraft's right flap.[12] Filming of the Well of Souls scene was delayed initially by a lack of snakes. There were 500–600 snakes to use for close shots and some mechanical snakes for wider shots, but Spielberg wanted more. A request was made to snake handlers from around London and Europe who produced between 6,000 and 10,000 snakes in a few days.[20][34][47] Afterward, they struggled to obtain anti-venom; with local supplies having expired, it had to be imported from India.[17] Many of the snakes were harmless grass snakes or non-venomous pythons, but the cobras were positioned behind plexiglas to protect the cast and crew.[36][39] Also present among the snakes were legless lizards.[52] The stage doors were kept open during filming for quick access to a waiting ambulance.[12] Spielberg recounted that Allen was so scared she could not scream on cue. He dropped a dead serpent on her to elicit a genuine reaction.[17] Allen said she got used to the creatures after 3–4 days.[53] Animal handler Steve Edge donned a dress and shaved his legs to stand in for Allen at specific points.[12] Vivian Kubrick's complaint to the RSPCA about the perceived poor treatment of the snakes required production to cease while safeguards were added.[12] Reynolds and production artist Ron Cobb created the BV-38 flying wing based on the Horten Ho 229, the Northrop N-1M and the Vought V-173.[54][55] Constructed by the British engineering firm Vickers, it was dismantled and shipped to Tunisia.[12] It was not designed to be flight-worthy, only to serve as a source of danger from its propellers.[27] The plane was abandoned in Tunisia and slowly dismantled over the following decade by souvenir hunters before being demolished.[54][55] The fight between Jones and the German underneath the plane was mainly improvized; Spielberg had to restrain himself from making it too long as each new idea led to another.[47] During the fight, the moving vehicle rolled over Ford's foot and towards his knee before it was stopped. It took 40 crew members to move it off of him. He avoided injury through a combination of the extreme Tunisian heat making the tire soft and the ground being covered in sand.[12][27] Dysentery had left the production with a lack of stuntmen, and Spielberg had Marshall stand in as the flying wing pilot. The three-day shoot was one of Spielberg's more difficult scenes to film, and he was reported saying he wanted to go home.[47][56] Second unit director Michael D. Moore filmed most of the truck chase. Spielberg had not used a second director before but agreed to it as the scene would take a long time to film being set in multiple locations. Moore completed wider shots where stuntmen stood in for Ford. He closely followed Spielberg's storyboarding but innovated a few shots Spielberg considered improvements.[12][27] Stuntman Glenn Randall suggested the scene of Jones traversing the underside of the truck.[27] Ford sat in a concealed bicycle seat attached to the truck underside when clinging to its front.[12] One of the convoy cars going over a cliff was a combination of matte painting background and stop motion animation of miniature figures falling out of the car.[27] Special effects A photograph of a replica of the Ark of the Covenant on display A replica of the Ark of the Covenant on display in 2016 Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) handled the film's special effects, under the supervision of Richard Edlund. The team worked on both Raiders of the Lost Ark and the dark fantasy Dragonslayer (1981).[12] He felt special effects were a financially economical method of delivering a good film; as long as they were emotionally involved in the story, he said audiences would buy into even a poor special effect.[33] Spielberg liked practical effects because he could regularly check the raw footage during filming, rather than waiting months for the completed composite effects.[27] Freeman said he had no idea what was happening when he opened the Ark. He was told to imagine something coming towards him and to scream.[47] Special effects artist Steve Gawley created the Ark's spirits by suspending small robed puppets in a clouded water tank in front of a blue screen. They were shaken to create a natural movement that was composited into the live footage. A Lucasfilm receptionist, dressed in a long white robe, was suspended in the air in front of a blue screen for the close-up of the ghost. She was filmed moving away from the camera and the footage was reversed to create an inhuman movement. Her visage was composited with a skeletal model for the monstrous transformation.[34] Freeman, Lacey, and Kahler's death scenes were created using different models.[34][57] A mold was made of Kahler's face; it was lined with bladders filled with air. Controlled by up to ten people, the air was removed to make the head shrivel.[12] Special effects artist Chris Walas sculpted Lacey's melting face using different colored layers of gelatin placed over a carved, heat-resistant stone skull. Propane heaters were used to melt the gelatin and filmed using a slower-than-normal camera so the effect appears to take place rapidly when played at normal speed.[57][58] Belloq's head mold contained a thin-plaster skull filled with blood bags and detritus. It was blown up using explosives, shotguns, and an air cannon. It took three attempts to get the desired effect.[12] Belloq's death was considered so extreme the Motion Picture Association of America initially classified the film with an R rating restricting it to those over the age of 17 without an adult. Flames were superimposed over the scene to conceal the effect.[15] Kasdan scripted detailed montages during the transition between locations, but Spielberg saved money by showing a map and an animated line traveling between destinations.[27] Skulls and rotting bodies made by chief make-up artist Tom Smith filled the Well of Souls catacombs.[12] To get the monkey to perform a Nazi salute, the trainer hit it on the head to make it touch the affected area. When this did not work, the filmmakers hung a grape over its head to encourage it to reach up; it took 50 takes to capture.[31] A partially deaf rat was used for the scene of the ark humming in the hold of the Bantu Wind, giving it a unique and unnatural head movement.[47] Visuals and sound Matte paintings were used to create more elaborate backgrounds: these included the establishing shot of Marion's Nepalese bar and the warehouse where the Ark is later stored, the latter painted by Michael Pangrazio. Spielberg disliked the painting of the China Clipper plane (by Alan Maley) as he did not think it looked real against the water they had filmed.[12][27][59][60] Jones' attire—a leather jacket and khaki pants—was based on Humphrey Bogart's in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) and Charlton Heston in Secret of the Incas (1954).[12][27][61] Costume designer Deborah Nadoolman Landis dumped boxes of hats on the floor for Ford to try on. After picking the right style, she purchased an Australian model she aged with Fuller's earth and mineral oil, and then scrunched beneath a bed. The hat allowed them to create a recognizable image even in silhouette.[61] Designer Ralph McQuarrie was responsible for the Ark decorations.[62] Spielberg wanted a moodier film noir lighting style like in The Informer (1935). In contrast, Slocombe wanted to make things brighter and used backlighting to create a greater depth of field; Spielberg preferred his changes. Slocombe often employed natural light, using solar position predictions to plot a scene's layout. Spielberg liked the beams of sunlight glimpsed through scenery and tasked special effects artist Kit West with using a smoke machine to create artificial sunlight shards. For the bar fight, Spielberg wanted pitch-black shadows on the wall, but the lighting required to achieve this would have shrouded the actors' eyes; he settled for subtler shadings. He also wanted to illuminate the Well of Souls with a lighting effect through the ceiling opening, but once this was sealed it no longer made sense. The flaming torches used in the scene did not provide enough light, so he opted to use an artificial light source. Spielberg noted Allen always looked beautiful in her scenes because Slocombe spent twice as long setting up her lighting as he did Ford's.[27] Sound effects supervisor Ben Burtt recorded the film's many sounds. The snake slithering is a mix of Burtt running his hands through cheese casserole and wet sponges being dragged across grip tape; the rolling boulder is a Honda Civic driving down a gravel hill; and the Ark lid opening is the sound of a toilet cistern being opened.[15][34] The Ark spirits are the cries of sea lions and dolphins filtered through a vocoder. Jones' revolver is the sound of a Winchester rifle firing, while his whip-crack was made by recording Ford using the whip.[34] Release Context See also: 1981 in film External video video icon Raiders of the Lost Ark theatrical trailer at YouTube By the summer of 1981 (June–September), the film industry had been in decline for over a year. This was the result of few box office successes, rising film production costs, diminishing audiences, and increasing ticket prices.[63] The season was predicted to be down 10% or $250 million against the previous year.[64] Over 60 films were scheduled for release—more than the previous year—by studios eager to make the next blockbuster film. This increased competition to attract audiences, mainly those aged 12 to 24, at the most profitable time of the year.[63][64] The superhero film Superman II was expected to dominate the season,[64] and based on industry experts and audience polling, films including History of the World, Part I, the latest James Bond film For Your Eyes Only, and The Great Muppet Caper, were also expected to perform well.[64] Conversely, audience polling by CinemaScore showed little awareness or anticipation for Raiders until nationwide previews a week before its release.[64][65] The New York Times reported Paramount had provided theater owners with a more beneficial deal than usual to ensure Raiders was screened in the best theaters and locations.[63] Featuring two camels, an elephant, and a python, the press event for the film cost $10,000.[66] Film prints were supplied to theaters in lead-sealed containers to prevent tampering alongside a letter to theater managers stating they were responsible for any misuse of the film. This letter inspired a whistleblower at one theater to alert Paramount of the planned theft of a Raiders print to make pirated copies.[67] The 1,200 film prints cost an estimated $1.7 million.[68] The theatrical release poster was created by Richard Amsel.[69] Box office In the United States (U.S.) and Canada, Raiders of the Lost Ark was released on June 12, 1981, in 1,078 theaters.[70][71] The film earned $8.3 million—an average of $7,705 per theater,[63][72] and finished as the number one film of the weekend, ahead of the debuts of Clash of the Titans ($6.6 million) and History of the World, Part I ($4.9 million).[72] The film fell to the number three position in its second weekend with an additional gross of $8 million—a decline of only four percent—behind the debuts of The Cannonball Run ($11.8 million) and Superman II ($14.1 million).[73] By its fourth week, Raiders began climbing box office charts, reaching the number two position with a gross of $7.3 million, behind Superman II ($10.9 million).[74][75] In its sixth week, it regained the number one position with $6.4 million.[76] The film spent most of the following nine weeks as the number one film, and forty-weeks straight as one of the top ten highest-grossing films.[71] It was declared the top box office film of the summer by early September, with a total approximate gross of $125 million. Of this figure, $72 million was estimated to have been returned to the studio; the profit-sharing deal with Spielberg and Lucas meant that after marketing costs, Paramount had earned $23 million in profit.[77] The film remained a steady success; six months after its release, industry executives joked Raiders would be the year's big Christmas film.[32][78] The film officially left theaters on March 18, 1982, although some were still playing it by July.[50][79][80] Raiders earned an approximate total box office gross of $212.2 million, making it the highest-grossing film of 1981, ahead of On Golden Pond ($119.3 million), Superman II ($108.1 million), and Stripes ($85.3 million).[71][81][82] An estimate by Box Office Mojo suggests over 77 million tickets were bought to see the film.[79] Raiders remains the "leggiest" film ever released, referring to the difference between the highest-weekend gross and the time taken to achieve the overall total gross.[32][83] Outside the U.S. and Canada, Raiders earned a further $141.7 million, making it the highest-grossing film ahead of For Your Eyes Only ($140.5 million) and Superman II ($82.2 million).[84] In total, the film earned a worldwide gross of $354 million,[d] making it the highest-grossing film of 1981 worldwide, again ahead of For Your Eyes Only ($195.3 million) and Superman II ($190.4 million).[71][84][85][86] Raiders has been re-released several times, first in July 1982, when it earned an additional $21.4 million and again in March 1983, when the film earned an additional $11.4 million.[32][80][87][88] A remastered IMAX version, supervised by Spielberg, was released in 267 U.S. and Canadian theaters. The success of the release led to the run being extended to 300 additional theaters.[89][90][91] These releases have raised the film's worldwide theatrical gross to an estimated $389.9 million.[82] The record $1.95 billion summer box-office of 1981 represented a 15.6% increase over 1980, with a 22.5% increase in ticket sales. This success was attributed mainly to Raiders and Superman II.[77][92] The most successful film genres of the year offered fun, comedy, and escapism.[77] Superman II broke box office records, but it was Raiders that earned the most money and played in theaters for over a year.[88][93][94] The New York Times reported that audiences considered other films only if both Superman II and Raiders were sold out.[95] It became one of the top-four highest-grossing films ever, a list dominated by Lucas and Spielberg with The Empire Strikes Back, Jaws, and Star Wars.[88][96][97] Reception Critical response Raiders of the Lost Ark was released to general acclaim by critics and audiences.[25][32] The National Board of Review and critic Vincent Canby listed it as one of the ten best films of the year.[98][99] Canby labeled the film an "instant classic" and one of the most humorous and stylish American films ever made. He described it as having refined the old serial films into their most perfect form for a modern audience.[16] Roger Ebert called it a series of "breathless and incredible" adventures inspired by and celebrating childhood stories told in comic books and movies. He concluded the film was successful in its singular goal of entertaining, creating an adventure epic in the vein of Star Wars, the James Bond films, and Superman.[100] Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, Arthur Knight said a constant stream of thrills kept the film moving at a steady pace.[101] Writing for Variety, Stephen Klain called the film "exhilarating escapist entertainment". He continued that the film successfully balanced action, comedy, and suspense with mystical mythologies.[6] Michael Sragow described it as the "ultimate Saturday action matinee".[102] Gene Siskel said it was as entertaining as a "commercial movie" could be, the kind of film that makes children excited about cinema.[103] A photograph of Paul Freeman Actor Paul Freeman in 2016. He was singled out for praise by the otherwise critical Pauline Kael for continuing his performance after a fly appeared to crawl into his mouth. Richard Schickel called it a return to form for Spielberg, demonstrating a competence not seen since Jaws.[20] He described it as a film Walt Disney would have made were he still alive, featuring an "enchanting" combination of fantasy and cinematic movement.[42] Stanley Kauffmann said while the film's thrills did work on him, the frequency eventually irritated him. He criticized the film's reliance on nostalgia and updating older films instead of innovating new ideas.[104] Pauline Kael was critical of the film, saying Lucas and Spielberg had thought like marketers in creating a film that would appeal to the broadest masses. Kael said though Raiders was a sophisticated update of older serials, avoiding cliches with clever editing, it was too focused on surpassing each previous action spectacle to the detriment of characterization or plot progression. She opined the failure of 1941 had made Spielberg too cautious, and scenes evidenced he was rushing and not achieving the best possible take as in his previous work.[105][106] Lucas later named a villain in his 1988 fantasy film Willow after Kael.[106] Dave Kehr said the constant rush between setpieces felt monotonous. He also criticized the story for allowing the hero to choose to rescue the Ark over his romantic interest on multiple occasions, believing it made Indiana Jones difficult to support.[107] Ebert said the amusing and unusual characters elevated the film beyond just a technical accomplishment. He described Ford's performance as taciturn and stubborn character in the vein of Humphrey Bogart in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, but with the ability to laugh at himself.[100] Klain said Ford's performance was "riveting", marking a major career highlight.[6] Canby described Ford and Allen as both "endearingly resilient".[16] Ebert said Allen gives Marion a charming toughness.[100] Knight appreciated Marion did not become idiotic when the male star was in danger. His review concluded the character was the definition of an activist.[101] Sragow said Allen's physical performance made her every bit the equal of Ford, and her vitality provided a positive counter to Ford's deadpan performance.[102] Kael was critical of many cast performances, feeling they were stilted and heavily scripted. She singled out Freeman for praise, however, for continuing his performance after a fly crawled into his mouth;[105] Freeman jokingly called it the best review of his career.[31] Klain called Lacey's Toht one of the most offensive Nazi stereotypes seen in cinema since World War II. However, he praised Rhys-Davies' and Elliott's performances.[6] Canby, Knight and Variety singled out the opening of the Ark as one of the film's best special effects.[6][16][101] Knight said the effects artists deserved a "special accolade" for their work.[101] Canby described it as a visual display as "dazzling" as the denouement of Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind.[16] Ebert said the truck chase stunt was the best he had ever seen, ahead of those in films like Bullitt (1968) and The French Connection (1971).[100] Aljean Harmetz, Klain, and Siskel asserted the film's PG rating—meaning any child could see it unsupervised—was too lenient for such a scary film filled with a variety of on-screen deaths. An intermediate rating between PG and R, PG-13, would not be introduced until 1984, in part a response to the violence of the Indiana Jones prequel, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Some children were reported to have suffered nightmares afterward.[6][103][108][109] Awards and accolades A photograph of Richard Edlund Richard Edlund won an Academy and Saturn Award for the film's visual effects. At the 1982 Academy Awards, Raiders of the Lost Ark received five awards:[110] Best Art Direction (Norman Reynolds, Leslie Dilley, and Michael D. Ford); Best Film Editing (Michael Kahn); Best Sound (Bill Varney, Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker, and Roy Charman); Best Sound Editing (Ben Burtt and Richard L. Anderson); and Best Visual Effects (Richard Edlund, Kit West, Bruce Nicholson, and Joe Johnston). The film received a further four nominations: Best Picture; Best Director; Best Cinematography; and Best Original Score.[111] It tied with the drama film Ragtime for the third-most nominations, behind On Golden Pond and Reds.[97][111] For the 39th Golden Globe Awards, Raiders received one nomination for Best Director.[112] At the 9th Saturn Awards, Raiders won seven awards, including Best Fantasy Film, Best Actor (Ford), Best Actress (Allen), Best Director, Best Music (Williams), Best Writing (Kasdan), and Best Special Effects (Edlund).[110] Spielberg received a Directors Guild Award nomination.[113] The 35th British Academy Film Awards earned the film one award for Best Production Design (Reynolds), and a further six nominations: Best Film; Best Supporting Actor for Elliott; Best Original Music; Best Cinematography; Best Editing; and Best Sound for Charman, Burtt, and Bill Varney.[114] The film also received a Grammy Award for Williams' score,[115] a People's Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture,[116] a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation,[117] and a nomination for Best Original Screenplay at the 34th Writers Guild of America Awards.[118] Post-release Home media In the early 1980s, the videocassette recorder (VCR) home video market was rapidly gaining popularity. In previous years, VHS sales were not a revenue source for studios, but by 1983 they could generate up to 13% of a film's total revenue; the U.S. and Canadian cassette rights could generate $500,000 alone.[119] In November 1983, Paramount released a record 500,000 home video copies of Raiders, priced at $39.95. Paramount priced their home videos significantly lower than their competition, reasoning it would broaden the sales audience and promote home video watching.[120] By September 1985, over one million copies of the film had sold, making it the bestselling VHS of its time.[121] In 1991, McDonald's launched possibly "the largest video sales promotion...to date" during which videocassettes of the first three Indiana Jones movies were sold at their restaurants for $5.99 each. Almost 10 million cassettes of the Indiana Jones series had been sold by this point. This promotion was expected to sell at least 5 million more.[122] By 2000, the film was marketed as Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark for consistency with other titles in the franchise.[3] In 2003, the film was released on DVD as a bundle with the other two films in the franchise. Like the VHS, it was a success, selling over one million units and becoming the fastest-selling DVD box set. This set introduced additional materials including Making the Films, a two-hour documentary about the making of the films including deleted scenes, and Behind the Scenes, a series of archival featurettes.[123][124][125] The film and its sequels were released as a collection on Blu-ray disc in 2012, as Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures. Spielberg worked on the films' restoration for the higher-quality format.[125][126][127] This release included the additional content of previous releases.[127] For its 40th anniversary in 2021, the film was released in a remastered 4K resolution Ultra HD Blu-ray based on the original film negative, as part of a boxset including the series' other films.[128] This version will be released individually in 2023.[129] Other media See also: Indiana Jones in other media A photograph depicting a replica scene of the Flying Wing being destroyed at a stunt show. Actors portraying Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood are positioned in the lower-left corner. The photo is taken from behind audience members. A scene from the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! stunt show depicting Jones and Marion fleeing an exploding flying wing Raiders of the Lost Ark has been represented across a wide variety of merchandise, including comic books,[130] video games,[131] novels,[15] Lego sets,[132][133] action figures and vehicles, playsets,[134] candles,[135] and board games.[136] It has received several game adaptations. Raiders of the Lost Ark was released in 1982 for the Atari 2600 console.[131][137][138] A pinball game, Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure, was released in 1993,[137] and a platform game, Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures, was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System the following year.[137][139] Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine (1999) includes a bonus level that returns players to the Peruvian temple.[140] The Lego-themed adventure game Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (2008) and its 2009 sequel Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues represent the film and its sequels.[141][142] A 1984 boardgame, The Adventures of Indiana Jones role playing game, was poorly received, and when the manufacturer lost the license later that decade, all remaining copies had to be burned. All that remained from the destruction were encased in plastic and turned into the Diana Jones Award—"...diana Jones" being the only legible part of the burnt remains.[136][143] A novelization of the film, written by Campbell Black, was released in 1981.[144][145] The book was a worldwide sales success and included details not present in the film. Among them is Marion was aged 15 when she and Jones began their relationship, the staff of Ra headpiece has explicit instructions not to look at the opened Ark, and Brody finds Jones at home after having just entertained one of his students.[15] Black, who was paid $35,000 plus royalties, sued Lucasfilm in 2005 for not paying him his percentage of the book sales profits.[145][146] Marvel Comics produced a comic book adaptation of the film shortly after its release.[130][147] The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! is a live amusement show at Walt Disney World Resort, Florida, that has been in operation since 1989. It features several live stunts based on set pieces from the film.[148] Raiders of the Lost Ark was also one of several films that made up the Great Movie Ride (1989–2017).[149] Themes and analysis Rejection of Nazism A photograph of Nazi paramilitary troops marching in Spandau, Germany Nazi paramilitary troops marching in 1932 Spandau, Germany. Raiders can be seen as a form of revenge for the Jewish people, showing the rejection of the Nazis by God. Raiders can be interpreted as a Jewish fantasy about punishing the Nazis for the Holocaust.[1] Spielberg is Jewish, and the Ark is a Jewish artifact described as holding the Ten Commandments passed down to the Jewish people by God.[1][12] In biblical descriptions, the Ark is a gold-plated wooden box that must be carried with poles because it is too holy to be touched.[24] Although the Nazi regime persecuted the Jewish people, in the film, they needed to use a Jewish artifact to subjugate the world; however, the artifact was too pure and holy for them to touch and actively rejected them by destroying their symbol emblazoned on the Ark's transportation crate while leaving the crate itself unharmed. Eventually, it also destroys the Nazi forces that open it.[1][12] The Nazis are stopped by the literal intervention of Godly power that leaves the perceived protagonists unharmed.[150] In another scene, Jones falls underneath a moving truck when its hood-ornament, a Mercedes logo, snaps, mocking Mercedes' involvement in aiding the Nazis.[1][151] Elizabeth Hirschman identified elements of the metaphysical, believing the standard heroic quest was offset by the religious importance of the Ark, an item of Judeo-Christian belief. The image of God is one that is inherently on the side of the good, and the destruction of the Nazi villains draws parallels to Yahweh visiting plagues on Egypt for enslaving the Israelites.[152] Cinematic homage Raiders of the Lost Ark is a pastiche of cinematic history, inspired by and referencing many films. Spielberg stated explicitly the film is about movies and designed as a tribute to filmmaking.[153] Alongside directly referenced inspirations like early 20th-century serials,[12][15][19][20] the film contains references to Citizen Kane (1941), the film noir Kiss Me Deadly (1955), the samurai film Yojimbo (1961), and the epic Lawrence of Arabia (1962), among others.[16][154] Citizen Kane is referenced directly in Raiders's last scene where the Ark is secured in a vast warehouse, a fate similar to that of the beloved childhood sled belonging to Citizen Kane's principal character.[16][155] Raiders also references several of Lucas' own films: the translation of the German U-boat announcement is "1138", a reference to science fiction film THX 1138 (1971); and numerous nods to Star Wars including the characters of R2-D2 and C-3PO appearing as hieroglyphics inside the Well of Souls.[12][15] Richard Crinkley recounted audience members of King David (1985) associated its use of the Ark explicitly with Raiders instead of its biblical origins. He deemed this an example of "cinemate visual literacy", an increasing number of people educated by visual media rather than text.[156] Sociology One of the film's themes—shared with Superman II (released the same year)—has been interpreted as American security being put at risk. These films are emblematic of their time and the contemporary fears of American citizens. The Nazi characters are based on a former threat to America, and like Superman II, Raiders requires the intervention of a superhuman character to prevent destruction at the hands of enemy forces—a character audiences can admire, but never possibly emulate. Janet Maslin argues that the fantasy of these films and the larger-than-life characters are designed to satisfy audiences who do not want to reflect on the world around them.[95] Jones is striving to recover the Ark both to stop the Nazis but also for personal glory, but the film never dwells on the regular people around the world who would be affected by an invincible Nazi army.[95] Raiders offers a counter to the American national embarrassments of the controversial Vietnam War (1955–1975), the Watergate scandal (1972), a recession, and the growing influence of foreign nations.[25][157] The period setting of the film also presents audiences with a time tinged in romantic nostalgia and filled with the possibility for adventure.[17][25] Robin Wood wrote that Raiders, Superman, and Star Wars provide a familiar, comforting content using the nostalgic memories of the older serial films of which they are derivative, presenting an idealized vision of older traditional values. Wood opined the purpose of this was to subdue contemporary radical social movements eager for change.[158] Jennifer Barker suggested that Raiders offers audiences what they want, and does not challenge their values or beliefs as anything but correct.[159] The macho male action hero archetype of the era, conveyed by Jones, can also be seen as reinforcing traditional masculinity in the face of growing feminism. Describing the typical interpretation of this archetype, Latham Hunter said films such as Raiders, Lethal Weapon (1987), and Die Hard (1988) evolve the everyman character into someone who can overcome impossible odds and promote American might.[157] Jones is an American hero who steps in reluctantly to save the world by overcoming almost exclusively foreign enemies.[25][32] Barker argues that Jones is an individualist placed in opposition to a fascist or totalitarian regime, making Raiders a "conservative serial fantasy" film.[159] Hunter believed this focus on masculinity was short-sighted, and these films succeeded because they offered escapism from reality, and presented an outclassed hero who reflected the audiences' own feelings of powerlessness.[157] Jones has been criticized as a poor portrayal of an archaeologist and that his actions amount to theft.[160] Archaeologist Winifred Creamer described Jones as the "worst thing to happen to archaeology" as he "walks a fine line between what's an archaeologist and what's a professional looter."[161] Kevin McGeough wrote that the archetypal film archaeologist in older films was never the hero, but often a subject to be saved or conquered by the actual hero. Jones is imbued with the self-reliance and physical competence of the traditional hero, but with an intelligence that is recognized and celebrated, setting him apart from older heroes.[160] Even so, Jones is hunting the Ark, in part, for personal glory attached to its recovery. When given the opportunity to destroy it to prevent its misuse, Belloq calls his bluff and Jones backs down. Belloq suggests he is a skewed reflection of Jones, and only a small change would turn Jones into Belloq.[150][162] In her argument that the film is about colonialism, Tatiana Prorokova identified Jones and the Nazis as all-Caucasian males invading foreign lands, belonging to people of color, to steal a local treasure for their own personal benefit.[163] In dismissing the supernatural aspects of the Ark, Jones also dismisses its cultural significance, rendering it a prize to be collected for his sake.[164] As the hero, Jones represents the United States' unfettered right to protect the Ark from others. Although according to Lucas the character of Indiana is named after his childhood dog, Prorokova insists that the hero is named for the U.S. state of Indiana, a state named after wars against Native Americans by colonizers.[165] Raiders is set at a time when much of the world lived under colonial rule, and the film presents the non-white characters either as subjugated by the Nazis and reliant on a white American for aid or as collaborating with the Nazis.[166] Legacy Raiders of the Lost Ark has had a lasting impact on popular culture. It is considered a touchstone of modern cinema, creating a film framework still emulated by other films.[50][167] Spielberg has said he considers it the most perfect film of the series because he never wanted to modify it or change anything about it.[50] Ford's performance led to his casting in the 1982 science fiction cult classic film Blade Runner.[32][168] Kasdan became one of the most in-demand writers in Hollywood, and helped write Lucas' Star Wars sequel, The Empire Strikes Back (1980).[12][77] Despite opening new opportunities for Allen, she expressed disappointment with the film because her character was motivated more by her relationship with Jones and financial gain than with her father and his obsession with the Ark. She unsuccessfully lobbied for rewrites to address this and explore her character further.[12][53] Even so, Allen affirmed that many women and girls had appreciated and been inspired by her character. Forty years after the film's release, Allen affirmed she still received positive feedback from young women.[39] Shortly after the film's release, Stanley Rader and Robert Kuhn filed a lawsuit against the filmmakers for $210 million alleging the film was based on Ark, a screenplay and unpublished novel by Kuhn. The outcome of this lawsuit is unknown.[169] The film led to an increase in students studying archaeology, and many modern archaeologists have cited the film as an inspiration. Rhys-Davies said he had met over 150 lecturers, professors, and archaeologists who told him their interest in the field began with the film.[23] The original Indiana Jones costume hat and jacket were stored indiscriminately after filming, at Lucas' Skywalker Ranch, until 2012. Nadoolman Landis recovered the items to be exhibited as part of a Hollywood costume display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.[61] Cultural impact A photograph of a man and woman dressed as Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood respectively at a fan convention Fans dressed as Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood in 2011 at the San Diego Comic-Con International In 1999, the United States Library of Congress selected the film to be preserved in the National Film Registry for being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.[170][171] Assessing the film's legacy in 1997, Bernard Weinraub, opined "the decline in the traditional family G-rated film, for 'general' audiences, probably began..." with Raiders of the Lost Ark. He continued, "whether by accident or design... the filmmakers made a comic nonstop action film intended mostly for adults but also for children".[172] Lucas' frequent collaborator Gary Kurtz said that Raiders of the Lost Ark marked the turning point where Lucas became convinced that audiences cared more about "the roller-coaster ride" than the story.[173] Several authors and filmmakers have spoken of their appreciation for Raiders of the Lost Ark or cited it as an inspiration in their own careers, including Chris Carter,[167] Simon Kinberg, Jon Turteltaub,[174] Dan Brown,[175] and Joe Johnston. The experience had an explicit influence on Johnston's directorial effort Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), including character designs.[27][167] Director Steven Soderbergh released a black-and-white edit of the film in 2014, removing all the original sounds, intending for viewers to focus on Spielberg's staging and editing.[176] During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, it was among the action films director James Gunn recommended people watch, and one of the 35 films recommended by The Independent.[177][178] The film has inspired or been referenced in other media including film,[179][180] television shows, and video games.[175][179] Between 1982 and 1989, in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, children Chris Strompolos, Eric Zala, and Jayson Lamb made an amateur remake of the film, Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation. Spielberg congratulated the trio on their accomplishment.[181] Critical reassessment Raiders of the Lost Ark is considered one of the greatest films ever made.[182][183][184][185] As part of his The Great Movies series, Ebert said while the special effects had not aged well, they were perfect for this type of film. He concluded it was a "whiz-bang slamarama" made with "heedless joy".[1] The British Film Institute called it one of the 10 greatest action films of all time, saying "for all its barnstorming staging and boy's-own-adventure larks, it's refreshing Indy's greatest foil comes in three dimensions ... the hard-drinking, wise-cracking, upstagingly brilliant Karen Allen".[185] A 2014 poll of 2,120 entertainment-industry members by The Hollywood Reporter ranked it the thirteenth best film ever made.[183] It is also listed in the film reference book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.[180] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 93% approval rating from the aggregated reviews of 148 critics, with an average rating of 9.3/10. The consensus reads, "Featuring bravura set pieces, sly humor, and white-knuckle action, Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the most consummately entertaining adventure pictures of all time."[186] The film has a score of 85 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 15 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[187] In 2005, the Writers Guild of America's (WGA) listed the film's screenplay as the forty-second greatest screenplay of the preceding 75 years on their 101 Greatest Screenplays list.[188][189] Empire listed the film at number two on its 2008 list of the 500 Greatest Movies of All Time, behind the 1972 crime film The Godfather. They said, "no adventure movie is quite so efficiently entertaining".[182] In 1997, the American Film Institute (AFI) ranked Raiders number 60 on its 100 Years...100 Movies list recognizing the best American films. They reassessed to number 66 in the 2007 anniversary edition.[190] On the AFI's list of the 100 Best Thrills, the film was ranked number 10,[191] and the 2003 list of the 100 Best Heroes & Villains ranked the Indiana Jones character as the number two hero, behind Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird (1962).[192] Several publications have ranked it as one of the greatest films of all time, including number two by Empire,[182] number five by Time Out,[193] and number 19 by MSN.[194] It has also appeared on lists of the best action films, including number two by IGN,[184] number nine by Time Out[195] (down from number two in an earlier ranking[196]) and number 11 by The Guardian[197] and The Telegraph.[198] IGN also named it the best action film of the 1980s.[199] Rotten Tomatoes and Esquire have labeled it one of the greatest adventure films.[200][201] Channel 4 viewers in the United Kingdom ranked Raiders as the 20th best family film of all time in 2005.[202] In the 2010s, Empire magazine readers named it the seventh-best film of all time,[203] and it was ranked the sixteenth best film of all time, based on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes user votes and critical ratings.[204] Readers of the Los Angeles Times voted it the number one summer film, ahead of competition including Jaws and Alien (1979).[205] A 2013 episode of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory ("The Raiders Minimization") argues that Jones accomplishes nothing in Raiders, as the Nazis would have eventually found the Ark, opened it, and died regardless of Jones' actions. An essay by Esquire's Matt Pomroy agreed, with the caveat that Marion would have almost certainly died at Toht's hands, and the Ark would have been flown to Germany on the Flying Wing and opened for Hitler, likely killing him. However, Jones' involvement ensures the Americans secure the Ark, preventing the Germans from using it.[206][207] Sequels and spin-offs Main article: Indiana Jones A photograph of Sean Connery Actor Sean Connery in 1983. He was introduced as Indiana Jones' father, Henry, in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade The success of Raiders of the Lost Ark has spawned four sequel films. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was in development by 1982, while the original was still in theaters.[208] A narrative prequel to Raiders, Temple of Doom follows Jones's quest to recover sacred stones and liberate the slaves of a Thuggee cult leader. The film became one of the highest-grossing films of 1984 and broke box office records, but fared less well with critics who accused it of racism, sexism, and containing content inappropriate for child audiences.[209][210][211][212] A narrative sequel to Raiders, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, was released in 1989. It serves as the final film of the original trilogy and follows Jones and his father, portrayed by Sean Connery, on a quest to recover the Holy Grail.[213][214] Like its predecessor, The Last Crusade broke box office records, becoming one of the year's highest-grossing films. It was also well received by critics.[213][215] Spielberg has said the film was, in part, an "apology" for the reception to Temple of Doom.[216] Following the conclusion of the film series, Lucas developed a television series, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992–1993), featuring Ford and other actors as Jones at different ages.[217] A fourth film was released in 2008, titled Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It features the return of Allen as Marion Ravenwood and introduces Shia LaBeouf as her and Jones' son. The setting moved from the 1930s to the 1950s, pitting Jones against Russians to recover a crystal skull.[218] The film was a financial success but polarized critics and fans.[218][219][220] As with Temple of Doom, Lucas and Spielberg have defended the film and apologized for its reception.[218][219] A fifth film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, was released in June 2023.[221] Novels, comic books, and video games have also been released detailing the further adventures of Indiana Jones and his supporting cast from the films.[137][147][222][223] Often set before and after the events of the films, these globe-spanning tales depict Jones' first marriage, and his adventures to discover the Spear of Destiny, Merlin, an Infernal Machine in the Tower of Babel, the Covenant of Buddha,[224] the staff of Moses,[225] the Philosopher's Stone, dinosaurs, a Unicorn horn, the Oracle of Delphi, the secrets of the Sphinx, Noah's Ark, and the fate of Atlantis.[226][224][227] Jones is sometimes aided by Sallah in his conflicts against Belloq and Lao Che (from Temple of Doom), among others." (wikipedia.org) "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a 1984 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg from a script by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, based on a story by George Lucas. It is the second installment in the Indiana Jones film series and a prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). The film features Harrison Ford who reprises his role as the title character. Kate Capshaw, Amrish Puri, Roshan Seth, Philip Stone and Ke Huy Quan, in his film debut, star in supporting roles. In the film, after arriving in British Raj, Indiana Jones is asked by desperate villagers to find a mystical stone and rescue their children from a Thuggee cult practicing child slavery, black magic, and ritual human sacrifice in honor of the goddess Kali. Not wishing to feature the Nazis as the villains again, executive producer and story writer George Lucas decided to regard this film as a prequel. Three plot devices were rejected before Lucas wrote a film treatment that resembled the final storyline. As Lawrence Kasdan, Lucas's collaborator on Raiders of the Lost Ark, turned down the offer to write the script, Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, who had previously worked with Lucas on American Graffiti (1973), were hired as his replacements. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was released on May 23, 1984, to financial success, grossing $333.1 million worldwide, making it the highest grossing film of 1984. Initial critical reviews were mixed, criticizing its strong violence and gore, as well as some of its story elements. However, critical opinion has improved since 1984, citing the film's intensity and imagination. In response to some of the more violent sequences in the film, and with similar complaints about the Spielberg produced Gremlins (which released two weeks later), Spielberg suggested that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) alter its rating system, which it did within two months of the film's release, creating a new PG-13 rating.[3][a] It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score and won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. A sequel, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, followed in 1989. Plot In 1935, American archeologist Indiana Jones survives a murder attempt from Shanghai crime boss Lao Che, who hired him to retrieve the remains of Nurhaci. Jones flees from the city in the company of the young orphan Short Round and nightclub singer Willie Scott, unaware that the plane he is traveling on is owned by Che. The plane's pilots dump the fuel and parachute away, but Jones, Willie and Short Round escape using an inflatable raft before the plane crashes. The trio ride down the slopes of the Himalayas and fall into a river before arriving at the Indian village of Mayapore. There, the villagers plead for Jones' aid in retrieving a sacred lingam stone stolen along with the village's children by evil forces from the nearby Pankot Palace. Jones agrees to do so, hypothesizing that the stone is one of the five Sankara stones given by the Hindu gods to help humanity fight evil. Traveling to the palace, the trio are warmly welcomed and allowed to stay for the night as guests, attending a banquet hosted by the palace's young maharaja. During the night, Jones is attacked by an assassin but manages to kill him. He discovers a series of tunnels underneath the palace and explores them with Willie and Short Round. There, they discover Thuggee cultists conducting a human sacrifice. The cult, which possesses three Sankara stones, is revealed to have abducted the children of Mayapore, using them to find the remaining stones. During an attempt to retrieve the stones, Jones is captured alongside Willie and Short Round. Thuggee high priest Mola Ram forces Jones to drink a potion that places him into a trance-like state which makes him prepare Willie for sacrifice. Short Round is put to work in the tunnels, but he escapes and interrupts the sacrifice by freeing Jones from his trance, who rescues Willie in turn. The trio defeat the Thuggee, collect the Sankara stones and free the children, escaping an attempt by Mola Ram to drown them. As they cross a rope bridge above a river, Mola Ram ambushes them again, leading Jones to cut the bridge in two, causing a number of cultists to fall into the crocodile-infested water below. As Jones, Willie, Short Round and Mola Ram struggle to climb up the broken bridge, Jones invokes the name of Shiva, causing the stones to burn through his satchel; Mola Ram tries to grab one and falls into the river, and he is likewise devoured by the crocodiles. British Indian Army soldiers arrive and defeat the remaining cultists, and Jones, Willie and Short Round return to Mayapore and hand over their last remaining stone. As the villagers are reunited with their children, Jones and Willie embrace. Cast See also: List of Indiana Jones characters     Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones: An archaeologist adventurer who is asked by a desperate Indian village to retrieve a mysterious stone and rescue the missing village children. Ford undertook a strict physical exercise regimen headed by Jake Steinfeld to gain a more muscular tone for the part.[7]     Kate Capshaw as Wilhelmina "Willie" Scott: An American nightclub singer working in Shanghai. In a nod to the Star Wars franchise, the nightclub is called Club Obi Wan. Willie is unprepared for her adventure with Indy and Short Round, and appears to be a damsel in distress. She also forms a romantic relationship with Indy. Over 120 actresses auditioned for the role, including Sharon Stone.[2][8] To prepare for the role, Capshaw watched The African Queen and A Guy Named Joe. Spielberg wanted Willie to be a complete contrast to Marion Ravenwood from Raiders of the Lost Ark, so Capshaw dyed her brown hair blonde for the part. Costume designer Anthony Powell wanted the character to have red hair.[9]     Ke Huy Quan as Short Round: Indy's 11-year-old Chinese sidekick, who drives the 1936 Auburn Boat Tail Speedster that allows Indy to escape during the opening sequence. Quan was chosen as part of a casting call in Los Angeles.[9] Around 6,000 actors auditioned worldwide for the part, including Peter Shinkoda;[10] Quan was cast after his brother auditioned for the role. Spielberg liked his personality, so he and Ford improvised the scene where Short Round accuses Indy of cheating during a card game.[8]     Amrish Puri as Mola Ram: A Thuggee priest who performs rites of human sacrifices. The character is named after an 18th-century Indian painter.[citation needed] Lucas wanted Mola Ram to be terrifying, so the screenwriters added elements of Aztec and Hawaiian human sacrificers and European devil worship to the character.[11] To create his headdress, make-up artist Tom Smith based the skull on a cow (as this would be sacrilegious), and used a latex shrunken head.[12]     Roshan Seth as Chattar Lal: The Prime Minister of the Maharaja of Pankot. Chattar, also a Thuggee worshipper, is enchanted by Indy, Willie and Short Round's arrival, but is offended by Indy's questioning of the palace's history and the archaeologist's own dubious past.     Philip Stone as Captain Philip Blumburtt: A British Indian Army officer on a routine inspection tour of Pankot Palace and the surrounding area. He assists Indiana by fighting off Thuggee cultists at the bridge with his regiment, the 11th Poona Rifles. Additionally, Roy Chiao portrays Lao Che, a Shanghai crime boss who, with his sons Chen (Chua Kah Joo) and Kao Kan (Ric Young), hires Indy to recover the cremated ashes of one of his ancestors. David Yip (in his film debut) portrays Wu Han, a friend of Indy, who is killed in Club Obi Wan. Raj Singh portrays Zalim Singh, the adolescent Maharajá of Pankot, and D. R. Nanayakkara portrays the village Shaman, the leader of a small village that recruits Indy to retrieve their stolen sacred Shiva lingam stone. Denawaka Hamine and Iranganie Serasinghe play two of the village women. Professional wrestler Pat Roach plays the Thuggee overseer in the mines whom Indy has a large brawl with; Roach had previously appeared as a German mechanic and a Giant Sherpa who brawls with Indy in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Dan Aykroyd appears briefly and with a British accent as Weber, who escorts Jones, Short Round and Willie from their car to the plane.[13] Spielberg, Lucas, Marshall, and Kennedy have cameos at the airport.[7] Production Development Spielberg later recalled that when Lucas first approached him for Raiders of the Lost Ark, "George said if I directed the first one then I would have to direct a trilogy. He had three stories in mind. It turned out George did not have three stories in mind and we had to make up subsequent stories."[14] Both men later attributed the film's tone, which was darker than Raiders of the Lost Ark, to their personal moods following the breakups of their relationships.[15] In addition, Lucas felt "it had to have been a dark film. The way Empire Strikes Back was the dark second act of the Star Wars trilogy."[9] Spielberg had said "The danger in making a sequel is that you can never satisfy everyone. If you give people the same movie with different scenes, they say why weren't you more original?" "But if you give them the same character in another fantastic adventure, but with a different tone, you risk disappointing the other half of the audience who just wanted a carbon copy of the first film with a different girl and a different bad guy. So you win and you lose both ways."[16] Lucas set the film in an earlier year than the first to avoid repeating the use of Nazis as the villains.[15] Spielberg originally wanted to bring Marion Ravenwood back,[14] with Abner Ravenwood considered as a possible character.[9] In developing the story, Lucas conceived of an opening chase scene with Indiana Jones on a motorcycle on the Great Wall of China, followed by the discovery of a "Lost World pastiche with a hidden valley inhabited by dinosaurs".[7] Another idea was to feature the Monkey King as the plot device.[15] However, Chinese authorities refused permission for them to film in the country, requiring a different setting.[7] Lucas wrote a film treatment that included a haunted castle in Scotland, but Spielberg felt it was too similar to Poltergeist; so the setting transformed into a demonic temple in India.[9] Lucas came up with ideas that involved a religious cult devoted to child slavery, black magic, and ritual human sacrifice. Lawrence Kasdan of Raiders of the Lost Ark was asked to write the script. "I didn't want to be associated with Temple of Doom," he reflected. "I just thought it was horrible. It's so mean. There's nothing pleasant about it. I think Temple of Doom represents a chaotic period in both their [Lucas's and Spielberg's] lives, and the movie is very ugly and mean-spirited."[7] Lucas hired Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz to write the script because of their knowledge of Indian culture.[14] Gunga Din served as an influence for the film.[9] Huyck and Katz spent four days at Skywalker Ranch for story discussions with Lucas and Spielberg in early 1982.[9] They later said the early plot consisted of two notions of Lucas': that Indy would recover something stolen from a village and decide whether to give it back, and that the picture would start in China and work its way to India. Huyck says Lucas was very single-minded about getting through meetings, while "Steve would always stop and think about visual stuff."[17] Lucas's initial idea for Indiana's sidekick was a virginal young princess, but Huyck, Katz, and Spielberg disliked the idea.[11] Just as Indiana Jones was named after Lucas's Alaskan Malamute, the character of Willie was named after Spielberg's Cocker Spaniel, and Short Round was named after Huyck's dog, whose name was derived from The Steel Helmet.[9] Lucas handed Huyck and Katz a 20-page treatment in May 1982 titled Indiana Jones and the Temple of Death to adapt into a screenplay.[9] Scenes such as the fight scene in Shanghai, the escape from the airplane, and the mine cart chase came from earlier scripts of Raiders of the Lost Ark.[18][19] In Raiders, the headpiece for the Staff of Ra was originally conceived to be in two pieces, with the first piece in the museum of General Hok, a Japanese-allied Chinese warlord in Shanghai. Jones was planned to steal that piece, and then use a giant gong as a shield as General Hok fired a submachine gun at him during his escape, much like the final moments in Club Obi-Wan. Kasdan said that was too expensive to produce for the earlier movie. After that, Jones was to fly to Nepal to find Marion and the second piece. In flight, he fell asleep and all of the other passengers on the plane bailed out and parachuted to safety, leaving him to escape alone using an inflatable raft to slide down a Himalayan slope to Marion's bar. Kasdan said this was cut because it interrupted the story flow and was "too unbelievable,"[20] a complaint leveled by some critics at the finished scene. Lucas, Huyck, and Katz had been developing Radioland Murders (1994) since the early 1970s. The opening music was taken from that script and applied to Temple of Doom.[18] Spielberg reflected, "George's idea was to start the movie with a musical number. He wanted to do a Busby Berkeley dance number. At all our story meetings he would say, 'Hey, Steven, you always said you wanted to shoot musicals.' I thought, 'Yeah, that could be fun.'"[9] Lucas, Spielberg, Katz, and Huyck were concerned how to keep the audience interest while explaining the Thuggee cult. Huyck and Katz proposed a tiger hunt but Spielberg said, "There's no way I'm going to stay in India long enough to shoot a tiger hunt." They eventually decided on a dinner scene involving eating bugs, monkey brains, and the like. "Steve and George both still react like children, so their idea was to make it as gross as possible," says Katz.[17] Lucas sent Huyck and Katz a 500-page transcript of their taped conversations to help them with the script.[17] The first draft was written in six weeks, in early August 1982. "Steve was coming off an enormously successful movie [E.T.] and George didn't want to lose him," said Katz. "He desperately wanted him to direct (Temple of Doom). We were under a lot of pressure to do it really, really fast so we could hold on to Steve."[19] A second draft was finished by September. Captain Blumburtt, Chattar Lal, and the boy Maharaja originally had more crucial roles. A dogfight scene was deleted, as were scenes where those who drank the Kali blood turned into zombies with physical superhuman abilities. During pre-production, the Temple of Death title was replaced with Temple of Doom. From March to April 1983, Huyck and Katz simultaneously performed rewrites for a final shooting script.[9] Huyck and Katz later said Harrison Ford took many of the one liners originally given to Short Round.[19] Casting Amrish Puri had been working on 18 films in India upon being cast as the villain Mola Ram. Spielberg later remarked "Amrish is my favorite villain. The best the world has ever produced and ever will."[21] Harrison Ford reprised his role of Indiana Jones from Raiders of the Lost Ark. For the role of Willie Scott, more than 1000 actresses auditioned. Among the totally unknown actresses auditioning for the role was Sharon Stone. Finally, Spielberg chose Kate Capshaw after viewing her videotaped test and showing it to Harrison Ford.[2] For the role of Short Round, casting director Mike Fenton arranged open calls for East Asian boys to come in to audition in several major cities, including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Hawaii, Toronto, Chicago, Montreal, Hong Kong and London. Originally, Ke Huy Quan's younger brother went to audition for the role while Quan tagged along. The producers had noticed that Quan was giving his brother directions behind the camera during the audition, so the casting director had asked Quan to give it a shot, and was cast a few days later.[22] For the various Indian characters in the film, the villagers were played by Sri Lankan actors and actresses, while the characters in Pankot Palace were primarily played by Indian actors. For the role of Mola Ram, the arch-villain, they searched through England and the United States to find someone to play the part, as both Lucas and Spielberg were most anxious that they did not cast the principal Indian roles with Western actors darkened down. They couldn't find anybody amongst the resident Indian actors in the United States, and so they got a permit for Amrish Puri, who was working on 18 films in India simultaneously at the time of his casting. Puri had met with Spielberg and initially declined the role, but was convinced after speaking with Richard Attenborough, whom Puri had worked with on a small part in Gandhi.[23] Roshan Seth, who played prime minister Chattar Lal, also appeared in Gandhi alongside Puri. Filming Steven Spielberg and Production Supervisor Chandran Rutnam on location in Kandy, Sri Lanka, during the filming of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom The filmmakers were denied permission to film in North India and Amer Fort, due to the government finding the script offensive.[7][14][18] Producer Frank Marshall explained that "originally the scenes were going to be shot in India at a fantastic palace. They required us to give them a script, so we sent it over and we didn't think it was going to be a problem. But because of the voodoo element with Mola Ram and the Thuggees, the Indian government was a little bit hesitant to give us permission. They wanted us to do things like not use the term Maharajah, and they didn't want us to shoot in a particular temple that we had picked. The Indian government wanted changes to the script and final cut privilege."[7][14][18][9] As a result, location work went to Kandy, Sri Lanka, with matte paintings and scale models applied for the village, temple, and Pankot Palace. Budgetary inflation also caused Temple of Doom to cost $28.17 million, $8 million more than Raiders of the Lost Ark.[18] Filming began on April 18, 1983, in Kandy,[24] and moved to Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, England on May 5. Marshall recalled, "when filming the bug scenes, crew members would go home and find bugs in their hair, clothes and shoes."[24] Eight out of the nine sound stages at Elstree housed the filming of Temple of Doom. Lucas biographer Marcus Hearn observed, "Douglas Slocombe's skillful lighting helped disguise the fact that about 80 percent of the film was shot with sound stages."[25] Harrison Ford with Rutnam on the set of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in Sri Lanka in 1983 Danny Daniels choreographed the opening music number "Anything Goes". Capshaw learned to sing in Mandarin and took tap dance lessons. However the dress was fitted so tightly that Capshaw was not able to dance in it. Made by Barbara Matera out of original 1920s and 1930s beads, the dress was one of a kind. The opening dance number was actually the last scene to be shot, but the dress did feature in some earlier location shots in Sri Lanka, drying on a nearby tree. Unfortunately an elephant had started to eat it, tearing the whole back of the dress. Consequently, some emergency repair work had to be done by Matera with what remained of the original beads, and it was costume designer Anthony Powell who had to fill in the insurance forms. As to the reason for damage, he had no option but to put "dress eaten by elephant".[14] In a 2003 documentary on the making of the film (first released when the original trilogy made its debut on DVD), costume designer Anthony Powell stated that only one evening dress was made for Capshaw due to the limited amount of original 1920s and 1930s beads and sequins (story above). However, there have been more than one of Capshaw's evening dresses on display at the same time in different countries during exhibitions – from late 2014, a dress was on display at the Hollywood Costume exhibition in Los Angeles (exhibition ran from October 2, 2014 – March 2, 2015). At the very same time, the traveling "Indiana Jones: Adventure of Archaeology" exhibition was on display in Edmonton in Canada (October 11, 2014 – April 6, 2015) and there featured another of the red and gold dresses.[original research?] Production designer Norman Reynolds could not return for Temple of Doom because of his commitment to Return to Oz. Elliot Scott (Labyrinth, Who Framed Roger Rabbit), Reynolds' mentor, was hired. To build the rope bridge the filmmakers found a group of British engineers from Balfour Beatty working on the nearby Victoria Dam.[9] Harrison Ford suffered a severe spinal disc herniation by performing a somersault while filming the scene with the assassin in Jones's bedroom. A hospital bed was brought on set for Ford to rest between takes. Lucas stated, "He could barely stand up, yet he was there every day so shooting would not stop. He was in incomprehensible pain, but he was still trying to make it happen."[7] With no alternatives, Lucas shut down production while Ford was flown to Centinela Hospital on June 21 for recovery.[24] Stunt double Vic Armstrong spent five weeks as a stand-in for various shots. Wendy Leech, Armstrong's wife, served as Capshaw's stunt double.[26] Macau (then a Portuguese colony) was substituted for Shanghai,[18] while cinematographer Douglas Slocombe caught fever from June 24 to July 7 and could not work. Ford returned on August 8. Despite the problems during filming, Spielberg was able to complete Temple of Doom on schedule and on budget, finishing principal photography on August 26.[24] Various pickups took place afterwards. This included Snake River Canyon, in Idaho, Mammoth Mountain, Tuolumne and American River, Yosemite National Park, San Joaquin Valley, Hamilton Air Force Base and Arizona.[2] Producer Frank Marshall directed a second unit in Florida in January 1984, using alligators to double as crocodiles.[2][15] The mine chase was a combination of a roller coaster and scale models with dolls doubling for the actors.[18] Minor stop motion was also used for the sequence. Visual effects supervisors Dennis Muren, Joe Johnston and a crew at Industrial Light & Magic provided the visual effects work,[27] while Skywalker Sound, headed by Ben Burtt, commissioned the sound design. Burtt recorded roller coasters at Disneyland Park in Anaheim for the mine cart scene.[28] Editing "After I showed the film to George [Lucas], at an hour and 55 minutes, we looked at each other," Spielberg remembered. "The first thing that we said was, 'Too fast'. We needed to decelerate the action. I did a few more matte shots to slow it down. We made it a little bit slower, by putting breathing room back in so there'd be a two-hour oxygen supply for the audience."[2] Music Further information: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (soundtrack) Release Box office Temple of Doom was released on May 23, 1984, in the United States, accumulating a record-breaking $45.7 million in its first week.[25] The film went on to gross $333.1 million worldwide, with $180 million in North America and $153.1 million in other markets.[29] The film had the highest opening weekend of 1984, and was that year's highest-grossing film (third in North America, behind Beverly Hills Cop and Ghostbusters).[30] It was also the tenth highest-grossing film of all time during its release.[29] It sold an estimated 53,532,800 tickets in the United States.[31] Promotion Marvel Comics published a comic book adaptation of the film by writer David Michelinie and artists Jackson Guice, Ian Akin, Brian Garvey, and Bob Camp. It was published as Marvel Super Special No. 30[32] and as a three-issue limited series.[33] LucasArts and Atari Games promoted the film by releasing an arcade game. Hasbro released a toy line based on the film in September 2008.[34] Home media The video was released at Christmas 1986 with a retail price of $29.95 and sold a record 1.4 million units.[35] A DVD version of the film was released in 2003 together with the two other films in the then Indiana Jones trilogy series.[36] A Blu-ray version for the film was released in 2012 as part of a box set for the series, which had four films at the time.[37] In 2021, a remastered 4K version of the film was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray, produced using scans of the original negatives. It was released as part of a box set for the then four films in the Indiana Jones film series.[38] Television In Japan, the film was aired on Nippon TV (NTV), on October 16, 1987. It became NTV's most-watched film up until then with a 26.9% audience rating, surpassing the 25.3% record previously set by First Blood in 1985. In turn, Temple of Doom was later surpassed by Tsuribaka Nisshi 4 in 1994, but remained NTV's most-watched foreign film up until Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 2004.[39] In the United Kingdom, the film's 2005 airing was watched by 5 million viewers on BBC1, becoming the channel's ninth most-watched film during the first half of 2005.[40] Reception Critical response Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom received mixed reviews upon its release,[7] but over the years the film's critical reception has improved. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 77% based on 137 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "It may be too 'dark' for some, but Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom remains an ingenious adventure spectacle that showcases one of Hollywood's finest filmmaking teams in vintage form."[41] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 57 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[42] Roger Ebert gave the film a perfect four-star rating, calling it "the most cheerfully exciting, bizarre, goofy, romantic adventure movie since Raiders, and it is high praise to say that it's not so much a sequel as an equal. It's quite an experience."[43] Vincent Canby felt the film was "too shapeless to be the fun that Raiders is, but shape may be beside the point. Old-time, 15-part movie serials didn't have shape. They just went on and on and on, which is what Temple of Doom does with humor and technical invention."[44] Neal Gabler commented that "I think in some ways, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was better than Raiders of the Lost Ark. In some ways it was less. In sum total, I'd have to say I enjoyed it more. That doesn't mean it's better necessarily, but I got more enjoyment out of it."[45] Colin Covert of the Star Tribune called the film "sillier, darkly violent and a bit dumbed down, but still great fun."[46] Pauline Kael, writing in The New Yorker, said that "nobody has ever fused thrills and laughter in quite the way that [Spielberg] does here" and claimed that the movie was "the most sheerly pleasurable physical comedy I've seen in years."[47] Dave Kehr stated "The film betrays no human impulse higher than that of a ten-year-old boy trying to gross out his baby sister by dangling a dead worm in her face."[48] Ralph Novak of People complained "The ads that say 'this film may be too intense for younger children' are fraudulent. No parent should allow a young child to see this traumatizing movie; it would be a cinematic form of child abuse. Even Harrison Ford is required to slap Quan and abuse Capshaw. There are no heroes connected with the film, only two villains; their names are Steven Spielberg and George Lucas."[18][49] The Observer described it as "a thin, arch, graceless affair."[50] The Guardian summarized it as "a two-hour series of none too carefully linked chase sequences ... sitting on the edge of your seat gives you a sore bum but also a numb brain."[50] Leonard Maltin gave the movie only 2 out of 4 stars, saying that the film is "headache inducing" and "never gives us a chance to breathe", and chiding the "'gross-out' gags."[51] In 2014, Time Out polled several film critics, directors, actors and stunt actors to list their top action films.[52] Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was listed at 71st place on this list.[53] Director Quentin Tarantino has stated that Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is his favorite of the series, as well as Spielberg's second-best film behind Jaws."[Spielberg] pushes the envelope, he creates PG-13, a movie so badass it created a new level in the MPAA," further adding "there is a comedy aspect as gruesome as the cinema is; there is an ultimate comedy aspect that's just not quite there as much in the first one."[54] Reception from the cast and crew Kate Capshaw's performance as Willie Scott has often been criticized for its shrillness, with Capshaw calling Willie "not much more than a dumb screaming blonde."[18] Further adding that she "was blind-sided" by the reaction to her character. "The thing that surprised me the most was that the critics, women critics in particular, were very critical of Willie Scott, as if we were making a political statement and I was doing nothing for my sisters. I found it odd that it was an action-adventure film and we were meant to be doing message work."[55] When promoting Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989, Steven Spielberg said "I wasn't happy with Temple of Doom at all. It was too dark, too subterranean, and much too horrific. I thought it out-poltered Poltergeist. There's not an ounce of my own personal feeling in Temple of Doom." He later added during the Making of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom documentary, "Temple of Doom is my least favorite of the trilogy. I look back and I say, 'Well the greatest thing that I got out of that was I met Kate Capshaw.' We married years later and that to me was the reason I was fated to make Temple of Doom."[2] George Lucas, who had been going through a divorce with Marcia Lucas during the making of the film, attributed the film's darkness to his relationship problems, but in regard to the film said, "I love the movie, it's just slightly darker in tone and not as fun as the first."[2] Harrison Ford stated "I felt it was funny and explored interesting, dark places. That scene where he takes the heart out, that was a new thing, a dark thing. But I enjoyed that about it. It also possesses some of the craziest action, the most energy. I think it is a good film."[55] Awards Dennis Muren and Industrial Light & Magic's visual effects department won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 57th Academy Awards. Soundtrack composer John Williams was, as he had been for his work on Raiders of the Lost Ark, again nominated for Original Music Score.[56] The visual effects crew won the same category at the 38th British Academy Film Awards. Cinematographer Douglas Slocombe, editor Michael Kahn, Ben Burtt and other sound designers at Skywalker Sound received nominations.[57] Spielberg, the writers, Harrison Ford, Jonathan Ke Quan, Anthony Powell and makeup designer Tom Smith were nominated for their work at the Saturn Awards. Temple of Doom was nominated for Best Fantasy Film but lost to Ghostbusters.[58] Award     Category     Recipient     Result Academy Awards     Best Original Score     John Williams     Nominated Best Visual Effects     Dennis Muren, Michael J. McAlister, Lorne Peterson, George Gibbs     Won British Academy Film Awards     Best Cinematography     Douglas Slocombe     Nominated Best Editing     Michael Kahn     Nominated Best Sound     Ben Burtt, Simon Kaye, Laurel Ladevich     Nominated Best Special Visual Effects     Dennis Muren, George Gibbs, Michael J. McAlister, Lorne Peterson     Won Saturn Awards     Best Fantasy Film     Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom     Nominated Best Director     Steven Spielberg     Nominated Best Actor     Harrison Ford     Nominated Best Performance by a Younger Actor     Jonathan Ke Quan     Nominated Best Writing     Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz     Nominated Best Costume Design     Anthony Powell     Nominated Best Make-up     Tom Smith     Nominated Controversy Depiction of India The depiction of India caused controversy, with the film receiving a temporary ban in India, as it did not release in cinemas. The film was later released in the country when it came out on home video.[59][60] A small protest group of around 30 to 50 people in Seattle, Washington, appeared in the local newspapers when they protested against the film for depicting Indians as either helpless or evil.[61] The depiction of Indian cuisine was heavily criticized, as dishes such as baby snakes, eyeball soup, beetles, and chilled monkey brains are not Indian foods. Professors such as Yvette Rosser have criticized the film for its portrayal of India, with Rosser writing "[it] seems to have been taken as a valid portrayal of India by many teachers, since a large number of students surveyed complained that teachers referred to the eating of monkey brains."[60][62] Another heavily criticized aspect was the film's white savior narrative, with Indiana being depicted as a great white hero upon landing in a remote Indian village, with the villagers unable to help themselves.[63] Roshan Seth, who played Chattar Lal, mentioned that the banquet scene was a joke that went wrong, saying, "Steven intended it as a joke, the joke being that Indians were so smart that they knew all Westerners think that Indians eat cockroaches, so they served them what they expected. The joke was too subtle for that film."[64] In his autobiography, Amrish Puri expressed the whole controversy around the film as "silly". He wrote that "it's based on an ancient cult that existed in India and was recreated like a fantasy. If you recall those imaginary places like Pankot Palace, starting with Shanghai, where the plane breaks down and the passengers use a raft to jump over it, slide down a hill and reach India, can this ever happen? But fantasies are fantasies, like our Panchatantra and folklore. I know we are sensitive about our cultural identity, but we do this to ourselves in our own films. It's only when some foreign directors do it that we start cribbing."[65] PG rating Many parents who took their children to see the film complained that some sequences in the film were too violent for its PG rating, particular sequences involving human sacrifice and children being flogged. Spielberg had initially defended the violence, stating "the picture is not called Temple of Roses, it is called Temple of Doom. There are parts of this film that are too intense for younger children, but this is a fantasy adventure. It is the kind of violence that does not really happen and cannot be perpetuated by people leaving the cinema and performing those tricks on their friends at home."[66] In response to some of the more violent sequences in the film, and with similar complaints about Gremlins (which released two weeks later), Spielberg suggested that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) alter its rating system by introducing an intermediary between the PG and R ratings. The MPAA concurred, and a new PG-13 rating was introduced two months after the film's release.[3][a] In the UK, the film was heavily censored for a PG rating.[67] The United Kingdom followed suit five years later, with the BBFC introducing the 12 rating and Batman (1989) being the first film to receive it.[68] Temple of Doom was itself re-rated 12, uncut, in 2012." (wikipedia.org) "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a 1989 American action adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by Jeffrey Boam, based on a story by George Lucas and Menno Meyjes. It is the third installment in the Indiana Jones film series and the direct sequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Harrison Ford returned in the title role, while his father is portrayed by Sean Connery. Other cast members featured include Alison Doody, Denholm Elliott, Julian Glover, River Phoenix, and John Rhys-Davies. In the film, set in 1938, Indiana searches for his father, a Holy Grail scholar, who has been kidnapped and held hostage by the Nazis while on a journey to find the Holy Grail. After some of the criticism that Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) received, Spielberg chose to make a more lighthearted film for the next installment, as well as bringing back several elements from Raiders of the Lost Ark. During the five years between The Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade, he and executive producer Lucas reviewed several scripts before accepting Jeffrey Boam's. Filming locations included Spain, Italy, West Germany, Jordan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.[2] The Last Crusade was released in the United States on May 24, 1989, by Paramount Pictures. The film received generally positive reviews from critics for Ford and Connery's performances, humor, the father-son relationship, action sequences, and John Williams' score. It was a financial success, earning over $474 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of 1989. It also won the Academy Award for Best Sound Effects Editing and was nominated for Best Original Score and Best Sound at the 62nd Academy Awards. A sequel, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, followed in May 2008, while a fifth and final film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, was released in June 2023. Plot In 1912, a teenage Indiana Jones discovers a group of robbers finding a crucifix owned by Coronado while exploring caves with his Boy Scout troop in Utah. Believing it belongs in a museum, Jones takes the crucifix and evades the robbers to return home. However, the town sheriff arrives and forces Jones to hand it over to the robber's employer. Years later in 1938, Jones again confronts the employer off the Portuguese coast, recovering the crucifix and escaping. After returning to the United States, Jones learns that his father Henry has disappeared while searching for the Holy Grail. Walter Donovan, his father's financial backer, tasks Jones with finding both Henry and the Grail. Jones receives a package containing Henry's diary, which includes his research on the Grail, and travels to Venice alongside Marcus Brody to meet Henry's associate Elsa Schneider. Beneath the library where Henry was last seen, Jones and Schneider discover a catacomb containing an inscribed shield which reveals that the path to the Grail begins in İskenderun. The two are subsequently attacked by a mysterious group who reveal themselves to be the secret Order of the Cruciform Sword, dedicated to protecting the Grail. Jones spares the group's leader, Kazim, who informs him that Henry is being held at a castle in Austria. Jones entrusts Marcus with a map from the diary detailing a route to the Grail and sends him to İskenderun to rendezvous with their old friend Sallah. Discovering their rooms have been ransacked, Jones reveals the diary's existence to Schneider before they sleep together. In Austria, Jones and Schneider infiltrate the castle, discovering it to be under Nazi control. Jones finds Henry and tries to escape, but surrenders after Schneider is taken captive by the Nazis. She reveals herself to be a Nazi collaborator, and Jones and Henry are tied up and learn that Donovan is also working with the Nazis. After arriving in İskenderun, Marcus is captured by the Nazis as well. Schneider returns to Germany, while Jones and Henry escape the castle before traveling to Berlin to retrieve the diary. After recovering it from Schneider, Jones and Henry flee on a zeppelin before evading two Luftwaffe planes pursuing them. Arriving in Hatay, Sallah reveals to Jones and Henry that the Nazis have also traveled there using the map. While they are following the trail, the Nazis are attacked by the Order but defeat them. Henry takes advantage of the distraction to try and rescue Marcus but is captured; Jones attacks the Nazi convoy in response and is eventually able to destroy it with help from Henry and Marcus. Jones, Henry, Marcus and Sallah proceed to a temple containing the Grail, where they observe the Nazis attempting to overcome the temple's traps before being captured. Donovan forces Jones to find a way for them by shooting and critically wounding Henry. With the help of the diary, Jones overcomes the traps and finds a room with many cups and an ancient knight, who explains that only one cup is the true Grail. Donovan enters the room, dying by rapid aging after drinking from the wrong cup, before Jones identifies the true Grail and saves Henry. Schneider falls to her death when she attempts to leave with the Grail, causing the temple to collapse. Jones and his companions manage to escape, riding off into the sunset.[3] Cast See also: List of Indiana Jones characters     Harrison Ford as Henry Jones Jr./Indiana Jones: The archaeologist professor, adventurer and Elsa’s love interest, who seeks to rescue his father and find the Holy Grail. Ford said he loved the idea of introducing Indiana's father because it allowed him to explore another side to Indiana's personality: "These are men who have never made any accommodation to each other. Indy behaves differently in his father's presence. Who else would dare call Indy 'junior'?"[4]         River Phoenix as a younger Indiana Jones. Phoenix had portrayed the son of Ford's character in The Mosquito Coast (1986). Ford recommended Phoenix for the part; he said that of the young actors working at the time, Phoenix looked the most like him when he was around that age.[5]     Sean Connery as Henry Jones, Sr.: Indiana's father, a professor of Medieval literature who cared more about looking for the Grail than raising his son. Spielberg had Connery in mind when he suggested introducing Indiana's father, though he did not tell Lucas at first. Consequently, Lucas wrote the role as "a crazy, eccentric" professor resembling Laurence Olivier, whose relationship with Indiana is "strict schoolmaster and student rather than a father and son".[6] Spielberg had been a fan of Connery's work as James Bond and felt that no one else could perform the role as well.[7] Spielberg biographer Joseph McBride wrote, "Connery was already the father of Indiana Jones since the series had sprung from the desire of Lucas and Spielberg to rival (and outdo) Connery's James Bond films."[8] Gregory Peck was also considered for the role.[5] Connery, who had eschewed major franchise films since his work on the James Bond series, as he found those roles dull and wanted to avoid paparazzi attention, initially turned the role down (as he was only twelve years older than Ford) but eventually relented. Connery—a student of history—began to reshape the character, and revisions were made to the script to address his concerns. "I wanted to play Henry Jones as a kind of Richard Francis Burton," Connery commented. "I was bound to have fun with the role of a gruff, Victorian Scottish father."[7] Connery believed Henry should be a match for his son, telling Spielberg that "whatever Indy'd done my character has done and my character has done it better".[5] Connery signed to the film on March 25, 1988.[6] He improvized the line, "She talks in her sleep", which was left in because it made everyone laugh;[9] in Boam's scripts, Henry telling Indiana that he slept with Elsa occurs later.[6]         Alex Hyde-White plays Henry in the film's prologue, though his face is never shown and his lines were dubbed by Connery.     Denholm Elliott as Marcus Brody: Indiana's bumbling English colleague. Elliott returned after Spielberg sought to recapture the tone of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), following the actor's absence in the darker Temple of Doom (1984).[5]     Alison Doody as Dr. Elsa Schneider: An Austrian art professor and Indy's love interest, who is in league with the Nazis. She seduces the Joneses to trick them but seems to be in love with Indy. While the character of Elsa is in her 30s during the film, Doody was 21 when she auditioned and was one of the first actresses who met for the part.[6] Amanda Redman was offered the role, but declined.[10]     John Rhys-Davies as Sallah: A friend of Indiana and a professional excavator living in Cairo. Like Elliott's, Rhys-Davies's return was an attempt to recapture the spirit of Raiders of the Lost Ark.[5]     Julian Glover as Walter Donovan: An American businessman who sends the Joneses on their quest for the Holy Grail out of a desire for immortality while secretly working with the Nazis for the same goal. Glover previously appeared as General Veers in Lucas's The Empire Strikes Back. He originally auditioned for the role of Vogel. Glover, who is English, adopted an American accent for the film,[11] but was dissatisfied with the result.[5] Additionally, Michael Byrne portrays Ernst Vogel, a brutal SS colonel. Byrne and Ford had previously starred in Force 10 from Navarone (1978), in which they also respectively played a German and an American.[12] Kevork Malikyan portrays Kazim, the leader of the Brotherhood of the Cruciform Sword, an organization that protects the Holy Grail. Malikyan had impressed Spielberg with his performance in Midnight Express (1978) and would have auditioned for the role of Sallah in Raiders of the Lost Ark had a traffic jam not delayed his meeting with the director.[12] Robert Eddison appears as the Grail Knight, the guardian of the Grail who drank from the cup of Christ during the Crusades and is immortal as long as he stays within the temple. Eddison was a stage and television veteran only appearing in a few films since the 1930s (including a supporting role in Peter Ustinov's 1948 comedy Vice Versa). Glover recalled Eddison was excited and nervous for his return to film, often asking if he had performed correctly.[13] Laurence Olivier was originally considered to play the Grail Knight,[14] but he was too ill and died the same year in which the film was released. Michael Sheard appears as Adolf Hitler, whom Jones briefly encounters at the book-burning rally in Berlin. Although a non-speaking role, Sheard could speak German and had already portrayed Hitler three times during his career. He had also appeared as Admiral Ozzel in The Empire Strikes Back and as Oskar Schomburg in Raiders of the Lost Ark. In the same scene, Ronald Lacey, who played Toht in Raiders of the Lost Ark, cameos as Heinrich Himmler. Alexei Sayle played the sultan of Hatay. Paul Maxwell portrayed "the man with the Panama Hat" who took possession of the Cross of Coronado. Wrestler and stuntman Pat Roach, who played three roles in the previous two films, made a short cameo as the Nazi who accompanies Vogel to the Zeppelin. Roach was set to film a fight with Ford, but it was cut. In a deleted scene, Roach's agent boards the second biplane on the Zeppelin with a World War I flying ace (played by Frederick Jaeger), only for the pair to fall to their deaths after the flying ace makes an error. Richard Young played Garth, the leader of the tomb robbers who chased young Indiana Jones and then gives him his hat. Eugene Lipinski portrayed the mysterious agent G-Man, while Vernon Dobtcheff appeared as the butler of Castle Brunwald. Production Development George Lucas and Steven Spielberg had intended to make a trilogy of Indiana Jones films since Lucas had first pitched Raiders of the Lost Ark to Spielberg in 1977,[15] though they signed for five films with Paramount Pictures by 1979.[16] After the mixed critical and public reaction to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Spielberg decided to complete the trilogy to fulfill his promise to Lucas, with the intent to invoke the film with the spirit and tone of Raiders of the Lost Ark.[17] Temple of Doom writers Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz chose not to return due to both having other commitments and feeling satisfied with their work in the second film.[18] Throughout the film's development and pre-production, Spielberg admitted he was "consciously regressing" in making the film.[8] Due to his commitment to the film, the director had to drop out of directing Big and Rain Man.[15] Grail diary of Henry Jones Sr. as seen in the film Chris Columbus's script featured the Monkey King in Africa. Lucas initially suggested making the film "a haunted mansion movie", for which Romancing the Stone writer Diane Thomas wrote a script. Spielberg rejected the idea because of the similarity to Poltergeist, which he had co-written and produced.[8] Lucas first introduced the Holy Grail in an idea for the film's prologue, which was to be set in Scotland. He intended the Grail to have a pagan basis, with the rest of the film revolving around a separate Christian artifact in Africa. Spielberg did not care for the Grail idea, which he found too esoteric,[4] even after Lucas suggested giving it healing powers and the ability to grant immortality (much like the fictional magical power given to the Ark in the first film of the trilogy). In September 1984, Lucas completed an eight-page treatment titled Indiana Jones and the Monkey King, which he soon followed with an 11-page outline. The story saw Indiana battling a ghost in Scotland before finding the Fountain of Youth in Africa.[6] Chris Columbus—who had written the Spielberg-produced Gremlins, The Goonies, and Young Sherlock Holmes—was hired to write the script. His first draft, dated May 3, 1985, changed the main plot device to a Garden of Immortal Peaches. It begins in 1937, with Indiana battling the murderous ghost of Baron Seamus Seagrove III in Scotland. Indiana travels to Mozambique to aid Dr. Clare Clarke (a Katharine Hepburn-type according to Lucas), who has found a 200-year-old pygmy. The pygmy is kidnapped by the Nazis during a boat chase, and Indiana, Clare and Scraggy Brier—an old friend of Indiana—travel up the Zambezi river to rescue him. Indiana is killed in the climactic battle but is resurrected by the Monkey King. Other characters include a cannibalistic African tribe; Nazi Sergeant Gutterbuhg, who has a mechanical arm; Betsy, a stowaway student who is suicidally in love with Indiana; and a pirate leader named Kezure (described as a Toshiro Mifune-type), who dies eating a peach because he is not pure of heart.[6] Columbus's second draft, dated August 6, 1985, removed Betsy and featured Dash—an expatriate bar owner for whom the Nazis work—and the Monkey King as villains. The Monkey King forces Indiana and Dash to play chess with real people and disintegrates each person who is captured. Indiana subsequently battles the undead, destroys the Monkey King's rod, and marries Clare.[6] Location scouting commenced in Africa but Spielberg and Lucas abandoned Monkey King because of its negative depiction of African natives,[19] and because the script was too unrealistic.[6] Spielberg acknowledged that it made him "... feel very old, too old to direct it."[4] Columbus's script was leaked onto the Internet in 1997, and many believed it was an early draft for the fourth film because it was mistakenly dated to 1995.[20] Dissatisfied, Spielberg suggested introducing Indiana's father, Henry Jones, Sr. Lucas was dubious, believing the Grail should be the story's focus, but Spielberg convinced him that the father–son relationship would serve as a great metaphor in Indiana's search for the artifact.[8] Spielberg hired Menno Meyjes, who had worked on Spielberg's The Color Purple and Empire of the Sun, to begin a new script on January 1, 1986. Meyjes completed his script ten months later. It depicted Indiana searching for his father in Montségur, where he meets a nun named Chantal. Indiana travels to Venice, takes the Orient Express to Istanbul, and continues by train to Petra, where he meets Sallah and reunites with his father. Together they find the grail. At the climax, a Nazi villain touches the Grail and explodes; when Henry touches it, he ascends a stairway to Heaven. Chantal chooses to stay on Earth because of her love for Indiana. In a revised draft dated two months later, Indiana finds his father in Krak des Chevaliers, the Nazi leader is a woman named Greta von Grimm, and Indiana battles a demon at the Grail site, which he defeats with a dagger inscribed with "God is King". The prologue in both drafts has Indiana in Mexico battling for possession of Montezuma's death mask with a man who owns gorillas as pets.[6] Indiana Jones (River Phoenix) finds the Cross of Coronado as a 13-year-old Boy Scout. Spielberg suggested making Indiana a Boy Scout as both he and Harrison Ford were former Scouts. Spielberg suggested Innerspace writer Jeffrey Boam perform the next rewrite. Boam spent two weeks reworking the story with Lucas, which yielded a treatment that is largely similar to the final film.[6] Boam told Lucas that Indiana should find his father in the middle of the story. "Given the fact that it's the third film in the series, you couldn't just end with them obtaining the object. That's how the first two films ended," he said, "So I thought, let them lose the Grail, and let the father–son relationship be the main point. It's an archaeological search for Indy's own identity and coming to accept his father is more what it's about [than the quest for the Grail]."[8] Boam said he felt there was not enough character development in the previous films.[4] In Boam's first draft, dated September 1987, the film is set in 1939. The prologue has adult Indiana retrieving an Aztec relic for a museum curator in Mexico and features the circus train. Henry and Elsa (who is described as having dark hair) were searching for the Grail on behalf of the Chandler Foundation, before Henry went missing. The character of Kazim is here named Kemal, and is an agent of the Republic of Hatay, which seeks the grail for its own. Kemal shoots Henry and dies drinking from the wrong chalice. The Grail Knight battles Indiana on horseback, while Vogel is crushed by a boulder while attempting to steal the Grail.[6] The Organ in the Arches National Park in Utah, United States Boam's February 23, 1988, rewrite used many of Connery's comic suggestions. It included the prologue that was eventually filmed; because of the mixed response to Empire of the Sun, which was about a young boy, Lucas had to convince Spielberg to show Indiana as a boy.[4] Spielberg—who was later awarded the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award—had the idea of making Indiana a Boy Scout.[15] The 1912 prologue as seen in the film refers to events in the lives of Indiana's creators. When Indiana cracks the bullwhip to defend himself against a lion, he accidentally lashes and scars his chin. Ford gained this scar in a car accident as a young man.[5] Indiana taking his nickname from his pet Alaskan Malamute is a reference to the character being named after Lucas's dog.[21] The train carriage Indiana enters is named "Doctor Fantasy's Magic Caboose", which was the name producer Frank Marshall used when performing magic tricks. Spielberg suggested the idea, Marshall came up with the false-bottomed box through which Indiana escapes,[22] and production designer Elliott Scott suggested the trick be done in a single, uninterrupted shot.[23] Spielberg intended the shot of Henry with his umbrella—after he causes the bird strike on the German plane—to evoke Ryan's Daughter.[21] Indiana's mother, named Margaret in this version, dismisses Indiana when he returns home with the Cross of Coronado, while his father is on a long-distance call. Walter Chandler of the Chandler Foundation features, but is not the main villain; he plunges to his death in the tank. Elsa introduces Indiana and Brody to a large Venetian family that knows Henry. Leni Riefenstahl appears at the Nazi rally in Berlin. Vogel is beheaded by the traps guarding the Grail. Kemal tries to blow up the Grail Temple during a comic fight in which gunpowder is repeatedly lit and extinguished. Elsa shoots Henry, then dies drinking from the wrong Grail, and Indiana rescues his father from falling into the chasm while grasping for the Grail. Boam's revision of March 1 showed Henry causing the seagulls to strike the plane, and has Henry saving Indiana at the end.[6][24] Between an undated "Amblin" revision and a rewrite by Tom Stoppard (under the pen name Barry Watson) dated May 8, 1988,[6] further changes were made. Stoppard polished most of the dialogue,[9][25] and created the "Panama Hat" character to link the prologue's segments featuring the young and adult Indianas. The Venetian family is cut. Kemal is renamed Kazim and now wants to protect the grail rather than find it. Chandler is renamed Donovan. The scene of Brody being captured is added. Vogel now dies in the tank, while Donovan shoots Henry and then drinks from the false grail, and Elsa falls into the chasm. The Grail trials are expanded to include the stone-stepping and leap of faith.[6][26] The Double Arch in the Arches National Park in Utah, United States Filming San Barnaba di Venezia in Venice, whose exterior served as a library Principal photography began on May 16, 1988, in the Tabernas Desert in Spain's Almería province. Spielberg originally had planned the chase to be a short sequence shot over two days, but he drew up storyboards to make the scene an action-packed centerpiece.[5] Thinking he would not surpass the truck chase from Raiders of the Lost Ark (because the truck was much faster than the tank), he felt this sequence should be more story-based and needed to show Indiana and Henry helping each other. He later said he had more fun storyboarding the sequence than filming it.[23] The second unit had begun filming two weeks before.[13] After approximately ten days, the production moved to the Escuela de Arte de Almería, to film the scenes set in the Sultan of Hatay's palace. Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park was used for the road, tunnel and beach sequence (at Playa de Mónsul) in which birds strike the plane. The shoot's Spanish portion wrapped on June 2, 1988, in Guadix, Granada, with filming of Brody's capture at İskenderun train station.[13] The filmmakers built a mosque near the station for atmosphere, rather than adding it as a visual effect.[23] Bürresheim Castle, near Mayen, in the then-West German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, served as "Brunwald Castle" in Austria near the German border. The exteriors of "Brunwald Castle" were filmed at Bürresheim Castle in West Germany. In the movie the image of the castle has been flipped and the building was expanded with a Matte painting depicting a copy of the right facade to the left of the main tower. Indiana Jones’ Brunwald Castle The castle in the film (above) compared with a mirror image of the actual castle (below) Filming for the castle interiors took place in the United Kingdom from June 5 to 10, 1988, at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, England. On June 16 Lawrence Hall, London, was used as the interior of Berlin Tempelhof Airport. Filming returned to Elstree the next day to capture the motorcycle escape, continuing at the studio for interior scenes until July 18. One day was spent at North Weald Airfield on June 29 to film Indiana leaving for Venice.[13] Ford and Connery acted much of the Zeppelin table conversation without trousers on because of the overheated set.[21] Spielberg, Marshall and Kennedy interrupted the shoot to make a plea to the Parliament of the United Kingdom to support the economically "depressed" British studios. July 20–22 was spent filming the temple interiors. The temple set, which took six weeks to build, was supported on 80 feet (24 m) of hydraulics and ten gimbals for use during the earthquake scene. Resetting between takes took twenty minutes while the hydraulics were put to their starting positions and the cracks filled with plaster. The shot of the Grail falling to the temple floor—causing the first crack to appear—was attempted on the full-size set, but proved too difficult. Instead, crews built a separate floor section that incorporated a pre-scored crack sealed with plaster. It took several takes to throw the Grail from 6 feet (1.8 m) onto the right part of the crack.[23] July 25–26 was spent on night shoots at Stowe School, Stowe, Buckinghamshire, for the Nazi rally.[13] Filming resumed two days later at Elstree, where Spielberg swiftly filmed the library, Portuguese freighter, and catacombs sequences.[13] The steamship fight in the prologue's 1938 portion was filmed in three days on a sixty-by-forty-feet (eighteen-by-twelve-meter) deck built on gimbals at Elstree. A dozen dump tanks – each holding three hundred imperial gallons (360 U.S. gallons; 3000 lb.; 1363 liters) of water – were used in the scene.[23] Henry's house was filmed at Mill Hill, London. Indiana and Kazim's fight in Venice in front of a ship's propeller was filmed in a water tank at Elstree. Spielberg used a long focus lens to make it appear the actors were closer to the propeller than they really were.[13] Two days later, on August 4, another portion of the boat chase using Hacker Craft sport boats, was filmed at Tilbury Docks in Essex.[13] The shot of the boats passing between two ships was achieved by first cabling the ships off so they would be safe. The ships were moved together while the boats passed between, close enough that one of the boats scraped the sides of the ships. An empty speedboat containing dummies was launched from a floating platform between the ships amid fire and smoke that helped obscure the platform. The stunt was performed twice because the boat landed too short of the camera in the first attempt.[23] The following day, filming in England wrapped at the Royal Masonic School in Rickmansworth, which doubled for Indiana's college (as it had in Raiders of the Lost Ark).[13] Playa de Mónsul in Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park in Almería, Spain Shooting in Venice took place on August 8.[13] For scenes such as Indiana and Brody greeting Elsa, shots of the boat chase, and Kazim telling Indiana where his father is,[23] Robert Watts gained control of the Grand Canal from 7 am to 1 pm, sealing off tourists for as long as possible. Cinematographer Douglas Slocombe positioned the camera to ensure no satellite dishes would be visible.[13] San Barnaba di Venezia served as the library's exterior.[5] The next day, filming moved to the ancient city of Petra, Jordan, where Al Khazneh (The Treasury) stood in for the temple housing the Grail. The cast and crew became guests of King Hussein and Queen Noor. The Treasury had previously appeared in Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. The main cast completed their scenes that week, after 63 days of filming.[13] The second unit filmed part of the prologue's 1912 segment from August 29 to September 3. The main unit began two days later with the circus train sequence at Alamosa, Colorado, on the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad. They filmed at Pagosa Springs on September 7, and then at Cortez on September 10. From September 14 to 16, filming of Indiana falling into the train carriages took place in Los Angeles. The production then moved to Utah's Arches National Park to shoot more of the opening. A house in Antonito, Colorado was used for the Jones family home.[27] The production had intended to film at Mesa Verde National Park, but Native American representatives had religious objections to its use.[23] When Spielberg and editor Michael Kahn viewed a rough cut of the film in late 1988, they felt it suffered from a lack of action. The motorcycle chase was shot during post-production at Mount Tamalpais and Fairfax near Skywalker Ranch. The closing shot of Indiana, Henry, Sallah and Brody riding into the sunset was filmed in Amarillo, Texas in early 1989 by the second unit, directed by Frank Marshall.[13][11] Filming ended on September 16, 1988 after 123 days of filming. Design Composite photograph of the tank on location Mechanical effects supervisor George Gibbs said the film was the most difficult one of his career.[23] He visited a museum to negotiate renting a small French World War I tank, but decided he wanted to make one.[13] The tank was based on the Tank Mark VIII, which was 11 metres (36 ft) long and weighed 28 short tons (25 t). However, some liberties were taken with the design.[28] Gibbs built the tank over the framework of a 28-short-ton (25 t) excavator and added 7-short-ton (6.4 t) tracks that were driven by two automatic hydraulic pumps, each connected to a Range Rover V8 engine. Gibbs built the tank from steel rather than aluminum or fiberglass because it would allow the realistically suspensionless vehicle to endure the rocky surfaces. Unlike its historic counterpart, which had only the two side guns, the tank had a turret gun added as well. It took four months to build and was transported to Almería on a Short Belfast plane and then a low loader truck.[23] The tank broke down twice. The distributor's rotor arm broke and a replacement had to be sourced from Madrid. Then two of the device's valves used to cool the oil exploded, due to solder melting and mixing with the oil. It was very hot in the tank, despite the installation of ten fans, and the lack of suspension meant the driver was unable to stop shaking during filming breaks.[23] The tank only moved at 10 to 12 miles per hour (16 to 19 km/h), which Vic Armstrong said made it difficult to film Indiana riding a horse against the tank while making it appear faster.[13] A smaller section of the tank's top made from aluminum and which used rubber tracks was used for close-ups. It was built from a searchlight trailer, weighed eight tons, and was towed by a four-wheel drive truck. It had safety nets on each end to prevent injury to those falling off.[23] A quarter-scale model by Gibbs was driven over a 15-metre (50 ft) cliff on location; Industrial Light & Magic created further shots of the tank's destruction with models and miniatures.[29] The tank chase was filmed in the Tabernas Desert in Almería, Spain. Michael Lantieri, mechanical effects supervisor for the 1912 scenes, noted the difficulty in shooting the train sequence. "You can't just stop a train," he said, "If it misses its mark, it takes blocks and blocks to stop it and back up." Lantieri hid handles for the actors and stuntmen to grab onto when leaping from carriage to carriage. The carriage interiors shot at Universal Studios Hollywood were built on tubes that inflated and deflated to create a rocking motion.[23] For the close-up of the rhinoceros that strikes at (and misses) Indiana, a foam and fiberglass animatronic was made in London. When Spielberg decided he wanted it to move, the prop was sent to John Carl Buechler in Los Angeles, who resculpted it over three days to blink, snarl, snort and wiggle its ears. The giraffes were also created in London. Because steam locomotives are very loud, Lantieri's crew would respond to first assistant director David Tomblin's radioed directions by making the giraffes nod or shake their heads to his questions, which amused the crew.[29] For the villains' cars, Lantieri selected a 1914 Ford Model T, a 1919 Ford Model T truck and a 1916 Saxon Model 14, fitting each with a Ford Pinto V6 engine. Sacks of dust were hung under the cars to create a dustier environment.[23] The courtyard of the Almería Art School, served as the palace of the "Sultan of Hatay". Spielberg used doves for the seagulls that Henry scares into striking the German plane because the real gulls used in the first take did not fly.[5] In December 1988, Lucasfilm ordered 1,000 disease-free gray rats for the catacombs scenes from the company that supplied the snakes and bugs for the previous films. Within five months, 5,000 rats had been bred for the sequence;[5] 1,000 mechanical rats stood in for those that were set on fire. Several thousand snakes of five breeds—including a boa constrictor—were used for the train scene, in addition to rubber ones onto which Phoenix could fall. The snakes would slither from their crates, requiring the crew to dig through sawdust after filming to find and return them. Two lions were used, which became nervous because of the rocking motion and flickering lights.[23] Al Khazneh (The Treasury) at Petra, Jordan was used for the entrance to the temple housing the Holy Grail. Costume designer Anthony Powell found it a challenge to create Connery's costume because the script required the character to wear the same clothes throughout. Powell thought about his own grandfather and incorporated tweed suits and fishing hats. Powell felt it necessary for Henry to wear glasses, but did not want to hide Connery's eyes, so chose rimless ones. He could not find any suitable, so he had them specially made. The Nazi costumes were genuine and were found in Eastern Europe by Powell's co-designer Joanna Johnston, to whom he gave research pictures and drawings for reference.[13] The motorcycles used in the chase from the castle were a mixed bag: the scout model with sidecar in which Indy and Henry escape was an original Dnepr, complete with machine gun pintle on the sidecar, while the pursuing vehicles were more modern machines dressed up with equipment and logos to make them resemble German army models. Gibbs used Swiss Pilatus P-2 army training planes standing in for Messerschmitt Bf 109s. He built a device based on an internal combustion engine to simulate gunfire, which was safer and less expensive than firing blanks.[29] Baking soda was applied to Connery to create Henry's bullet wound. Vinegar was applied to create the foaming effect as the water from the Grail washes it away.[29] At least one reproduction Kübelwagen was used during filming despite the film being set two years prior to manufacture of said vehicles.[citation needed] Effects Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) built an 8-foot (2.4 m) foam model of the Zeppelin to complement shots of Ford and Connery climbing into the biplane. A biplane model with a 2-foot (0.61 m) wingspan was used for the shot of the biplane detaching. Stop motion animation was used for the shot of the German fighter's wings breaking off as it crashes through the tunnel. The tunnel was a 210 feet (64 m) model that occupied 14 of ILM's parking spaces for two months. It was built in eight-foot sections, with hinges allowing each section to be opened to film through. Ford and Connery were filmed against bluescreen; the sequence required their car to have a dirty windscreen, but to make the integration easier this was removed and later composited into the shot. Dust and shadows were animated onto shots of the plane miniature to make it appear as if it disturbed rocks and dirt before it exploded. Several hundred tim-birds were used in the background shots of the seagulls striking the other plane; for the closer shots, ILM dropped feather-coated crosses onto the camera. These only looked convincing because the scene's quick cuts merely required shapes that suggested gulls.[29] ILM's Wes Takahashi supervised the film's effects sequences.[30] Indiana discovers a bridge hidden by camouflage. Ford was filmed in front of a bluescreen for the scene, which was completed by a model of the bridge filmed against a matte painting. Spielberg devised the three trials that guard the Grail.[4] For the first, the blades under which Indiana ducks like a penitent man were a mix of practical and miniature blades created by Gibbs and ILM. For the second trial, in which Indiana spells "Iehova" on stable stepping stones, it was intended to have a tarantula crawl up Indiana after he mistakenly steps on "J". This was filmed and deemed unsatisfactory, so ILM filmed a stuntman hanging through a hole that appears in the floor, 30 feet (9.1 m) above a cavern. As this was dark, it did not matter that the matte painting and models were rushed late in production. The third trial, the leap of faith that Indiana makes over an apparently impassable ravine after discovering a bridge hidden by forced perspective, was created with a model bridge and painted backgrounds. This was cheaper than building a full-size set. A puppet of Ford was used to create a shadow on the 9-foot-tall (2.7 m) by 13-foot-wide (4.0 m) model because Ford had filmed the scene against bluescreen, which did not incorporate the shaft of light from the entrance.[29] Spielberg wanted Donovan's death shown in one shot, so it would not look like an actor having makeup applied between takes. Inflatable pads were applied to Julian Glover's forehead and cheeks by Nick Dudman that made his eyes seem to recede during the character's initial decomposition, as well as a mechanical wig that grew his hair. The shot of Donovan's death was created over three months by morphing together three puppets of Donovan created by Stephan Dupuis in separate stages of decay, a technique ILM mastered on Willow (1988).[21] A fourth puppet was used for the decaying clothes, because the puppet's torso mechanics had been exposed. Complications arose because Alison Doody's double had not been filmed for the scene's latter two elements, so the background and hair from the first shot had to be used throughout, with the other faces mapped over it. Donovan's skeleton was hung on wires like a marionette; it required several takes to film it crashing against the wall because not all the pieces released upon impact.[29] Ben Burtt designed the sound effects. He recorded chickens for the sounds of the rats,[13] and digitally manipulated the noise made by a Styrofoam cup for the castle fire. He rode in a biplane to record the sounds for the dogfight sequence, and visited the demolition of a wind turbine for the plane crashes.[29] Burtt wanted an echoing gunshot for Donovan wounding Henry, so he fired a .357 Magnum in Skywalker Ranch's underground car park, just as Lucas drove in.[13] A rubber balloon was used for the earthquake tremors at the temple.[31] The film was released in selected theaters in the 70 mm Full-Field Sound format, which allowed sounds to not only move from side to side, but also from the theater's front to its rear.[29] The Administration Building, on Treasure Island, in San Francisco, California, served as the "Berlin Airport". Matte paintings of the Austrian castle and the Berlin airport were based on real buildings; the Austrian castle "Schloss Brunwald" is Bürresheim Castle near Mayen in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, that was made to look larger. Rain was created by filming granulated Borax soap against black at high speed. It was only lightly double exposed into the shots so it would not resemble snow. The lightning was animated. The Administration Building at San Francisco's Treasure Island was used as the exterior of Berlin Tempelhof Airport. The structure already had period-appropriate art deco architecture, as it had been constructed in 1938 for planned use as an airport terminal. ILM added a control tower, Nazi banners, vintage automobiles and a sign stating "Berlin Flughafen". The establishing shot of the Hatayan city at dusk was created by filming silhouetted cutouts that were backlit and obscured by smoke. Matte paintings were used for the sky and to give the appearance of fill light in the shadows and rim light on the edges of the buildings.[29] Themes A son's relationship with his estranged father is a common theme in Spielberg's films, including E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Hook.[8] The film's exploration of fathers and sons coupled with its use of religious imagery is comparable to two other 1989 films, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Field of Dreams. Writing for The New York Times, Caryn James felt the combination in these films reflected New Age concerns, where the worship of God was equated to searching for fathers. James felt that neither Indiana nor his father is preoccupied with finding the Grail or defeating the Nazis, but that, rather, both seek professional respect for one another in their boys' own adventure. James contrasted the temple's biblically epic destruction with the more effective and quiet conversation between the Joneses at the film's end. James noted that Indiana's mother does not appear in the prologue, being portrayed as already having died before the film's events began.[32] Release Marketing See also: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (soundtrack) The film's teaser trailer debuted in November 1988 with Scrooged and The Naked Gun.[33] Rob MacGregor wrote the tie-in novelization that was released in June 1989;[34] it sold enough copies to be included on the New York Times Best Seller list.[35] MacGregor went on to write the first six Indiana Jones prequel novels during the 1990s. Following the film's release, Ford donated Indiana's fedora and jacket to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.[36] No toys were made to promote the film; Indiana Jones "never happened on the toy level", said Larry Carlat, senior editor of the journal Children's Business. Rather, Lucasfilm promoted Indiana as a lifestyle symbol, selling tie-in fedoras, shirts, jackets and watches.[37] Two video games based on the film were released by LucasArts in 1989: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Action Game. A third game was produced by Taito and released in 1991 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Ryder Windham wrote another novelization, released in April 2008 by Scholastic, to coincide with the release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Hasbro released toys based on The Last Crusade in July 2008.[38] Box office The film was released in the United States and Canada on Wednesday, May 24, 1989, in 2,327 theaters, earning a record $37,031,573 over the 4-day Memorial Day weekend.[39] The gross was boosted by high ticket prices in some venues ($7 a ticket).[40] Its 3-day opening weekend figure of $29,355,021[41] was surpassed later that year by Ghostbusters II and Batman, which grossed more in its opening 3 days than The Last Crusade in 4.[42] Its Saturday gross of $11,181,429 was the first time a film had made over $10 million in one day. It broke the record for the best seven-day performance with a gross of $50.2 million,[43] beating the $45.7 million grossed by Temple of Doom in 1984 on 1,687 screens.[40] It added another record with $77 million after twelve days, and earned $100 million in a record nineteen days.[44] In France, the film broke a record by selling a million admissions within two and a half weeks.[36] In the UK it opened in three London theaters before opening two days later on 361 screens nationally, setting an opening weekend record of £1,811,542 ($2,862,200), breaking the one set the year before by Crocodile Dundee II.[45][46] It spent six weeks at number one in the UK.[47] The film eventually grossed $197,171,806 in the United States and Canada and $277 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $474,171,806.[1] At the time of its release, the film was the 11th highest-grossing film of all time. Despite competition from Batman, The Last Crusade became the highest-grossing film worldwide in 1989.[48] In North America, Batman took top position.[42] Behind Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Raiders, The Last Crusade is the third-highest grossing Indiana Jones film in the United States and Canada, though it is also behind Temple of Doom when adjusting for inflation.[49] Box Office Mojo estimates that the film sold over 49 million tickets in North America.[50] The film was re-released in 1992 earning $139,000.[1] Home media The film was released along with its two predecessors as part of a trilogy DVD box set in 2003. It contained extra materials and a special documentary covering the production of the films. Sales figures for the box set were extremely successful and 600,000 copies were sold in the US on the first day of release.[51] In 2012, the film and was released on Blu-ray along with the three other films in the Indiana Jones film series at the time.[52] In 2021, a remastered 4K version of the film was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray, produced using scans of the original negatives. It was released as part of a box set for the then four films in the Indiana Jones film series.[53] Reception Critical response On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 84% based on 134 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Lighter and more comedic than its predecessor, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade returns the series to the brisk serial adventure of Raiders, while adding a dynamite double act between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery."[54] Metacritic calculated a weighted average score of 65 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[55] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[56] Sean Connery received Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for his performance. Jay Boyar of the Orlando Sentinel said that while the film "lacks the novelty of Raiders, and the breathless pacing of Temple of Doom, it was an entertaining capper to the trilogy."[57] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone remarked the film was "the wildest and wittiest Indy of them all". Richard Corliss of Time and David Ansen of Newsweek praised it, as did Vincent Canby of The New York Times.[13] "Though it seems to have the manner of some magically reconstituted B-movie of an earlier era, The Last Crusade is an endearing original," Canby wrote, calling the revelation that Jones had a father who was not proud of him to be a "comic surprise". Canby believed that while the film did not match the previous two in its pacing, it still had "hilariously off-the-wall sequences" such as the circus train chase. He also said that Spielberg was maturing by focusing on the father–son relationship,[58] a call echoed by McBride in Variety.[59] Roger Ebert praised the sequence depicting Jones as a Boy Scout with the Cross of Coronado, comparing it to the "style of illustration that appeared in the boys' adventure magazines of the 1940s". He said that Spielberg "must have been paging through his old issues of Boys' Life magazine...the feeling that you can stumble over astounding adventures just by going on a hike with your Scout troop. Spielberg lights the scene in the strong, basic colors of old pulp magazines."[60] The Hollywood Reporter felt Connery and Ford deserved Academy Award nominations.[13] It was panned by Andrew Sarris in The New York Observer, David Denby in New York magazine, Stanley Kauffmann in The New Republic and Georgia Brown in The Village Voice.[13] Jonathan Rosenbaum of the Chicago Reader called the film "soulless".[61] The Washington Post reviewed the film twice; Hal Hinson's review on the day of the film's release was negative, describing it as "nearly all chases and dull exposition". Although he praised Ford and Connery, he felt the film's exploration of Jones's character took away his mystery and that Spielberg should not have tried to mature his storytelling.[62] Two days later, Desson Thomson published a positive review praising the film's adventure and action, as well as the father–son relationship's thematic depth.[63] Influence The film won the Academy Award for Best Sound Effects Editing; it also received nominations for Best Original Score and Best Sound (Ben Burtt, Gary Summers, Shawn Murphy and Tony Dawe), but lost to The Little Mermaid and Glory respectively.[64] Connery received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.[65] Connery and the visual and sound effects teams were also nominated at the 43rd British Academy Film Awards.[66] The film won the 1990 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation,[67] and was nominated for Best Motion Picture Drama at the Young Artist Awards.[68] John Williams's score won a Broadcast Music Incorporated Award, and was nominated for a Grammy Award.[69] Two small shops offering Coca-Cola products and other soft drinks in glass-fronted refrigerated containers. In the middle is an umbrella with the Pepsi logo. Above them are signs referencing Indiana Jones and depicting him. A small group of people is walking past and in front of them on the right Shops using imagery from this film and the fourth film to promote themselves outside the entrance to Petra The prologue depicting Jones in his youth inspired Lucas to create The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles television series, which featured Sean Patrick Flanery as the young adult Indiana and Corey Carrier as the 8- to 10-year-old Indiana.[11] According to Dark Horse Comics author Lee Marrs, Lucasfilm considered for a while to make a continuation to the film series starring Phoenix as a younger Jones, but these plans were dropped after his untimely death.[70] The 13-year-old incarnation played by Phoenix in the film was the focus of a Young Indiana Jones series of young adult novels that began in 1990;[71] by the ninth novel, the series had become a tie-in to the television show.[72] German author Wolfgang Hohlbein revisited the prologue in one of his novels, in which Jones encounters the lead grave robber—whom Hohlbein christens Jake—in 1943.[73] The film's ending begins the 1995 comic series Indiana Jones and the Spear of Destiny, which moves forward to depict Jones and his father searching for the Holy Lance in Ireland in 1945.[74] Spielberg intended to have Connery cameo as Henry in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), but Connery turned it down as he had retired.[75] Petra's use for the movie's climactic scenes greatly contributed to its popularity as an international tourist destination. Before the film's release, only a few thousand visitors per year made the trip; since then it has grown to almost a million annually.[76] Shops and hotels near the site play up the connection, and it is mentioned prominently in itineraries of locations used in the film series.[77] Jordan's tourism board mentions the connection on its website.[78] In 2012, the satirical news site The Pan-Arabia Enquirer ran a mock story claiming that the board had officially renamed Petra "That Place from Indiana Jones" to reflect how the world more commonly refers to it." (wikipedia.org) "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles is an American television series that aired on ABC from March 4, 1992, to July 24, 1993. Filming took place in various locations around the world, with "Old Indy" bookend segments filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina and on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. The series was a Lucasfilm production in association with Amblin Television and Paramount Television.[1] The series explores the childhood and youth of the fictional character Indiana Jones and primarily stars Sean Patrick Flanery and Corey Carrier as the title character, with George Hall playing an elderly version of Jones for the bookends of most episodes, though Harrison Ford bookended one episode. The show was created and executive produced by George Lucas, who also created, co-wrote, and executive produced the Indiana Jones feature films. Due to its large budget and low viewership ratings, the series was canceled in 1993. However, following the series' cancellation, four made-for-television films were produced from 1994 to 1996 in an attempt to continue the series. In 1999, the series was re-edited into 22 television films under the title The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones. Overview Map of countries Indiana Jones visits in the series The series was designed as an educational program for children and teenagers, spotlighting historical figures and important events. Most episodes feature a standard formula of an elderly (93-year-old) Indiana Jones (played by George Hall) in present-day (1993) New York City encountering people who spur him to reminisce and tell stories about his past adventures. These stories would either involve him as a young boy (8 to 10, played by Corey Carrier) or as a teenager and young adult (16 to 21, played by Sean Patrick Flanery). The younger Indy would travel to different parts of the world with his parents and tutor. The older, teenaged Indy rebels against his father by joining the Belgian army. Using a fake name he fights both at Verdun and in Africa. He later becomes a spy. In one episode, a fifty-year-old Indy (played by Harrison Ford) is seen reminiscing. Initially, the plan was for the series to alternate between the adventures of Indy as a child (Corey Carrier) and as a teenager (Sean Patrick Flanery), but eventually the episodes featuring Flanery's version of the character dominated the series. The series' bookends revealed that the elderly Jones has a daughter, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. There is no mention of a son, but in 2008, the film Kingdom of the Crystal Skull introduces Mutt Williams as his son with Marion Ravenwood. Many of the episodes involve Indiana meeting and working with famous historical figures. Historical figures featured on the show include Leo Tolstoy, Howard Carter, Charles de Gaulle, and John Ford, in such diverse locations as Egypt, Austria-Hungary, India, China, and the whole of Europe. For example, Curse of the Jackal prominently involves Indy in the adventures of T. E. Lawrence and Pancho Villa. Indy also encounters (in no particular order) Edgar Degas, Giacomo Puccini, George Patton, Pablo Picasso (same episode as Degas), Eliot Ness, Charles Nungesser, Al Capone, Manfred von Richthofen, Anthony Fokker, Annie Besant, Charles Webster Leadbeater, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, Norman Rockwell (same episode as Degas and Picasso), Louis Armstrong, George Gershwin, Seán O'Casey, Siegfried Sassoon, Patrick Pearse, Winston Churchill, a very young Ho Chi Minh, Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud, and Carl Laemmle; at one point, he competes against a young Ernest Hemingway for the affections of a girl but they end up becoming friends, is nursed back to health by Albert Schweitzer, has a passionate tryst with Mata Hari, discusses philosophy with Nikos Kazantzakis, and goes on a safari with Theodore Roosevelt. The show provided back story for the films. His relationship with his father, first introduced in Last Crusade, was depicted in episodes showing his travels with his father as a young boy and brief times as a young adult. His original hunt for the "Eye of the Peacock", a large diamond seen in Temple of Doom, was a recurring element in several stories. The show also chronicled his activities during World War I and his first solo adventures. Later, in the 2008 film Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Indy describes his adventures with Pancho Villa (chronicled in the first episode) to Mutt Williams (at the time, his sidekick; later on revealed to be his son). He also mentions his mother to Mutt.[2] Cast Corey Carrier as the child Indiana Jones Sean Patrick Flanery as the young adult Indiana Jones Harrison Ford reprise his film role as Indiana Jones as a guest star George Hall as 93-year-old Indiana Jones Clockwise from top left: Corey Carrier, Sean Patrick Flanery, George Hall, and Harrison Ford portrayed Dr. Henry 'Indiana' Jones, Jr. in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. Role     Actor     Season     TV movies 1     2     1     2     3     4 Henry "Indiana" Jones, Jr.     Corey Carrier (age 8–10)     2     5                 Sean Patrick Flanery (age 16–21)     5     17                 Harrison Ford (age 50)         1                 George Hall (age 93–94)     6     20                 Henry Jones, Sr.     Lloyd Owen     2     6                 Anna Jones     Ruth de Sosa     2     5                 Miss Helen Seymour     Margaret Tyzack     3     5                 Remy Baudouin     Ronny Coutteure     5     4                 T.E. Lawrence     Joseph A. Bennett (young)     1                     Douglas Henshall         2                 Ernest Hemingway     Jay Underwood         3                 Role     Actor     Chapter The Early Years     The War Years     The Years of Change 01     02     03     04     05     06     07     08     09     10     11     12     13     14     15     16     17     18     19     20     21     22 Henry "Indiana" Jones, Jr.     Corey Carrier (age 8–10)                                                                                         Sean Patrick Flanery (age 16–21)                                                                                         Harrison Ford (age 50)                                                                                         Henry Jones, Sr.     Lloyd Owen                                                                                         Anna Jones     Ruth de Sosa                                                                                         Miss Helen Seymour     Margaret Tyzack                                                                                         Remy Baudouin     Ronny Coutteure                                                                                         T.E. Lawrence     Joseph A. Bennett (young)                                                                                         Douglas Henshall                                                                                         Ernest Hemingway     Jay Underwood                                                                                         Guest appearances Most episodes of the series depicted famous and not-so-famous historical figures, including but not limited to Theodore Roosevelt, T.E. Lawrence, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Norman Rockwell, Charles de Gaulle, Leo Tolstoy, Winston Churchill, Ernest Hemingway, Manfred von Richthofen, Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, George Patton, Al Capone, Pablo Picasso, Giacomo Puccini, Frederick Selous, Franz Ferdinand, Princess Sophie of Hohenberg, Edith Wharton, and Mata Hari. Notable guest stars (playing either fictional or historical characters) include: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Daniel Craig, Christopher Lee, Clark Gregg, Tom Courtenay, Peter Firth, Vanessa Redgrave, Beata Pozniak, Jennifer Ehle, Elizabeth Hurley, Timothy Spall, Anne Heche, Paul Freeman, Jean-Pierre Castaldi, Jeffrey Wright, Jeroen Krabbé, Jason Flemyng, Michael Kitchen, Kevin McNally, Francisco Quinn, Ian McDiarmid, Max von Sydow, Douglas Henshall, Jon Pertwee, Sean Pertwee, Vincenzo Nicoli, Terry Jones, Keith David, Lukas Haas, Frank Vincent, Jay Underwood, Michael Gough, Maria Charles, Elsa Zylberstein, Isaach de Bankolé, Emil Abossolo-Mbo, Haluk Bilginer and Saginaw Grant.[3] Production "Before the world discovered Indiana, Indiana discovered the world." Development     This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) During the production of the Indiana Jones feature films, the cast and crew frequently questioned creator George Lucas about the Indiana Jones character's life growing up. During the concept stages of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Lucas and director Steven Spielberg decided to reveal some of this backstory in the film's opening scenes. For these scenes, Lucas chose River Phoenix to portray the character, as Harrison Ford believed that Phoenix most resembled Ford as a young man. Phoenix had appeared as the son of Ford's character in The Mosquito Coast. This decision to reveal an adventure of a young Indiana led Lucas and crew to the idea of creating the series. Writing Lucas wrote an extensive time-line detailing the life of Indiana Jones, assembling the elements for about 70 episodes, starting in 1905 and leading all the way up to the feature films.[citation needed] Each outline included the place, date and the historical persons Indy would meet in that episode, and would then be turned over to one of the series writers.[citation needed] When the series came to an end about 31 of the 70 stories had been filmed. Had the series been renewed for a third season, Young Indy would have been introduced to younger versions of characters from Raiders of the Lost Ark: Abner Ravenwood ("Jerusalem, June 1909") and René Belloq ("Honduras, December 1920").[citation needed] Other episodes would have filled in the blanks between existing ones ("Le Havre, June 1916", "Berlin, Late August, 1916"), and there would even have been some adventures starring a five-year-old Indy (including "Princeton, May 1905").[citation needed] During production of the series, Lucas became interested in the crystal skulls.[4] He originally called for an episode which would have been part of the third season involving Jones and his friend Belloq searching for one of the skulls.[5] The episode was never produced, and the idea ultimately evolved into the 2008 feature film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.[6] Casting Phoenix and Ford were respectively approached by Lucas to reprise their roles as the younger and elder Indiana Jones respectively, but both turned the offer down as they had no desire to do television. Ultimately, Corey Carrier was cast as a 10 years old Indy while Sean Patrick Flannery was cast as a young adult Indy, with George Hall portraying a 90 years old Indy in the bookend segments of most episodes.[7] A number of actors connected to the Indiana Jones films and/or George Lucas's Star Wars franchise made guest appearances. Harrison Ford appeared as a middle-aged Indy (age 50) in the episode "Young Indiana Jones and the Mystery of the Blues", which aired in March 1993. Paul Freeman, who played Rene Belloq in Raiders of the Lost Ark, portrayed Frederick Selous in a couple of episodes, while Roshan Seth, who played Chattar Lal in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, played a North African sheikh in "Morocco, 1917" (later re-edited into "Tales of Innocence"). The late William Hootkins (Major Eaton from Raiders of the Lost Ark and Porkins from Star Wars) played Russian ballet producer Sergei Diaghilev and Wolf Kahler (Colonel Dietrich in Raiders of the Lost Ark) played a German diplomat in "Barcelona, May 1917". In the episode Attack of the Hawkmen, Star Wars veteran Anthony Daniels played François, a French Intelligence scientist (in the mode of James Bond's "Q") who gives Indy a special suitcase filled with gadgets for a special mission in Germany. Clint Eastwood was approached to play the elder brother of Indiana Jones, but he turned it down despite a $10 million offer.[8] Filming     This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) A variety of filmmakers wrote or directed episodes of the series, including Frank Darabont, Nicolas Roeg, Mike Newell, Deepa Mehta, Joe Johnston, Jonathan Hensleigh, Terry Jones, Simon Wincer, Carrie Fisher, Dick Maas and Vic Armstrong. Lucas was given a "Story By" credit in many episodes, along with his input as a creative consultant. The series was unusual in that it was shot on location around the world. Partly to offset the cost of this, the series was shot on 16mm film, rather than 35. The series was designed so that each pair of episodes could either be broadcast separately, or as a 2-hour film-length episode. Each episode cost about $1.5 million and the filming with Young Indy usually took around 3 weeks. The first production filming alternated between "Sean" and "Corey" episodes. The segments with old Indy were referred to as "bookends." Filming a pair of them typically took a day and most were shot at Carolco Studios in Wilmington, North Carolina and on location in Wilmington. The show also featured footage from other films spliced into several episodes. The series was shot in three stages. The first production occurred from 1991 to 1992, and consisted of sixteen episodes; five with younger Indy, ten with older Indy, and one with both—for a total of seventeen television hours. The second production occurred from 1992 to 1993 and consisted of twelve episodes; one with younger Indy and eleven with older Indy, for a total of fifteen television hours. The third and final production occurred from 1994 to 1995, and consisted of four made-for-television movies, for a total of eight television hours. In 1996, additional filming was done in order to re-edit the entire series into twenty-two feature films. Soundtrack The series' main theme was composed by Laurence Rosenthal, who wrote much of the music for the series. Joel McNeely also wrote music for many episodes; he received an Emmy in 1993 for the Episode "Scandal of 1920". French composer Frédéric Talgorn composed some music for the episode set in World War I France ("The Somme, July 1916/Germany, August 1916"). Music for "Transylvania, September 1918" was composed by Curt Sobel. Broadcast history Television Main article: List of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles episodes Season    Episodes    Originally aired First aired    Last aired    Network 1    6    March 4, 1992    April 8, 1992    ABC 2    22    September 21, 1992    July 24, 1993 TV films    4    October 15, 1994    June 16, 1996    The Family Channel The pilot episode was aired by ABC in the United States in March 1992. The pilot, the feature-length Young Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Jackal, was later re-edited as two separate episodes, "Egypt, May 1908" and "Mexico, March 1916." Eleven further hour-long episodes were aired in 1992 (seven in the first season, four were part of the second season) – during the second season, it was placed as the lead-in to Monday Night Football, just as fellow Paramount series MacGyver had done for the previous six years. Only 16 of the remaining 20 episodes were aired in 1993 when ABC canceled the show. The Family Channel later produced four two-hour TV movies that were broadcast from 1994 to 1996. Though Lucas intended to produce episodes leading up to a 24-year-old Jones, the series was cancelled with the character at age 21.[9] Home media The revised and updated edition of the book George Lucas: The Creative Impulse, by Charles Champlin, explains how The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles series would be re-edited into the new structure of twenty-two Chapter TV films, for the 1999 VHS release. New footage was shot in 1996 to be incorporated with the newly re-edited and re-titled "chapters" to better help it chronologically and provide smooth transitions. The newly shot Tangiers, 1908 was joined with Egypt, 1908 from the Curse of the Jackal to form My First Adventure, and Morocco, 1917 was joined with Northern Italy, 1918 (now re-dated as 1917) to form Tales of Innocence. Also included in the home video release were four unaired episodes made for the ABC network: Florence, May 1908; Prague, 1917; Transylvania, 1918; and Palestine, 1917. The series itself was also re-titled as The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones. The 93-year-old Indy bookends for the original series were removed, as well as Sean Patrick Flanery's bookend for "Travels With Father"; however, the Harrison Ford bookend, set in 1950, from "Mystery of The Blues" was not cut.[10] Laserdisc and VHS The series received its first home video release on April 21, 1993, when a Laserdisc box set was released in Japan containing fifteen of the earlier episodes and a short documentary on the making of the series. The discs were formatted in NTSC and presented with English audio in Dolby surround with Japanese subtitles. In 1994, eight NTSC format VHS tapes with a total of fifteen episodes from the first two seasons were released in Japan. On October 26, 1999, half of the series was released on VHS in the United States for $14.99 each, along with a box set of the feature films. The series was labeled as Chapters 1–22, while the feature films were labeled as Chapters 23–25. In an effort to promote the series, the episode "Treasure of the Peacock's Eye" was included with the purchase of the movie trilogy box set in the US. The episode was chosen for the fact that its plot continues into the opening of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which was labeled as the first film chronologically in the film trilogy. In other countries different chapters were included, for example in the UK The Phantom Train of Doom was included. The twelve VHS releases were released worldwide over the course of 2000, including the UK, Netherlands, Hungary, Germany, Mexico, France and Japan. The UK, German, French, Hungarian and Netherlands tapes were in PAL format, while the tapes released in the rest of the countries were in NTSC format. DVD In 2002, series producer Rick McCallum confirmed in an interview with Variety that DVDs of the series were in development, but would not be released for "about three or four years".[11] At the October 2005 press conference for the Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith DVD, McCallum explained that he expected the release to consist of 22 DVDs, which would include around 100 documentaries which would explore the real-life historical aspects that are fictionalized in the show. For the DVDs, Lucasfilm upgraded the picture quality of the original 16 mm prints and remastered the soundtracks. This, along with efforts to get best quality masters and bonus materials on the sets, delayed the release.[12] It was ultimately decided that the release would tie into the release of the fourth Indiana Jones feature film. Two variations of Volume 1 were released by CBS DVD, one simply as "Volume One", and the other as "Volume One — The Early Years" in order to match the subtitle of Volume 2. The History Channel acquired television rights to all 94 of the DVD historical documentaries.[13][14] The airing of the documentaries was meant to bring in ratings for the History Channel and serve as marketing for the DVD release and the theatrical release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.[15] The History Channel and History International began airing the series every Saturday morning at 7AM/6C on The History Channel, and every Sunday morning at 8AM ET/PT on History International. A new division of History.com was created devoted to the show. As Paramount and Lucasfilm had already reserved IndianaJones.com solely for news and updates related to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, StarWars.com temporarily served as the official site for the DVDs—providing regular updates, insider looks and promotions related to them.[16] However, Lucasfilm and Paramount soon set up an official website proper for the series—YoungIndy.com.[17] Paramount released a press kit for the media promoting the DVDs, which consists of a .pdf file[18] and several videos with interviews with Lucas and McCallum, and footage from the DVDs.[19] A trailer for the DVDs was also published on YoungIndy.com, with a shorter version being shown on The History Channel and History International. Lucas and McCallum hope that the DVDs will be helpful to schools, as they believe the series is a good way to aid in teaching history. Lucas explained that the series' DVD release will be shopped as "films for a modern day high school history class."[20] He believes the series is a good way to teach high school students 20th-century history.[21] The plan was always to tie the DVD release of the series to the theatrical release of the fourth Indiana Jones feature film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which was released on May 22, 2008.[11][22][23][24] Companion historical documentaries Ninety-four historical documentaries were created over a nearly five-year period by Lucasfilm's documentary crew for the DVD release of the series. Each documentary covers a historical topic connected to the chapter to which it is associated. The television broadcast rights for these documentaries was secured by the History Channel. They were executive produced by Lucas and McCallum. From Volume One, The Early Years My First Adventure Special Features (Vol. 1 Disc 1)     Archaeology – Unearthing Our Past     Howard Carter and the Tomb of Tutankhamun     Colonel Lawrence's War – T.E. Lawrence and Arabia     From Slavery to Freedom Passion for Life Special Features (Vol. 1 Disc 3)     Theodore Roosevelt and The American Century     Ecology – Pulse of the Planet     American Dreams – Norman Rockwell and the Saturday Evening Post     Art Rebellion – The Making of the Modern     Edgar Degas – Reluctant Rebel     Braque & Picasso – A Collaboration Cubed The Perils of Cupid Special Features (Vol. 1 Disc 5)     The Archduke's Last Journey – End of an Era     Carl Jung and the Journey to Self Discovery     Giacomo Puccini – Music of the Heart     Sigmund Freud – Exploring the Unconscious     It's Opera!     Powder Keg – Europe 1900 to 1914     Psychology – Charting the Human Mind Travels with Father Special Features (Vol. 1 Disc 6)     Seeking Truth – The Life of Leo Tolstoy     Unquiet Voices – Russian Writers and the State     Aristotle – Creating Foundations     Ancient Questions – Philosophy and Our Search for Meaning Journey of Radiance Special Features (Vol. 1 Disc 7)     Jiddu Krishnamurti – The Reluctant Messiah     Annie Besant – An Unlikely Rebel     Medicine in the Middle Kingdom     Eastern Spirituality – The Road to Enlightenment Spring Break Adventure Special Features (Vol. 1 Disc 9)     Thomas Edison – Lighting Up the World     Invention and Innovation – What's Behind a Good Idea?     The Mystery of Edward Stratemeyer     Wanted: Dead or Alive – Pancho Villa and the American Invasion of Mexico     General John J. Pershing and His American Army     George S. Patton – American Achilles Love's Sweet Song Special Features (Vol 1. Disc 11)     Easter Rising – The Poets' Rebellion     The Passions of William Butler Yeats     Sean O'Casey vs. Ireland     Ireland – The Power of the Poets     Winston Churchill – The Lion's Roar     Demanding the Vote – The Pankhursts and British Suffrage     Fighting for the Vote – Women's Suffrage in America     From Volume Two, The War Years Trenches of Hell Special Features (Vol 2. Disc 1)     Siegfried Sassoon – A War Poet's Journey     Robert Graves and the White Goddess     I Am France – The Myth of Charles de Gaulle     The Somme – A Storm of Steel Demons of Deception Special Features (Vol 2. Disc 2)     Marshal Pétain's Fall from Grace     Flirting with Danger – The Fantasy of Mata Hari     Into the Furnace – The Battle of Verdun     Reading the Enemy's Mind – Espionage in World War I Phantom Train of Doom Special Features (Vol 2. Disc 3)     Chasing the Phantom – Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck     Dreaming of Africa – The Life of Frederick Selous     At Home and Abroad – The Two Faces of Jan Smuts Oganga, The Giver and Taker of Life Special Features (Vol 2. Disc 4)     Albert Schweitzer – Reverence for Life     Waging Peace – The Rise of Pacifism     Congo – A Curse of Riches Attack of the Hawkmen Special Features (Vol 2. Disc 5)     War in the Third Dimension – Aerial Warfare in World War I     Blood Red – The Life and Death of Manfred von Richthofen     Flying High for France – The Lafayette Escadrille     Anthony Fokker – The Flying Dutchman Adventures in the Secret Service Special Features (Vol 2. Disc 6)     Karl – The Last Habsburg Emperor     The Russian Revolution – All Power to the Soviets!     V.I. Lenin – History Will Not Forgive Us Espionage Escapades Special Features (Vol 2. Disc 7)     Impresario – Sergei Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes     Ballet – The Art of Dance     Franz Kafka's Dark Truth Daredevils of the Desert Special Features (Vol 2. Disc 8)     Lines in the Sand – The Middle East and the Great War     Col. Lawrence's War – T.E. Lawrence and Arabia (note: repeated from Vol 1. Disc 1)     From Volume Three, The Years of Change Tales of Innocence (Vol. 3 Disc 1)     Unhealed Wounds – The Life of Ernest Hemingway     The Secret Life of Edith Wharton     Lowell Thomas – American Storyteller     The French Foreign Legion – The World's Most Legendary Fighting Force Masks of Evil (Vol. 3 Disc 2)     For the People, Despite the People – The Atatürk Revolution     The Greedy Heart of Halide Edib     Dracula – Fact and Fiction     The Ottoman Empire – A World of Difference Treasure of the Peacock's Eye (Vol. 3 Disc 3)     Bronisław Malinowski – God Professor     Anthropology – Looking at the Human Condition     New Guinea – Paradise in Peril Winds of Change (Vol. 3 Disc 5)     Woodrow Wilson – American Idealist     Gertrude Bell – Iraq's Uncrowned Queen     Ho Chi Minh – The Price of Freedom     Paul Robeson – Scandalize My Name     Robert Goddard – Mr. Rocket Science     The Best Intentions – The Paris Peace Conference and the Treaty of Versailles Mystery of the Blues (Vol. 3 Disc 7)     Al "Scarface" Capone – The Original Gangster     Ben Hecht – Shakespeare of Hollywood     On the Trail of Eliot Ness     Louis Armstrong – Ambassador of Jazz     Jazz – Rhythms of Freedom     Prohibition – America on the Rocks     Hellfighters – Harlem's Heroes of World War I The Scandal of 1920 (Vol. 3 Disc 8)     Tin Pan Alley – Soundtrack of America     Broadway – America Center Stage     Wonderful Nonsense – The Algonquin Round Table Hollywood Follies (Vol. 3 Disc 9)     Erich von Stroheim – The Profligate Genius     The World of John Ford     Irving Thalberg – Hollywood's Boy Wonder     The Rise of the Moguls – The Men Who Built Hollywood Historical overview lectures     Vol. 1 – Historical Lecture: "The Promise of Progress"     Vol. 2 – Historical Lecture: "War and Revolution"     Vol. 3 – Historical Lecture: "New Gods for Old"[25] Content here was copied from which has a compatible CC-BY-SA-3.0 license: http://indianajones.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_The_Adventures_of_Young_Indiana_Jones_DVD_additional_features DVD name     Region 1[26]     Region 2 The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Volume One — The Early Years     October 23, 2007     February 25, 2008[27] The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Volume Two — The War Years     December 18, 2007     March 24, 2008[28] The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Volume Three — The Years of Change     April 29, 2008     April 28, 2008 Streaming As of 2023, the series is available to stream on Disney+ alongside the original four Indiana Jones feature films, to commemorate the release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.[29] Reception The series was nominated for 18 Emmy Awards and won 6.[30] In 1993, Corey Carrier was nominated for the Young Artist Award in the category of "Best Young Actor Starring in a Television Series". In 1994, David Tattersall was nominated for the ASC Award in the category of "Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Regular Series". At the 1994 Golden Globes, the series was nominated for "Best TV-Series — Drama".[31] Though the series won many awards, it also received some criticism. The New York Times called the pilot "clunky" for example.[32] Marketing Four volumes of music from the series were released on CD. The show also spawned a series of adaptations and spin-off novels, a NES game The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles developed and published by Jaleco, a Sega Mega Drive game Instruments of Chaos starring Young Indiana Jones, trading cards and other products." (wikipedia.org) "VHS (short for Video Home System)[1][2][3] is a standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes invented in 1976 by the Victor Company of Japan and was the competitor to the ill-fated Sony Betamax system. Magnetic tape video recording was adopted by the television industry in the 1950s in the form of the first commercialized video tape recorders (VTRs), but the devices were expensive and used only in professional environments. In the 1970s, videotape technology became affordable for home use and widespread adoption of videocassette recorders (VCRs) began, largely as a means for television viewers to watch programming at more convenient times or more than once.[4] In the later 1970s and early 1980s, the home video industry experienced a "format war" between incompatible tape standards backed by competing technology companies. Two of the standards, VHS and Betamax, received the most media exposure. VHS eventually won the war, gaining 60% of the North American market by 1980[5][6] and emerging as the dominant home video format throughout the tape media period.[7] Optical disc formats later began to offer better quality than analog consumer video tape such as VHS and S-VHS. The earliest of these formats, LaserDisc, was not widely adopted across Europe, but was hugely popular in Japan and a minor success in the United States. After the introduction of the DVD format in 1996, however, the market share for VHS began to decline.[8] In 2003, DVD rentals surpassed those of VHS in the United States, and by 2008, DVD had replaced VHS as the preferred low-end method of distribution.[9][10] Sony Pictures Home Entertainment ceased production of VHS in late 2010 in South Korea. The last known company in the world to manufacture VHS equipment (VCR/DVD combos), Funai of Japan, ceased production in July 2016, citing shrinking demand and difficulties procuring parts.[11][12] However, VHS collecting would make a comeback in the 2020s.[13][14] It has been standardized in IEC 60774-1.[15] History Before VHS Further information: Video tape recorder In 1956, after several attempts by other companies, the first commercially successful VTR, the Ampex VRX-1000, was introduced by Ampex Corporation.[16] At a price of US$50,000 in 1956 (equivalent to $538,188 in 2022), and US$300 (equivalent to $3,229 in 2022) for a 90-minute reel of tape, it was intended only for the professional market.[17] Kenjiro Takayanagi, a television broadcasting pioneer then working for JVC as its vice president, saw the need for his company to produce VTRs for the Japanese market, and at a more affordable price. In 1959, JVC developed a two-head video tape recorder, and by 1960 a color version for professional broadcasting.[18] In 1964, JVC released the DV220, which would be the company's standard VTR until the mid-1970s.[citation needed] In 1969, JVC collaborated with Sony Corporation and Matsushita Electric (Matsushita was then parent company of Panasonic and is now known by that name, also majority stockholder of JVC until 2008) in building a video recording standard for the Japanese consumer.[19] The effort produced the U-matic format in 1971, which was the first cassette format to become a unified standard for different companies.[citation needed] It was preceded by the reel-to-reel 1⁄2" EIAJ format. The U-matic format was successful in businesses and some broadcast applications for television stations (such as electronic news-gathering), but because of cost and limited recording time very few of the machines were sold for home use.[citation needed] Soon after, Sony and Matsushita broke away from the collaboration effort, in order to work on video recording formats of their own. Sony started working on Betamax, while Matsushita started working on VX. JVC released the CR-6060 in 1975, based on the U-matic format. Sony and Matsushita also produced U-matic systems of their own.[citation needed] VHS development In 1971, JVC engineers Yuma Shiraishi and Shizuo Takano put together a team to develop a VTR for consumers.[20] By the end of 1971, they created an internal diagram, "VHS Development Matrix", which established twelve objectives for JVC's new VTR:[21]     The system must be compatible with any ordinary television set.     Picture quality must be similar to a normal air broadcast.     The tape must have at least a two-hour recording capacity.     Tapes must be interchangeable between machines.     The overall system should be versatile, meaning it can be scaled and expanded, such as connecting a video camera, or dubbing between two recorders.     Recorders should be affordable, easy to operate and have low maintenance costs.     Recorders must be capable of being produced in high volume, their parts must be interchangeable, and they must be easy to service. In early 1972, the commercial video recording industry in Japan took a financial hit. JVC cut its budgets and restructured its video division, shelving the VHS project. However, despite the lack of funding, Takano and Shiraishi continued to work on the project in secret. By 1973, the two engineers had produced a functional prototype." (wikipedia.org)
  • Condition: Very Good
  • Condition: In very good, pre-owned condition. Please see photos and description.
  • Signal Standard: NTSC
  • Former Rental: No
  • Rating: PG-13
  • Sub-Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Epic, Fantasy, Historical, Military/War, Natural World, Period/Historical, Swashbuckler, Travel
  • Director: Steven Spielberg
  • Leading Role: Harrison Ford
  • Studio: Lucasfilm
  • Edition: Box Set, Collector's Edition, Widescreen, THX Remastered
  • Special Features: Interviews, Box Set, THX Remastered
  • Language: English
  • Actor: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Ke Huy Quan, Amrish Puri, Kate Capshaw, Philip Stone, Sean Patrick Flanery, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliott, River Phoenix, Alison Doody, Julian Glover
  • Genre: Action & Adventure
  • Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
  • Movie/TV Title: The Complete Adventures of Indiana Jones
  • UPC: 097361554136

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