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Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
As I recently re-watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the third (and last?) entry in the trilogy concerning the adventurous archeologist and his quest to find ancient relics of history’s past, I had a few observations that truly made me realize why Indiana Jones is the most enduring and appealing of cinema’s action heroes: First of all, director Steven Spielberg, producer/writer George Lucas, and star Harrison Ford insist that the Indiana Jones films are tributes to old, B-movie serials, using their storytelling devices and their wall-to-wall action scenarios as models for Indy’s adventure. This is certainly an inspired idea—one that could carry Indy through countless more adventures—but such inspiration is only half of the story. B-serials were generally made in a rush, with low budgets and sloppy production values. The way that Indiana Jones moves, and the often preposterously over-the-top scenarios that he finds himself in (in this case, being dragged several miles on the side of an army tank, trying desperately to pull himself back up before he is crushed on the rocky side of a mountain) channel more the great silent work of comedian Buster Keaton, and even the lavish, carefully-choreographed musical numbers of Gene Kelly. Here are action scenes so meticulously shot and demonstrating such amazing physical feats (stuntmen or not), they become a sort of adventure-ballet. Indiana Jones finding inspiration from An American in Paris? How can it be? But it’s true: These are action scenes so exhilarating—so expertly filmed and paced—that they have more in common with the breathless sensation that you are left with after watching the great physical comedy of Keaton as he attempts to stand up and keep his house intact in the midst of a hurricane, or Kelly sloshing through water with an umbrella as “Singin’ in the Rain” leaps triumphantly from his mouth. Before watching Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, I had always had immense respect for Indy’s adventures as the best form of entertainment available. Only now, as Spielberg’s superb action scenes force me to compare them favorably to the great physical acts of cinema, do I appreciate the films also as art. Also, I have always admired Indiana Jones as a character. His troubled expressions and long sighs of relief after succeeding in a seemingly impossible feat always set him apart from more one-dimensional action heroes. Here, in The Last Crusade, I came to realize how much I truly appreciate Indy’s humanity. In the age of gravity defying good-guys who never miss their targets and are capable of handling any form of technology or transport machine, Indy is a hero who runs out of bullets, falls off his horse, grumbles about his inexperience with airplanes (when asked if he can fly, he cries, “Fly, yes. Land, no!”), giggles like a schoolboy as he discovers secret treasure, fears the possibility of death to the point of surrendering to his enemy, forgets to grade his class’s mid-term exams, is called “Junior” by his father, foolishly falls for a beautiful Nazi spy, and, when he’s asked what his plan of action is, shrugs and says, “I don’t know. I’ll think of something.” Has there ever been an action hero more human than Indiana Jones and, as a result, more charming? He accomplishes his missions out of a combination of luck, quick thinking, and ingenuity that surprises even himself. Watching him scramble against the enemy not only adds respectable humor to the films that are never forced, but it also develops an extra layer of intensity to the action scenes—he has no idea how he’s going to get out of the situations that he finds himself in, and though we’re pretty sure that he’ll be okay, it sure is fun to watch! Because Indiana Jones is so charming and enduring, he has become archetypal (how many films since Raiders of the Lost Ark have “borrowed” Indy’s style?), to the point that Spielberg, Lucas, and their writers feel a need to devote an entire opening sequence explaining how Dr. Jones became the personality that he is. We see him in the opening scenes as a teenager (played by River Phoenix) on one of his first adventures, and the film cleverly reveals how he came to fear snakes, tout a whip, get that nasty scar on his chin, and first wear his fedora. Throughout the film, Spielberg and company continue to cleverly play with these motifs—a missing hat suddenly falls into his lap, he smiles knowingly at a picture of the Ark of the Covenant, and he swings too hard when using his whip as a rope to swing from tower to tower, nearly breaking his leg as he slams against a window. The story this time involves Indy’s attempts to rescue his obsessed, distant father, Dr. Henry Jones (played delightfully by Sean Connery), who was kidnapped by the Nazis after he began his search to locate the Holy Grail, Christ’s fabled cup used at the Last Supper. Indy goes to search for Henry in Florence. After he finds him, Henry reveals that the Nazis want to find the cup to gain immortality. Of course, the Jones boys can’t have that, so they decide to embark on a “last crusade” to find it before the Nazis do. This crusade leads Indy and his father through plenty of adventures that span all across Europe (including a humorous run-in with Hitler himself in Berlin), and they eventually find themselves in a final, supernatural showdown in a Middle Eastern canyon where they must encounter various villains and booby traps before they can find the sacred cup. Some critics and fanboys have complained that The Last Crusade sticks too closely to the frame of Raiders of the Lost Ark, telling a story a little too similar for comfort and integrating the same types of themes/bad guys/religious relics. As many of these people also like to compare Indy’s films favorably to the many adventures of James Bond, I would remind them that Secret Agent 007 has yet to have an original idea since 1964. Does anyone really expect surprises in a Bond film, or fresh variations on tried-and-true devices? My point is, these films are expected to follow a certain formula, and if The Last Crusade has a great deal in common with its predecessor, that’s only because the formula has proven to work, and it continues here to invent terrific action sequences and effective character development, which is what we love about Indiana Jones movies. Besides that, Spielberg and Lucas use the basic elements of Raiders to spin the formula into a fresh direction, which includes some wonderful chemistry between Indy and his wide-eyed father that is one of the highlights of the series. (“I think they are trying to kill us!” Henry points out. “I KNOW DAD!” Indy screams.) Hopefully, this charming formula will allow Jones and his friends to have many more adventures as they search for many more ancient, religious artifacts scattered all around the world. How about the Mormon Nephi Plates next? Click
here to continue on to my review of Young Indiana Jones
and the Mystery of the Blues. Cast: Paramount Pictures presents a Lucasfilm Ltd. production. Directed by Steven Spielberg. Screenplay by Jeffery Boam, from a story by George Lucas and Menno Meyjes. Rated PG-13, for wall-to-wall action violence and a few curse words. Running time: 127 minutes. Original United States theatrical release date: May 24, 1989. Questions? Comments? E-mail me: danel_the_tinman@hotmail.com |
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