Indiana Jones, created by George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg, is an iconic adventurer and archaeologist who has appeared in four films and inspired other characters. He is known for his hatred of Nazis and his desire to share artifacts with museums. His character was deepened in the third film with the addition of his father, played by Sean Connery. The character has also inspired a television series, rides, comic books, and novels. Harrison Ford’s portrayal of Indy has contributed to the character’s staying power.
Indiana Jones is the iconic fictional character created by George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg for the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark, and the subsequent three films Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and the long awaited final movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Known as “Indy” to friends and portrayed ably by Harrison Ford, Jones has become a prototype for the adventurer character in modern fiction. He is certainly referenced by the likes of Lara Croft from Tomb Raider and Robert Langdon from The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons.
When audiences first met Indiana Jones in the 1981 film, they met an adventurer who was an avid archaeologist. On the one hand, Jones teaches archeology under the supervision of Professor Marcus Brody, hilariously represented by the great actor Denholm Elliot. Jones’ great love is actually adventure and the collection of rare artifacts, and he is called upon by the American government to prevent Hitler from collecting the Ark of the Covenant, where the stone tablets collected by Moses containing the Ten supposedly reside. Commandments. A hallmark of Jones’s character is his intense dislike of Nazis, which is referenced again in the third film. This reference to the Nazis is undoubtedly a contribution from both Lucas and Spielberg, as it draws the audience towards a common enemy.
The first film is violent and under the new rating system earns a PG-13. Jones kills over twenty people in the film, which has been criticized by some as excessive. However, he is the archetypal man of the man, inspired by the comics and serial films of the 1940s. The main difference is that the violence is typically on camera rather than off, showing Jones as rightfully or some suggest overly wrathful. In the later films we see Jones’s tolerance of various cultures especially the Islamic culture and the Hindu culture portrayed in the second film.
Indiana Jones is certainly not a mindless killing machine, and his lifestyle suggests he is not an archaeologist for profit. Instead, he likes the idea of sharing archaeological finds with people; most of the artifacts in his words “belong in a museum”, rather than belong to private and avid collectors. He is fully prepared to use any means of stealth and/or violence to obtain artifacts from private collectors, especially if they have fascist ties.
Lucas and Spielberg significantly increased the depth of Jones’ character by including Indy’s father Henry in the third film, played by Sean Connery. Jones’s complicated father-son relationship suggests many reasons why Indy may not fit the typical college professor mold. Indy’s father is described as meticulous and thoughtful, but mostly uninvolved in his son’s life. The two have little in common, but Indy is forced into his father’s world, which revolves around the quest for the Holy Grail. Henry despises some of Indy’s methods, but reconciliation between father and son is partly achieved by the end of the film.
In addition to the Indiana Jones movies, Spielberg launched the Young Indiana Jones television series that aired from 1992 to 1996. Jones has also inspired rides, comic books, and novels depicting his other adventures. He has several recognizable characteristics and character traits. He carries a whip, wears a brown felt hat and a leather bomber jacket. Jones is also recognizable by a horizontal scar on his chin and his fear of snakes. The Hat, Whip, Felt Hat, Fear of Snakes, and Scar are all explained in Last Crusade.
An interesting trivia is that initially Tom Selleck was chosen to play the role of Jones, but had to decline due to contractual obligations. It’s hard to imagine anyone but Harrison Ford playing the role of adult Indy. The staying power of the character has a lot to do with Ford’s portrayal as does the quality of the films’ writing, directing and production.
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