The third Indiana Jones film, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, seems to tie up many loose ends
considering Indy’s character. The introduction of his father, Henry Jones Sr.
played by Sean Connery, adds depth and more human qualities to this eccentric adventurer.
It was an interesting decision for Steven Spielberg to choose to place such a
robust actor in as Indy’s father. “Initially, the part of Professor Jones was
to be a crotchety, aristocratic type of English gentleman – the type of
character one would envision being played by John Houseman… Since Indiana Jones
was his answer to James Bond, why not have the man who created 007 on-screen
play Indy’s dad?” (Pfeiffer 176). Spielberg stated, “I figured Sean would give
Harrison a run for his money… I couldn't imagine anyone with more screen power
than Sean Connery to be the famous Indiana Jones’s father. Ford takes up a lot
of the screen, and I didn't want diminishing any father in screen precedence.
This greatly affects the strained relationship the dynamic of their father-son
relationship.
The
strained between the two characters is made apparent in the first scene of the
movie. After young Indy recovers the Cross of Coronado from the bandits, he
returns home to seek his father’s guidance. His simply shrugs him off and
continues on with his work. The frame does not even move to show Henry Sr.’s
face. The sheriff then arrives and promptly gives the cross back to the
bandits. The technique of not showing Henry Sr.’s face demonstrate the fact
that Indy’ father was not around for him. This sets the stage for Indy’ future
interactions with his father.
A scene
that displays Indiana’s progress in atoning with his father occurs when he
observes his father’s ransacked house. Indiana realizes that his father’s prized
Holy Grail Journal is missing. He then remembers that he received a parcel and
then opens it. Sure enough, it is his father’s journal. Indiana then springs
into action and knows he must go to Venice to save his father. It is
interesting that he decides to go mostly because he wants to save Henry Sr. The
Holy Grail quest is only satellite to his love for his father.
The final scene I would like to
discuss occurs after the audience, as well as, Henry Sr., Brody and Sallah
think that Indiana is dead. The tank that he and Vogel are sparring on top of
is seen tumbling off a cliff. The three men observe this and truly believe Indy
is dead. Henry Sr. then states, “I’ve lost him…and I never told him anything. I
Just wasn't ready Marcus.” Sr. is very upset and regretful. When Indiana shows
that he is not deceased, Sr. gives Indy a sweet embrace and says “Well done.”
These were the two things Indiana had wanted from his father his whole life. He
wanted affection and validation and he only revived them after his father
thought he was dead. Better late than never.
I really like that quote from Spielberg because it really puts into perspective the central relationship focus of the film. In the past two movies, it has been about Indiana Jones and whatever damsel he must rescue. This time it is a far more personal relationship between Indiana and his father, proving that this film is less about Indy beating up bad guys and jumping off cliffs for a piece of treasure but rather about Indiana finding out who he is. I thought it was interesting that you pointed out that Henry Jones, Sr.’s face was not shown in the first sequence of the film. I think this could also be compared to the previous films in which Indiana’s face is not revealed immediately to viewers in order to provide him with an air of mystery and to make it clear that he is the protagonist of the film. This also sets up Dr. Jones, Sr. as a fellow protagonist and explains why it was an imperative to the filmmakers to set up Harrison Ford with such a strong partner. Because Jones Senior plays a significant role, we can conclude that he has just as much to learn as Indy does.
ReplyDeleteJonathan Lam
ReplyDeleteI love how you incorporated the screen and star power of Sean Connery and how it acted as a foil to Harrison Ford's. I agree that the father needed to be a strong figure for Indiana Jones, and choosing anyone else other than Sean Connery would not have allowed the character to live up to the high expectations set by Indiana Jones's character. I think you chose an interesting scene to discuss in the beginning when you mention that Henry Senior's face was not even shown. This strain seemed to have been built into the film in order to accentuate the atonement achieved later in the film. By doing this, an extra layer of depth is added to both Henry Senior AND Indiana's characters. It is also obvious that Indiana is interested in saving his father and using the Holy Grail as a means to do so, but I think that this is actually the beginning of his road towards redemption with his father. If he truly did not care, Indiana could have just left his father's house and returned back to school. Instead, he chose to go after his father, thus setting off his journey. I also agree that the final scene you chose best exemplifies the theme of redemption and is actually the climax of his redemption of his father. Affection and validation were both important because it seemed that throughout all of Indiana's life, he never received either one. By finally tying together that broken knot together with his father, Indiana seemed to have closed a chapter of his life by earning a prize sweeter than any artifact.