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Page 19
Film Review
Oh, Indiana! (And Papa, Too!)
For those of you who need a reason to
pull out your leather jackets and whips - this
is it! And with it comes new meaning to
S/M and B/D - Summer/Movies and
Bold/Daring. As one banner reads, "...the
man in the hat is back. And this time he's
bringing his dad."
So the third (and some say final)
Indiana Jones movie arrives, leading the
pack of those to come. Paramount's
"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"
opened citywide last Wednesday, May 24th.
Judging from the movie's performance in its
first week out - it's breaking all movie
records - it may be the leader of the pack
for the entire summer. The only contender
on the horizon seems to be the upcoming
"Batman" from Warners.
George Lucas, sharing Executive
Producer credits with Frank Marshall, and
Steven Spielberg, Director, have reunited
most of the production crews from the first
two movies, and it shows. The
craftsmanship is superb. From the moment
Douglas Slocombe's cinematography first
allows you to gaze upon the Paramount logo
coming to life, through the sets of Elliot
Scott's production designs, we have the
costume changes of 3-time Academy Award
winner, Anthony Powell. We rumble along
with the mechanical special effects of
George Gibbs, plummet through Vic
Armstrong's stunts, explode through
Michael McAlister's visual effects, having it
pulled together with the smooth, slick
editing of Michael Kahn, A.C.E. We have
wonderful designs by Ben BurtL Finally,
strains of John Williams' familiar score
heighten our senses as our intrepid heroes
ride into the sunset The result is wonderful.
All are excellent.
Harrison Ford returns as Indiana
Jones, along with Denholm Elliott and John
Rhys-Davies reprising their respective roles
of Marcus Brody and Sallah from "Raiders
of the Lost Ark."
The casting coup in this movie is
Sean Connery as Indy's father, Dr. Henry
Jones. The other newcomers are River
Phoenix as the young Indy and Alison
Doody as the romantic interest of both Dr.
Joneses.
What flaws are within "The Last
Crusade" seem to belong to the writing and
directing. It is hard to know who might be
at fault with the writing. Jeffery Boam is
credited with the screenplay, while the story
is credited to George Lucas and Menno
Meyjes; and all have credited Spielberg with
contributing to both story and script Not
that either are bad - they're not The story
and subsequent screenplay are good. It's
just in spite of Lucas’ quote: "This film has
as much action as the first two movies, but
at the same time the focus is on character",
the frenetic activity and gratuitous scenes do
take away focus from Indy and his father.
Characterization, like Indy's foes,
never seem to win in a Lucas/Spielberg
production. As in the case of true blue
Marcus Brody, the Jones' friend. In the
original, Brody is a dapper, articulate
—— MURRAY CLOSE
Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) and his father, Dr. Henry Jones
(Sean Connery), encounter Dr. Elsa Schneider (Alison Doody) after being
captured by the Nazis in Paramount's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
scholar. In the final offering of "The Last
Crusade”, he is nothing more than a
buffoon. Character is sacrificed for a few
cheap laughs. Your guess is as good as
anyone's.
In an interview, George Lucas stated
this movie was about Indy's quest for his
father and his father’s quest for the Holy
Grail; but while several scenes between the
two are very poignant, at the moment of
truth, there is a pratfall or a pulling back - a
shying away from the deeper emotions.
Make no mistake. This movie is
good. This movie, thanks to the chemistry
between Ford and Connery as father and
son, is very good. They carry the entire
movie - which should be the point.
"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" is a
rip-snorting, action-packed adventure. It is
fun. It is exhilarating. It has all the
elements you want - the hero, the
trustworthy friends, the villains, the father's
love, the damsel, the action, the cliffhangers,
the prize.
Yet, there seemed to be one thing
missing. Mr. Spielberg, I wish you had
allowed the movie to have some of the heart
of its hero - Indiana Jones.
-Tia Nikolopoulas &
Candace Wiggins
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