In order to write this essay, I first had to sign up for Disney+. I then had to spend one hundred and fifty-four minutes of my life, precious time that I’ll never get back, watching INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY all the way through, for a second time.
Great essay. I saw Raiders in the theater and we had to be driven back in my parents' station wagon. Joy is exactly right. And attention to detail. I loved the bar shootout in Mongolia. The guns were heavy and the rounds thudded. Beautifully staged. Plus you had a great setup for Marian in the drinking contest, who ends up not being a Mary Sue in a drinking bout with Belloq. Just one of many perfectly crafted scenes, as you have related.
I think it's all in the writers as well as direction. A lot of blockbusters have some top-shelf writing. The world came to love our movies because of what they were. Now Hollywood tries to make movies for the world and the home team rejects them. The world will come to reject them, too.
I too saw Raiders in the theater first run. But I also saw Spielberg’s previous massive flop, 1941. Spielberg was riding high after Jaws and Close Encounters, and then 1941 brought his directing mojo to a screeching halt.
The reason George Lucas is on the credits for Raiders is Spielberg could not get anything greenlit after all the money he spent and lost on 1941.
And I’d argue Raiders of the Lost Ark is actually a sequel, albeit a pitch theme sequel. Lucas made magical amounts of money on Star Wars, which he had pitched as a modernized version of the 1930s movie house serials, Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon. And Raiders was pitched as a modernized version of…1930s movie serials, the intrepid adventurer genre. I recall seeing press before it came out explaining what the heck this whip guy movie was about exactly along those lines.
So Spielberg and Lucas were making what has now become the standard Hollywood pitch: “Look, it’s the same as the last thing that made a lot of money” and then just subverting it a bit via Spielberg’s creativity. As noted in the essay, those studio committees will work hard to keep any creativity from happening these days.
And at that point Kathleen Kennedy was still just fetching coffee, so that danger was far in the future.
Indiana Jones should be like Bond. He should be replaced every decade or so. It’s not like Ford is the only person who can ever pull off a burly adventurer guy.
This is dead on. I am old enough to remember the movie “Breaking Away“ a movie made on a tiny budget using B and C list actors as well as complete unknowns. All they had was great storytelling, characters that you cared about, moments of genuine humor and unforced sadness, and an ending that you pretty much knew was going to happen that still received sitting and sometimes standing ovations.
Thank you for signing up for Disney+ to write this great essay. My husband watches a lot of movies on TCM which I also love because they never get old and they capture joy. If he ever expresses an interest in seeing the new Indiana Jones I will just have him read your essay instead. The older we get the more valuable our minutes become. No joyless experiences wanted around here!
Great essay. I saw Raiders in the theater and we had to be driven back in my parents' station wagon. Joy is exactly right. And attention to detail. I loved the bar shootout in Mongolia. The guns were heavy and the rounds thudded. Beautifully staged. Plus you had a great setup for Marian in the drinking contest, who ends up not being a Mary Sue in a drinking bout with Belloq. Just one of many perfectly crafted scenes, as you have related.
I think it's all in the writers as well as direction. A lot of blockbusters have some top-shelf writing. The world came to love our movies because of what they were. Now Hollywood tries to make movies for the world and the home team rejects them. The world will come to reject them, too.
I too saw Raiders in the theater first run. But I also saw Spielberg’s previous massive flop, 1941. Spielberg was riding high after Jaws and Close Encounters, and then 1941 brought his directing mojo to a screeching halt.
The reason George Lucas is on the credits for Raiders is Spielberg could not get anything greenlit after all the money he spent and lost on 1941.
And I’d argue Raiders of the Lost Ark is actually a sequel, albeit a pitch theme sequel. Lucas made magical amounts of money on Star Wars, which he had pitched as a modernized version of the 1930s movie house serials, Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon. And Raiders was pitched as a modernized version of…1930s movie serials, the intrepid adventurer genre. I recall seeing press before it came out explaining what the heck this whip guy movie was about exactly along those lines.
So Spielberg and Lucas were making what has now become the standard Hollywood pitch: “Look, it’s the same as the last thing that made a lot of money” and then just subverting it a bit via Spielberg’s creativity. As noted in the essay, those studio committees will work hard to keep any creativity from happening these days.
And at that point Kathleen Kennedy was still just fetching coffee, so that danger was far in the future.
Spot on!
I saw Dial of Destiny for 20 minutes, and walked away. Never thought an Indy movie could do that to me.
Indiana Jones should be like Bond. He should be replaced every decade or so. It’s not like Ford is the only person who can ever pull off a burly adventurer guy.
This is dead on. I am old enough to remember the movie “Breaking Away“ a movie made on a tiny budget using B and C list actors as well as complete unknowns. All they had was great storytelling, characters that you cared about, moments of genuine humor and unforced sadness, and an ending that you pretty much knew was going to happen that still received sitting and sometimes standing ovations.
Thank you for signing up for Disney+ to write this great essay. My husband watches a lot of movies on TCM which I also love because they never get old and they capture joy. If he ever expresses an interest in seeing the new Indiana Jones I will just have him read your essay instead. The older we get the more valuable our minutes become. No joyless experiences wanted around here!
The thing that gets me, and joyless is part of the description, is that I can watch a movie or TV show and not like any of the characters…