1st script

This was my script for that 5 min presentation we had to do, Just putting it up here for reminders when I begin writing my new script.


“What you taught me was that I wasn’t as important as people who had been dead for 500 years in another country.”
Indiana Jones - The Last Crusade.
This quote demonstrates the core of the conflict between Indiana Jones and his father Henry Jones. For my small scale research project I am analysing the relationships between Fathers and their sons in films within the Lucasfilm institution. It is argued that the relationship and chemistry between Indianna (Harrison Ford) and Henry (Sean Connery) makes The Last Crusade the most successful of the Indiana Jones series. The film focuses on the search for the Holy Grail. It was Lucas who wanted the grail to be used in the film, however Spielberg saw no potential in the grail alone and decided that it would be far more powerful as a metaphor for their relationship. The grail represents the abyss that has to be closed in order to repair the character’s bond. By Henry Jones devoting his life to finding the grail and Indiana going on a quest to find the grail in order to save his father it creates a parallel between the two characters. At the beginning of the film the viewer sees Indiana as a young boy stealing an artefact from grave robbers. There is then a transition to Indiana as a man fighting the same grave robbers for the same artefact as a grown man. The fact that Indy still has the same beliefs as he did when he was a boy makes it very easy to understand how his father has such authority over him, There are several moments in the film in which Henry proves this either by giving Indy a certain disapproving look or taking a more physical approach for instance slapping him across the face. It is apparent that Indy constantly tries to impress his father throughout the film through both brain and brawn however his attempts usually fail and infact having the complete opposite effect. He even wears a tie throughout most of the film which suggests an idea that he is trying to look more intellectual in order to get what he truly desires, his fathers approval.
This constant conflict between the pair relates strongly to that between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader and that of Indiana and his own son Mutt. It creates an idea of polar opposites, in The Last Crusade the polar opposite is the Hero versus the useless Librarian, In The Crystal Skull it is old age versus youth and in the case of Star Wars, it’s good versus evil. The theme of tension between fathers and their children runs throughout many of Lucas’s projects “Deeply ingrained in our reality is our relationships to our parents and our relationship to our kids” a quote from Lucas himself which suggests that the chemistry between fathers and their children within his films makes them feel more human. In Star Wars Darth Vader is almost a representation of Lucas’s own father wanting him to go into the family business of selling office supplies. This link between Lucas’s own experience allowed him to create a more realistic approach to the situation when Darth Vader reveals he is Luke’s father. This also comes into the 4TH Indiana film where Mutt says he wants to be a mechanic, at this point Indy replies “If that’s what you love doing don’t let anyone tell you different.” However Indiana goes back on his word when he finds out Mutt is his son and becomes very disapproving of the idea, infact Indy acts very similar to his own father at this stage. This again is another connection to George Lucas branching out into film making rather than the family business.
There are two key moments in Henry and Indiana’s relationship during the last crusade. The is an action sequence in which a tank that Henry believe Indy is on falls down a gorge and explodes. Thinking that his son is dead Henry realises that he has wasted their potential relationship. He states. “I never told him anything, I just wasn’t ready Marcus. 5 Minutes would have been enough.” This moment really contrasts a scene earlier in the film where Indy wants to have a conversation with his father but they have nothing to talk about.
Show Clip
This is the real pivotal moment in their relationship where Henry for the first time addresses his son by his name. Throughout the film he refers to Indy as “Junior” this again shows his authority, by calling Indy by his name shows that he sees him as a man, and by calling him Indiana gets his attention from the grail and that one word tells Indy that life is worth far more than the grail ever could.