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 The Adventures of Indiana Jones DVD 2003
(Raiders of the Lost Ark/The Temple of Doom/The Last Crusade)
Paramount Home Video release. The DVD Set contains all three films in their original format, restored and digitally remastered. Includes a bonus fourth DVD containing behind-the-scenes featurettes, additional footage and many more extra features.
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| Reel commentary: ...enjoy a trip down memory lane and re-visit the films that millions nationally and internationally have loved.....full review |
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by Eric M. Croas
In the late '70s, early '80s George Lucas and Steven Spielberg were rising stars in the world of filmmaking with their respective titles Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. After all of their hard work, the longtime friend decided to meet in Hawaii for a vacation. While they were there began to discuss ideas for new film projects to do.
As relayed in the Paramount Pictures press kit, Spielberg told Lucas about being a fan of the James Bond series, and he had even approached the owners of the franchise and asked to direct a Bond film. Fortunate for the movie loving public they turned him down, because Lucas took the time to tell him about his idea.
"So I said, 'Well, look, Steven, I've got a James Bond film," Lucas said in the press kit. "It's great – it's just like James Bond but even better. I told him about this archeologist and said it was like a Saturday-matinee serial that he just got into one mess after another."
It was from that conversation that the beginning of this trilogy was spawned. It began with Raiders of the Lost Ark and soon after that film's success, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was produced and released. After a five year break, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was in theaters.
In honor of the digitally re-mastered release of the trilogy on DVD, enjoy a trip down memory lane and re-visit the films that millions nationally and internationally have loved.
 Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Rated: PG.
Runtime: 115 mins.
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writer: George Lucas; Phillip Kaufman
Tagline: The creators of JAWS and STAR WARS now bring you the ultimate hero in the ultimate adventure.
Cast: Harrison Ford; Karen Allen; Paul Freeman....complete cast
Genre: Action /Adventure
Most memorable quote: You can't do this to me, I'm an AMERICAN!
It is 1936, and Hitler's Third Reich continues to terrorize the world. In his quest for world domination, Hitler is on a quest for the Ark of the Covenant, the resting place of the Ten Commandments, which legend states has supernatural powers that could obliterate entire armies.
The United States Government is aware of the ploy, and Army Intelligence is sent to recruit renowned professor of archeology Dr. Indiana Jones. Jones has just returned from an unsuccessful expedition in the jungles of South America.
After convincing Jones to take part in the mission, he travels to Patan, Nepal and is reunited with Marion Ravenwood who is his bitter ex-lover. She has a medallion needed to find the Ark, and it is with reluctance that Ravenwood joins forces with Jones to battle the Nazis who are tracking him. The adventure includes a kidnapping, escaping near death situations, discovering the Ark and surviving the final destiny of those who ignore the warning attached to the Ark.
 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Rated: PG-13.
Runtime: 118 mins.
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writer: George Lucas; Willard Huyck
Tagline: If adventure has a name... it must be Indiana Jones.
Cast: Harrison Ford; Kate Capshaw; Dan Aykroyd
Genre: Action /Adventure
Most memorable quote: I'm very little! You cheat very big!
This film takes place the year prior to the first film. Jones is in the Shanghai nightclub Club Obi-Wan looking to settle up payment for an expedition done for a Shanghai mob boss. Of course, no self-respecting mob boss is going to pay full price for anything.
After finding out that he has been poisoned, Jones ends up creating a scene that includes running behind a rolling gong, kidnapping a lounge singer and a car chase to the airport. Of course the airplane that Jones, his 11-year-old sidekick Short Round and lounge singer Willie Scott board turns out to belong to the same boss that they got away from.
They discover it soon enough when they see the pilot jumping out of the plane with the only parachute. After a moment of panic, they also find out that there is no fuel, and they are headed straight into the face of a snow-capped mountain. Jones and company bail in a life raft and take speedy ride down the mountain just in time to avoid being part of the giant ball flame that was their ride home.
Upon surviving all of that, they end up floating down the river right to a remote Indian village. It seems that this village has been cursed since their sacred Sankara was stolen by the Maharajah of Pankot.
After the village's shaman begs Jones to help, the group set off for the Pankot Palace where they are greeted by the sinister 13-year-old maharajah. After attending a bizarre banquet that includes eating chilled money brains, Jones and Scott discover the secrets behind the village's missing children and the curse that lies over the village. Viewers should be warned that there is a reason that this was one of the films that caused the MPAA to create the PG-13 label for movies.
 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Rated: PG-13.
Runtime: 127 mins.
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writer: George Lucas; Phillip Kaufman
Tagline: Have the adventure of your life keeping up with the Joneses
Cast: Harrison Ford; Sean Connery; River Phoenix
Genre: Action /Adventure
Most memorable quote: Sallah, I said NO camels! That's FIVE camels; can't you count?
This film takes place in 1938, and it begins by going back 26 years to show a young Indiana Jones unsuccessfully trying to retrieve the Cross of Coronado from the hands of robbers. It comes to the present with Jones returning the relic to his boss Marcus Brody.
Not long after returning to his quiet university in New England, Jones is soon brought to multi-millionaire Walter Donovan. It seems that Donovan has the first of three long-buried markers that reveal the location of the Holy Grail itself.
It seems that Jones father Dr. Henry Jones was the man to discover the stone tablet, but now he has disappeared. His son soon travels to Venice where he meets Donovan's associate Dr. Elsa Schneider who helps him to find his father.
It turns out that they are being tracked by the Brotherhood of the Cruciform Sword, whose members have sworn to protect the Holy Grail at all costs. It is a member of the group that informs Jones that his father is being held in Brunwald Castle in Austria. Unknown to Jones, it is a Nazi stronghold and Schneider is a Nazi double-agent who is also working for Donovan.
After rescuing his father, Jones Sr. and Jones Jr. find themselves in a race through Berlin, Germany and Turkey. With the help of his friend Sallah and his boss Brody, they discover the location of the Holy Grail but not before the Nazi army has. Viewers will have to watch to see what happens in the final battle.
Eric M. Croas
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Screen formats: Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1
Subtitles: English, Spanish, French; Closed Captioned
Language and Sound: English: Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; French: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Other Features: In addition to the three films, the complete DVD movie collection offers a fourth disc of bonus material. There are five documentaries that explore making the trilogy, the special effects, the sounds, the stunts and the music of the films. Viewers can also watch all of the original teasers and trailers, as well as a trailer for the Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb video game from LucasArts. For those with DVD-ROM access, there is exclusive content available, and it will also offer the ability to link to Indianajones.com, the official site for fans, which offers daily features and updates about Indiana Jones 4.
- Indiana Jones - Making the Trilogy - A feature-length three part documentary subdivided by the three movies. Contains recent interviews, candid footage; and storyboards.
- From the Lucasfilm Archives:
- The Stunts of Indiana Jones - 10 minute short featuring Interviews with behind-the-scenes footage of all the stunts performed for the movies.
- The Sound of Indiana Jones - Sound designer Ben Burtt discusses all of the techniques used to create all of the sound effects in the movies.
- The Music of Indiana Jones - Composer John Williams narrates this featurette that discusses the inspiration for the music of all three films.
- The Light and Magic of Indiana Jones - Covers the methods of creating many of the films' special effects. As these movies were made before the popularity of CGI was recognized, most of the special effects were created using matte paintings and models.
- Original trailers - Four theatrical trailers including teaser trailers.
- Weblink: to exclusive content including dozens of behind-the-scenes photos, an animatic sequence from Raiders and a PC game preview
- Number of discs: 4
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| Harrison Ford......... |
Indy |
| Karen Allen.......... |
Marion |
| Paul Freeman......... |
Belloq |
| Ronald Lacey.......... |
Toht |
| John Rhys-Davies.......... |
Sallah |
| Kate Capshaw.......... |
Willie Scott |
| Jonathan Ke Quan.......... |
Short Round |
| Amrish Puri....... |
Mola Ram |
| Roshan Seth.......... |
Chattar Lal |
| Sean Connery.......... |
Professor Henry Jones |
| Denholm Elliott.......... |
Marcus Brody |
| Alison Doody........ |
Elsa |
| John Rhys-Davies ......... |
Sallah |
| Julian Glover ........ |
Walter Donovan |
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