Indiana Jones and the Lens of Reality

Many of the pieces of the Jones boys' films run through them all, like Indy and Henry's profession of archaeology, Indy's academic employers, and the kind of villains Indy faces. So let's look at them here.

Indiana Jones RR 2/5
Indiana Jones (nee Smith) is truly a fictional character, but there are suggestions he's at least based on true, larger than life archaeologists. Certainly his exploits reflect a conflation of the grave robber and the early twentieth century explorer / scientist. The character is based on the pulp serials of the 30's such as Doc Savage, Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe and King of the Rocket Men.

Archaeology RR 5/5
The science of digging old stuff out the ground does exist and is a fascinating subject with a ~ varied ~ career path. Archaeology Indy's way is called tomb raiding and is generally recognised to be criminal. Explorations of ancient history, especially Egyptology, was all the rage between the two world wars when the first three films are set. Howard Carter had discovered Tutankahmun in the Valley of the Kings, and the study of anthropology was almost as popular.

Nazis RR 5/5
Unfortunately, the German National Socialists led by Adolf Hitler were only too real, and weren't the bumbling fools they appear in the movies. Starting in the early 30's they rose to power on the ashes of the Wiemar Republic - literally, having burned down the Reichstag, then the seat of German democracy.

Starting World War 2, they almost conquered the whole of Europe before the Russians allied with the US,the British and the free forces of Europe to crush them.

The book burning scene in Crusade actually happened, several times, as the Nazis tried to destroy unGerman ideas and educate the populace to believe in the Aryan victory.

German Archaeologists and Anthropologists RR 5/5
At the time, a swathe of European society believed in the superiority of the Aryan race, and tried to use scientific approaches to prove it. This was particularly strong in Germany, and with the Nazis especially.

A German society called the Anhenerbe which may have formed an occult background to the Nazi ideology, organised many expeditions across the globe to discover secrets of human development and find powerful artefacts the Nazis could use to cement their superiority through religion, war or politics.

Although it is never expressly mentioned, Colonel Herman Dietrich and Colonel Vogel, Wehrmacht leaders in Ark and Crusade respectively, Arnold Toht, the Gestapo agent, would likely be believers. Rene Belloq, Indiana's nemsis in Raiders, may be, as he certainly believes in the power of the Ark as "a radio for speaking to God".

Marshall College RR 0/5
Indy's academic home is a fictional institution, named after Frank Marshall, producer for all four films (and the pilot of the flying wing who gets lamped by Marion). However, filming at 'Marshall College' for Skull took place at Yale Law School.

Raiders. The film that started it all. A mid-thirties setting, globe-trotting locations, nationalistic baddies and an artefact of unimaginable power. How much was good storytelling and how much actually existed?

Ark of the Covenant RR 3/5
The Ark of the Covenant is an artefact of significance in the Jewish religion, and may also be significant to Muslims. Almost nothing is definate about the Ark - what it contains, what it looks like, where it ended up or even whether it actually existed.

It is described in the Old Testament of the Bible as well as the Qu'ran; it may be an ornate chest topped by two cherubim, or a plain box. The confusion may be because the Ark was always covered, so that only the high priests of the temple ever actually saw it. The sources seem to agree it was carried on two poles. It acted as the throne of God, containing the Stone Tablets of the Law - the Ten Commandments given to Moses (who caused the ark to be made).

It was used to guide the Israelities in their wanderings in the desert, to dry the River Jordan so the Israelites could cross, was carried round the walls of Jericho before they collapsed, and led the Israelites to many victories; it could kill serpents and scorpions as well as men who gazed upon it, and brought plagues to the Philistines when they captured it.

Its current location is as much a mystery - suggestions include Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Jerusalem, Jordan, England, Ireland and France.

I've given the Ark a RR of 3/5 because there seems to be little external evidence for the existence of the Ark outside the Bible or the Qu'ran, although there are a few others regarding where it might have ended up. Wikipedia's entry for the Ark of the Covenant seems to summarise the information quite well.

The vagaries of the information about the Ark, combined with the powers it is suggested to have and a vague recognition in most people's minds before Raiders came out meant the Ark made almost the perfect macguffin to drive an adventure movie.

Flying Wing Aircraft RR 1/5
The actual aircraft under which Indy fights the giant sergeant is a fake; no such aircraft ever existed. However, flying wings were being developed by the Germans, and have been built as aeronautical experiments culminating in the B2 Stealth Bomber. There are suggestions that the Raiders prop people based the design on several genuine proposals, including the Northrop B35, and the Horten Ho 229.

The actual prop itself was built by the Vickers Aircraft Company, a genuine aircraft manufacturer based in Great Britain.

And yes, you would go down like a sack of potatoes if you got lamped by a set of undercarriage chocks, or met a spinning propeller - that's happened way too many times, and why modern props tend to have spirals or bands to make them more visible.

As you may have guessed, I'm a bit of an aircraft fan - if you're interested, check out my other lens Aviation between the Wars.

Government Warehouse RR 2/5
Artefact stores are not unknown - they're called museum stores or vaults - and although some are run along the same (seemingly?) chaotic lines implied by Raiders, they do not have the same 'sinister / bureaucratic' raison d'etre. And there's no evidence that governments run them in secret conspiracies.

The last film to be made so far. Which I haven't seen - yet - so I can't go into detail about what's real, etc (I'm studiously avoiding spoilers). But one item does stand out...

Crystal Skulls RR 1/5

Crystal skulls do exist. They're just not 'alien' in origin, nor do they have 'magical' powers.

They began appearing around the end of the 19th century, when archaeologists began excavating in Central America. Conflicting reports surround the origin of the skulls. Some say they were fashioned by Mesoamerican artisans for unknown uses, others by European forgers. Although there are 13 famous skulls, there are now thousands of skulls, made around the world to feed the demands of museums and New Age believers.

Following both lines of enquiry, we discover more contradictions. Those who believe the Central American Indians made the crystal skulls also believe them to be thousands of years old, and that they cause visions and possibly death, and contain vast repositories of knowledge. Those who think the skulls are fake believe they have proof that they were manufactured by European craftsmen using machines in the last 150 years and were sold for good money in the enthusiasm for the unusual in Europe in the early 20th century.

What most people agree on is that the original thirteen skulls are artfully made, the Mitchell-Hedges one in particular being a difficult object to manufacture but well finished.

Like the Ark of the Covenant, the skulls are almost the perect macguffin for an Indy movie - everyone's heard that the skulls have 'odd powers', but few people know enough about them to derail a well-told yarn.