I’m using the revisionist name ’cause that’s the one on the cover of the new DVD collection that was recently handed to me. I watched this 756 times (approx.) as a kid, but I hadn’t seen it in a while. Here’s what I got from it this time.
1 – Marion Ravenwood – what a great character. So much more than just “the girl.” She’s tough and scrappy and attractive but not a ditz and still needs the help of a big, strong man but not, like, for everything. Fantastic.
2 – Awesome script. The exposition is laid out expertly and with humor. Humor all around. Fabulous stuff.
3 – There’s hardly any dialogue! Like I said, awesome script. This is visual storytelling. There are giant swaths of screentime where not a word is spoken. Fantastic.
4 – This movie stars the trumpet. During those dialogue free speeches, the talking is all done with John Williams’ killer brass. Not just “Indy’s Theme” but all the music. So awesome.
5 – The truck sequence is the best one. When Indy busted out on that horse I shouted “YAY!” in my home with no irony.
You don’t believe me?
I’m having a lot of trouble feeling anything but negativity towards these Spielberg/Lucas classics lately. History has proven that these talented New Hollywood movie-magicians, in paying homage to their childhood fantasies and making movies aimed either at either literal kids or the “inner child” of adults, inadvertantly created a new, downgraded film culture centered on juvenile action blockbusters and box-office bean-counting.
No one disputes that these movies are well-made. But for all their film-school craft and technical virtuosity, Spielberg and Lucas catalyzed the dumbing-down of American movies. That is their legacy, and we’re still living with it today.