Reykjavík Grapevine - 06.06.2008, Qupperneq 14

14 | Reykjavík Grapevine | Issue 07 2008 | Article
There seems little doubt, give or take Batman’s im-
minent return, that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull will be the biggest movie of the
summer. The success of the original series inspired
copycat franchises, such as Romancing the Stone/
Jewel of the Nile, set in modern day (the 80’s) Co-
lumbia and the Middle East, and the Mummy series,
starring Brendan Fraser. This year, Fraser seems
more determined than ever to grab a hold of Jones’
man bag and hope to be pulled on by him to fortune
and glory. For as almost as soon as Indy IV ends
its theatrical run, The Mummy will return again on
August 1st.
King Tut
Both series are inspired by action heroes of the
20’s and 30’s, from real life as well as the movies.
A craze for Egyptian archaeology (called Egypto-
mania) originally started in 1922, following Howard
Carter’s discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb. Not only
did he discover previously unheard of treasures,
but adding to the sense of mystery was the fact that
several of the members of his party soon died dur-
ing mysterious circumstances, prompting rumours
of a “Curse of the Pharaoh.” Carter himself died
of cancer in 1939 at the age of 64. Indiana Jones’
debt to him was paid in 1992, when he appears as
a character in the first TV episode about the adven-
turer, called “Young Indiana Jones and the Curse
of the Jackal.”
Interest in Ancient Egypt was renewed when
the exhibition “Treasures of Tutankhamen” toured
the United States in the years 1976-79, prompting
Steve Martin to write the song “King Tut.” Perhaps
not quite coincidentally, in 1977 George Lucas and
Steven Spielberg met on a beach in Hawaii and
started discussing Egyptian archaeology and a fic-
tional adventurer by the name of Indiana Smith. Re-
named Indiana Jones, this character first appeared
on the big screen in Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981.
The film is set in 1936, and here Indy must travel to
an excavation site in Egypt to find the Lost Ark of
Moses.
Spielberg vs. Europe
It sometimes seems that, apart from Oscar Schin-
dler, Spielberg doesn’t really like Europeans very
much. In Raiders, the all-American hero is con-
fronted by an unholy alliance of French and Ger-
mans, in the form of evil archaeologist Belloq and
his Nazi friends. Indy, however, prefers to ally him-
self with the locals in the form of the burly Egyptian
Sallah. The point seems clear, the Americans and
the third world form a united front against Euro-
pean Imperialism.
What the film lacks in subtlety regarding for-
eign affairs, it makes up for in feminism. Marion
Ravenwood is a new breed of heroine, even more
macho than the Blaster wielding princess Leia. In
her first scene, we see Marion out drinking a big
Tibetan, and she greets Indy with a punch in the
face. However, as the film progresses, it is still Indy
who has to repeatedly save her, be it from a snake
pit, a burning plane and even the Wrath of God.
Indy vs. the Indians
The next instalment, Indiana Jones and the Temple
of Doom, came out in 1984. Here there is a complete
role reversal, so much so that the film is set the year
before Raiders, in 1935. This time, Indy has no luck
with the natives. In Shanghai, everyone (apart from
the waiter) is against him, and the barely survives
being killed by hordes of locals. Once over in In-
dia, it is up to him to save the locals. However, he is
not about to join Ghandi and march on the British.
Instead, he helps to crush a revolt against Imperial
rule by a resistance group called “The Thugees.”
Their intent is not only to liberate India but take
over the world. Sankara Stones notwithstanding,
it is not quite clear how they are going to do this.
Once out in the open the Thugee archers are easy
prey to the firearms of His Majesty’s forces, and the
closing sequence seems to be more at home in the
film Zulu, which came out 20 years earlier.
Nightclub Singers vs. Ballbreakers
As if this wasn’t enough, the female character is
also a far cry from Marion. Willie Scott is a night-
club singer who does little besides scream her way
through the entire movie, and whose biggest con-
cern is breaking a nail. It seems to have worked for
Spielberg, though, who wound up marrying actress
Kate Capshaw. She has not acted since, instead
concentrating on raising their six children.
When Indiana Jones finally returned in 1989,
things were back to normal. He beds a European
broad who, as in most American films, turns out to
be “easy,” having also previously bedded his father.
Inevitably, she also turns out to be a Nazi. The bad
Europeans are back as the Nazis but this time they
are aided by an American millionaire, while Indy is
helped by a Turkish secret society as well as by the
Egyptian Sallah.
In Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, there is yet
another unholy alliance, this time consisting of the
Russians and the British, the latter in the form of the
treacherous Mac. Indy, however, does not bed the
Russian babe Spalko played by Cate Blanchett, but
is instead reunited with Marion Ravenwood. Spalko
is probably the most capable woman in the series
and is represented as a ballbreaker, even crushing
a giant ant between her thighs. Her perhaps un-
feminine thirst for knowledge, however, proves her
undoing.
Men vs. Women
The Mummy’s Rick O’Connel is everything that
Indiana Jones is not. Whereas Indy relies on his
whip and wits, and rarely uses firearms (except,
of course, to get out of swordfights,) Rick is armed
with four pistols and a shotgun. And his problem
solving technique usually consists of shooting at
things, even things such as resurrected mummies
that are obviously impervious to gunfire. Even
though the connection to the Jones films is obvi-
ous, the film is a semi-remake of a 1932 horror clas-
sic starring Boris Karloff, and came out in 1999.
By this time the women had taken over. In-
stead of Indiana and Dr. Jones being two sides of
the same person, here the wits are provided by
Evelyn Carnahan, played by Rachel Weisz. Evelyn
is a librarian who of course solves the puzzle, as
well as falling for the tall, handsome and dim-wit-
ted adventurer. As if to ram home the point, a bad
guy says: “They’re led by a woman. What does a
woman know?” Cut to: Rachel waxing philosophi-
cal about ancient Egypt in front of a statue.
Americans vs. Brits
As if to complete the role reversal, in Raiders of the
Lost Ark, Indiana Jones falls asleep just as Marion
is kissing him. In The Mummy, Evelyn falls asleep
just as she is about to be kissed by Rick. In both
cases, it is a sign of strength to need love less than
the other party.
Fun is had with the nationalities too. The
story starts in 1923 with Rick and his French for-
eign legion being overrun by Arabs. The American
Rick later teams up with the English Evelyn and her
brother. It seems almost like a story Blair and Bush
(remember them?) could cuddle up to. But this is
before 9/11 and care is taken to insult no one, or at
least everyone equally. A group of swashbuckling
American cowboys are found to be greedy and
killed off one by one, the evil Mummy is Egyptian
but so is the secret society that fights it. Surprisingly
for an American film, and one set in colonial times
at that, it’s actually the Brits that come out best.
The Mummy vs. Indiana Jones
The Mummy spawned a sequel two years later, a
spin off sequel in The Scorpion King, a sequel to
which is in turn in production. The next film is
called The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,
and is set in China.
But for all its political correctness, The Mum-
my series is not as engaging as the Jones’ films. The
Spielberg movies have sometimes been accused
of being roller coaster rides (literally in Temple of
Doom), but The Mummy takes that to another level.
The archaeology provides the flimsiest pretext for
a shoot-’em-up, while the mystery is more or less
done away with by the voice-over in the beginning,
just in case someone in the audience doesn’t get it.
Perhaps movie goers were more discerning in the
early 80’s than in the late 90’s after all.
Text by Valur Gunnarsson
Illustration by Baldur Helgason
The Politics of Archaeology
“As if to complete the
role reversal, in Raiders
of the Lost Ark, Indiana
Jones falls asleep just as
Marion is kissing him. In
The Mummy, Evelyn falls
asleep just as she is about
to be kissed by Rick. In
both cases, it is a sign of
strength to need love less
than the other party.”