Indiana Jones

Lately, I've been reading Why Did It Have to Be Snakes? from Science to the Supernatural, the Many Mysteries of Indiana Jones by Lois H. Gresh and Robert Weinberg.  Recently, I read a section about zeppelins and how they relate to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.  The book claims that "after recovering the Grail diary in Berlin, the Joneses attempt to leave Germany aboard the majestic LZ 138 zeppelin," but when I referenced the film, I found that the ship's designation is actually D-138.  It's glimpsed in only a couple shots, though:

I hadn't noticed this detail before, but since it was drawn to my attention, I now think that it's slight reference to THX 1138, George Lucas's first feature film.  There are similar references in the Star Wars movies.  In A New Hope, Luke, in disguise as a stormtrooper, fabricates a "prisoner transfer from cell block 1138;" in The Empire Strikes Back, General Rieekan gives the order "Send Rogues 10 and 11 to Station 38;" and in The Phantom Menace and Revenge of the Sith, there are battle droids whose markings bear passing resemblances to the number.  (See more details here.)

When I re-watched Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull earlier this year, I noticed a 138 there, too.  It's one of the house numbers in the mock town that's destroyed by an atomic bomb test.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

I recently watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade again and noticed a small but significant detail.

I'd noticed before that there's something of an echo between the beginning and end of the film.  At the beginning, as he's copying an image from an illuminated manuscript, Dr. Jones, Sr. says, "May he who illuminated this illuminate me."  (With a double meaning on illuminate, which is where I got the name of this blog.)  At the end, when the adventure is all but over, Indiana Jones asks his father, "What did you find, dad?" and Dr. Jones, Sr. replies, "Illumination."

Watching the film this time, I noticed a third instance of this illumination.  During the chase through the catacombs under the library and through the canals of Venice, Indiana Jones and Dr. Elsa Schneider run past a sign that reads:  "Calle di S.ta Lucia."

Here are two frames (one is more legible, and one shows the characters a bit better):

"Calle di S.ta Lucia" means "St. Lucia's Lane."  St. Lucia is the patron saint of sight, and her name is related to words for light (such as luce in Italian and lux in Latin).  Taken with "lane," this seems to indicate that the characters are on their way - travelling along the path, as it were - to the illumination that occurs at the end of the film.  Since, however, Elsa certainly doesn't find illumination and Indiana Jones doesn't answer what he's found (instead, he quibbles about being called "Junior" again), the sign actually seems to apply more to Dr. Jones, Sr. or even to the audience.

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

This post contains some minor spoilers.

In July, I started reading the Bible, and in Genesis, I came across a part that describes a breastpiece that the Hebrew priests wore:

You shall make a breastpiece of judgment, in skilled work.  In the style of the ephod you shall make it - of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen shall you make it.  It shall be square and doubled, a span its length and a span its breadth.  You shall set in it four rows of stones.  A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle shall be the first row; and the second row and emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper.  They shall be set in gold filigree.  There shall be twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel.  They shall be like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes.  You shall make for the breastpiece twisted chains like cords, of pure gold.  And you shall make for the breastpiece two rings of gold, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece.  And you shall put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece.  The two ends of the two cords you shall attach to the two settings of filigree, and so attach it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod.  You shall make two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod.  And you shall make two rings of gold, and attach them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its seam above the skillfully woven band of the ephod.  And they shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it may lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, so that the breastpiece shall not come loose from the ephod.  (Exodus 28:15-28)

I'd noticed that Belloq has some ceremonial-looking clothing during the part of Raiders of the Lost Ark when they open the ark, so I re-watched the movie in order to compare it to this Biblical description.  Because it's dark (and because I'm not that acquainted with varieties of gems), I'm not sure if Belloq's breastpiece matches up exactly, but it has a least a few qualities in common with the Biblical description:

There's also:

You shall make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, 'Holy to the LORD.'  And you shall fasten it on the turban by a cord of blue.  It shall be on the front of the turban.  ...  You shall weave the coat in checker work of fine linen, and you shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash embroidered with needlework.  (Exodus 28:36-37, 39)

Again, some of the smaller details are hard to see in the movie, but in general it seems to correspond fairly closely.

More interesting than that, however, is the staff that Belloq is holding:

I think the animal on the staff is meant to be a calf, specifically a golden calf, like the one in Exodus 32.  While Moses is on Mount Sinai getting the Ten Commandments, the Israelites have Aaron craft a golden calf, which they then worship.  Both God and Moses become angry about this.  God tells Moses, "'Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them....'" (Exodus 32:10).  God's wrath about the golden calf seems to have some connection with Belloq's staff and the effect that the Ark of the Covenant has on the Nazis when they open it.

Flowers in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

About a week ago, I watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.  For the first time, I noticed some significance in what characters are wearing flowers.

The rest of this post contains spoilers.

The film opens with Jones as a teenager.  He tries to reclaim the Cross of Coronado from treasure hunters but fails, and it's given over to the character listed as "Panama Hat" in the credits.  One of the significant things about him is that he's wearing a red flower (I don't know flowers, so I can't be more specific):

Additionally, the framing here - especially the rack focus from Young Indy and the sheriff to Panama Hat as he steps into view - ensures that attention is drawn to him (and to a lesser degree his flower).

Along with explaining facets of Indy's character (including his hat and whip), this whole sequence differentiates between those who seek artifacts for wealth and personal gain (like Panama Hat) and those who don't (like Indy, who insists that the Cross of Coronado "belongs in a museum").  I think to some degree, the flower that Panama Hat is wearing indicates this selfishness throughout the movie.  Or at the very least, flowers indicate characters who you shouldn't be so quick to trust.

Only a few minutes later, Walter Donovan is introduced, and he's wearing a red flower - just like Panama Hat:

Donovan's flower indicates both of these aspects - Donovan is seeking the Grail for himself (unlike Indy, who seeks the Grail for the sake of his father - first finding and then saving him), and he's not a character to be trusted.  Later he says, "Didn't I warn you not to trust anybody, Dr. Jones," including himself in the "anybody."

After Indy and Brody get to Venice, they meet Dr. Elsa Schneider.  While walking to the library where she and Dr. Jones (that is, Indy's father) were researching, Indy himself steals a flower to give to her:

Elsa's actual interest in pursuing the Grail is harder to determine than either Donovan's or Indy's.  At times, it seems like she's after it for herself (like when she's trying to reach it after it's crossed the seal and the floor is breaking apart), but at other times, she seems more interested just in the endeavor to find it (like when they're looking through the tombs to find the second marker).

Regardless, she's also not a character to be trusted when she's first introduced.  Indy does and later finds that she's in league with the Nazis.

And finally, there's Kazim from the Brotherhood of the Cruciform Sword:

He's almost the opposite of both Elsa and Donovan because at first it appears that he's a bad guy (knocking out Brody and chasing Indy and Elsa through the tombs and the canals), but he actually turns out to help Indy by telling him where his father is and later distracting the Nazis as they're travelling to the Canyon of the Crescent Moon.

He's also opposite them because he's not seeking the Grail for himself.  In fact, he's not even seeking the Grail; he's trying to protect it.  After Panama Hat sets the standard, the characters in the movie who are wearing flowers generally turn out to be self-seeking and untrustworthy, except for Kazim.