Book on Indy's Desk

Raiders90

Well-known member
Hey

I was wondering--anyone have any idea what the book of Indy's desk in his house (the one with a picture of a younger Harrison/Indy) is supposed to be? Can someone get a screenshot of it open with the photo of younger Indy?
I'm referring to this book that he has in his hands:
105.jpg
 

Cole

New member
My initial reaction is to say it's a passport, as he was getting ready to leave the country.
 

Indy's brother

New member
Cole said:
My initial reaction is to say it's a passport, as he was getting ready to leave the country.

I agree, he was just talking about going to Leipzig, after all. It's the right size and shape, it would have been more obvious if it had the traditional eagle embossed on the cover, but not all passport holders do. It's probably a combination wallet/passport-holder.
 
On an off-topic note...

Damn that picture kills me. I still can't get over the fact that the set designer, prop master, or whoever made the executive decision to put those pictures on the desk thought that was a good idea. They're so obviously production stills/ screen captures that it's just painful.

One more detail to stir my ire for a terrible film.
 

Cole

New member
ResidentAlien said:
On an off-topic note...

Damn that picture kills me. I still can't get over the fact that the set designer, prop master, or whoever made the executive decision to put those pictures on the desk thought that was a good idea. They're so obviously production stills/ screen captures that it's just painful.

One more detail to stir my ire for a terrible film.
Picky, picky, picky.
 

Raiders90

Well-known member
ResidentAlien said:
On an off-topic note...

Damn that picture kills me. I still can't get over the fact that the set designer, prop master, or whoever made the executive decision to put those pictures on the desk thought that was a good idea. They're so obviously production stills/ screen captures that it's just painful.

One more detail to stir my ire for a terrible film.


I agree. Rather cheesy.

But. on topic. People who say it's a passport--the photo of Ford/Indy looks much younger than Indy does in KOTCS, like in his mid 20s rather than 58. And passports have to be renewed every 5-10 years.
 

Mickiana

Well-known member
Yeah, how would he have gotten those pictures? Jumped in a time machine, gone to the future (about 1990), downloaded the pics from movie sites and jumped back in the time machine and framed them in the 1950s sometime?
 

Darth Vile

New member
ResidentAlien said:
On an off-topic note...

Damn that picture kills me. I still can't get over the fact that the set designer, prop master, or whoever made the executive decision to put those pictures on the desk thought that was a good idea. They're so obviously production stills/ screen captures that it's just painful.

One more detail to stir my ire for a terrible film.

I do agree that to any discerning Indy fan they are obvious, and somewhat predictable, production stills from TLC. However, I'm not sure most people would recognise them as TLC production shots. It would have been good if they'd have at least flipped the shots... but I'm not sure it's that relevant other than to people like me and you.
 

Wilhelm

Member
Probably Spielberg himself didn't remember where those photos come from. I think they could use more manipulated images like in Henry's home in LC, but the massive audience didn't notice the production stills.

I like the Connery's photo, because it captures his essence and didn't reveal the zeppelin scenario, but the image from Marcus reminds too much of his scene in Iskenderum. I would have use only the Connery image and it's more logical to have only that photo in the desk.

The scene is well shot, with Dean Stanford looking at the sad Indy with the trees in the window. I also like the sand clock in the foreground as symbol of the passing of time.
 

James

Well-known member
Wilhelm said:
I like the Connery's photo, because it captures his essence and didn't reveal the zeppelin scenario, but the image from Marcus reminds too much of his scene in Iskenderum. I would have use only the Connery image and it's more logical to have only that photo in the desk.

Yeah, I always liked the Connery photo. It's not like they just framed one of the publicity shots featuring both Ford and Connery.

On the other hand, Marcus didn't really need to be there. The painting at the college was a much better (and more appropriate) tribute.
 

Montana Smith

Active member
The thing that seems most wrong about the two photographs, is that they don't give the impression of being personal pictures. If they were personal Henry Sr. and Marcus would be looking directly into the camera. As it is they might as well be paparazzi shots taken without their knowledge, and therefore appear gimmicky.
 

Cole

New member
Perhaps they could have gone into Sean Connery and Denholm Elliot's personal stash of photographs or something........but they likely would not induce the feeling of the characters or of the the time period.

Maybe they could've digitally altered the photograph or something (the young Mutt/Oxley picture is hilarous), but for some reason I get the feeling there'd probably still be people complaining about how it was obviously photoshopped or something.

I don't know, I just don't see the issue here.
 

Montana Smith

Active member
Cole said:
Perhaps they could have gone into Sean Connery and Denholm Elliot's personal stash of photographs or something........but they likely would not induce the feeling of the characters or of the the time period.

Maybe they could've digitally altered the photograph or something (the young Mutt/Oxley picture is hilarous), but for some reason I get the feeling there'd probably still be people complaining about how it was obviously photoshopped or something.

I don't know, I just don't see the issue here.

The issue is really that this scene was meant to highlight Indy's loss and loneliness. Yet, it breaks out into the real world and comes across more as our loss of two great actors from the screen - Denholm through death, Connery through retirement.

The picture of Connery especially looks out of place - it could be Lenin there in a social-realist propaganda pose, looking upward at a positive future.

I like most of KOTCS, but there are a few things which really stand out as niggly moments, where the production team missed the mark.
 

TennesseBuck

New member
James said:
Yeah, I always liked the Connery photo. It's not like they just framed one of the publicity shots featuring both Ford and Connery.

On the other hand, Marcus didn't really need to be there. The painting at the college was a much better (and more appropriate) tribute.

The Henry Sr. photo didn't bother me as much, but the Marcus photo seems off. Still, they are not as bad the ones they were going to use of Sallah...it shows Sallah and Indy together, but the Indy pic was originally taken with Marion next to him and they erased her and put Sallah! It's not like Indy takes pics of himself when he is out on the field.
 

Forbidden Eye

Well-known member
ResidentAlien said:
On an off-topic note...

Damn that picture kills me. I still can't get over the fact that the set designer, prop master, or whoever made the executive decision to put those pictures on the desk thought that was a good idea. They're so obviously production stills/ screen captures that it's just painful.

One more detail to stir my ire for a terrible film.

Sheesh Mr. Grumpypants! You can't have one thread go by without attacking the film somehow.

Anyway:

1. Yeah it's a passport.

2. There's nothing wrong with Henry Sr.'s picture. My grandparents had somewhat similar pictures for their 50th wedding anniversary. But I do agree that Marcus's picture doesn't really work. It would've been much better had Indy been in it. But frankly, they wouldn't be able to photoshop it like they did with Sallah as we actually see the picture close enough to have noticed. It would be interesting if someone can find a picture with both Indy and Marcus in it that would've been a better choice.
 

Lance Quazar

Well-known member
The use of those pictures absolutely shattered the "reality" of the scene for me, as well. Marcus especially, since it is so obviously from that scene. Henry is just generic enough to almost squeak by, but together they're a disaster.

And it's not even the choice of pictures, but the fact that there are two GIANT pics of the missing characters staring us (and Indy) straight in the face, making it quite convenient (and super cheesy) for Indy to point at them whilst reminiscing/whining about their deaths.

I don't even buy that Indy would have such a giant pic of Marcus staring him right in the face on his desk. Henry I can buy, but not Marcus. It just feels out of character to me, overly sentimental and phony.
 

StoneTriple

New member
For me, they're not the "it's just one more thing that destroyed the prequ...I mean Kingdom" that some want to sell it as. However, I have to agree that the choice of pictures could have been handled better. Didn't really seem necessary to have both so prominent anyway, or at all. The dialogue and the music would have reminded us perfectly.

Which, by the way, is how I usually experience it. On my morning commutes I listen to full-audio rips of many films I like. I'm about a third of the way through Kingdom now and that entire scene in his home works very well as audio only. One of my very favorite Indiana Jones moments.

Regarding the passport: Not sure how often they had to be replaced in the 50s.
 
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