Hi all, my name is James Wortman and I'm a reporter with POZ Magazine, an HIV/AIDS journal. To commemorate the release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, we're going to be running a short piece in our May issue on Denholm Elliott. As you may or may not know, Denholm's life was cut tragically short when he died due to AIDS-related illness not long after the release of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
To remind readers of his crucial role in the Indiana Jones series as Marcus Brody—particularly in Last Crusade—we were hoping to get some fan responses to Elliott's role in the series. What did his performance mean to you? What do you think he added to the series? What is your favorite Marcus Brody memory? Will his presence be missed in KotCS?
If you're interested in participating in this story, feel free to send me an email with "Denholm Elliott" as the subject line and a brief response to one of the above questions to JamesW@poz.com, or feel free to post it here. This will be a short piece, but a voice from the Net's foremost Indiana Jones fan community would be a great addition to the article.
Denholm Elliot will be missed during the next adventure. He was a crucial character in the Jones series, the glue that held Indy and his father together through their turbulent years apart. A brilliant performer with a sutle wit and comforting presence, Mr. Elliot will live on in the hearts of Indy fans forever.
Denholm was one of our finest character actors who could play straight, comedy, any darn thing he wanted to. I particularly liked him in Alfie (1966) in which he played a seedy abortion monger. His butler in Trading Places was also another great piece for him. He has left a great hole in the British acting profession. On the bright side, at least he'll be making a cameo of sorts in Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull - even if it is just a painting.
As a British viewer what I liked was that his portrayal wasn't parody - he played a Prof who was English, but didn't overplay the part at all (well, maybe a bit in Last Crusade)
Denholm Elliot played my favorite character in the Indy series.I thought he brought a funloving feeling to any moment he appeared on the screen,when you saw his face you just knew that he was there to brighten you up.He always had something funny or ridiculous to say...ahh Marcus your the best!
Denholm Elliot was a brilliant actor who played Marcus just right. I like the fact in Raiders that he payed Marcus as a lighthearted man who believes there is miracles and powers beyond the living and tries to warn Indy who brushes them as stating them as nothing but fairy tales. Even though his role was brief being sandwitched in the beginning and in the end it had momentum and brought the tone of what to expect in the future of the film as Harrison does in the beginning. In Last Crusade Denholm seem to bring Stan Laurel into the persona of Marcus Brody which I quite enjoyed as it showed he is a slightly incompetent professor but fortunately there is still some of the Marcus in Raiders in him as he warns Donovan that he is meddling in powers more greater than he can imagine which was great to hear. All in all he was the professor Calculus (from Tintin) of the series in which I will miss deeply in Indy IV he was one of my favorites.
Denholm Elliott's Marcus Brody was the real human in Indiana Jones. And - it really goes without saying - a fantastic actor. I still remember his portrayal as Nicole Kidman's pained father in Bangkok Hilton.
Even if he gets his tribute in KotCS and there's a another great actor taking over in a similar role - I'm wouldn't be surprised if I'll drop a tear or two in the theater -- for the guy who's so obviously and truly lost.
Denholm played Marcus as an unforgetable character. He was just so clumsy and funny, but also a kind of a father-role and Indys best friend besides Sallah, I think.
Thanks for reaching out to Indyfans regarding the late Denholm Elliott.
I think Elliott's appeal was that he had every bit the charm and grace of his fellow esteemed English actors, but also possessed a mildly eccentric, humorous, and endearingly daffy quality that was very much his own. He had a gravitas worthy of a prince or king in a Shakespearean drama, and the bumbling humor for a contemporary comedy. Though his role as Marcus Brody in the Indiana Jones films was relatively minor, Elliott made his mark within them.
I don't know if you would be interested in this, but I recently wrote a tribute to the late Richard Amsel, the artist who created two posters for RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. He, too, died of AIDS in November of 1985. You can read it here: http://adammcdaniel.com/RichardAmsel.htm
