KotCS: Homages, Similarities, and References

Darth Vile

New member
Indy's brother said:
A perfect example of this (and to make the purpose of this thread more clear) is the original "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (1959). This film has been mined for musical inspiration for Indiana Jones, as well as content. In Raiders, the boulder gag, and the ray of light bit from the map room are both from this film.

In KOTCS, there is also a scene directly inspired by this 1959 adventure classic. At the end of both films, the adventurer and his companions escape a crumbling subterranean death trap by being expelled through a vertical cave. In "Journey", lava propels them. In "Kingdom" water propels them.

Yep - 'Journey to the Center of the Earth' was always one of my favorite movies when I was a little kid (even though it was old movie). No wonder I gravitated towards Indiana Jones when Raiders came out i.e. the Indy world looked familiar yet it seemed brand new.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Indy's Fist said:
I've often wondered why with so many of Lucas's films based on, and let's be honest, crappy B/serial movies are fans and audiences so overly critical of these movies? The cheese and camp are what make these movies fun. I mean if they were all serious then it would be Shindler's List not Indy or Star Wars.
Who knows? I put it down to ignorance. Sheer, blind, outright ignorance...:rolleyes:
Indy's brother said:
It's my understanding that as a cinephile, Spielberg would plumb the depths of long forgotten b-movies for any salvageable content. Just because an old movie as a whole sucks, that doesn't mean that there isn't a great shot or two in it. Or just because a film has been forgotten by many, that doesn't mean that it wasn't groundbreaking in it's time.

A perfect example of this (and to make the purpose of this thread more clear) is the original "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (1959). This film has been mined for musical inspiration for Indiana Jones, as well as content. In Raiders, the boulder gag, and the ray of light bit from the map room are both from this film.

In KOTCS, there is also a scene directly inspired by this 1959 adventure classic. At the end of both films, the adventurer and his companions escape a crumbling subterranean death trap by being expelled through a vertical cave. In "Journey", lava propels them. In "Kingdom" water propels them.
"Journey" is a one of my faves (I own the VHS & DVD) and agree that there are some Indy homages to it but this isn't a B-movie. (Don't know if that's what you were trying to say but it kind of read that way.) You're right about the music, though. The Bernard Herrmann score when Mt. Scartaris "shows the way" is AWESOME!:cool: I always crank the volume during that part.

The lava chimney escape in "Journey" is direct from the book but, yes, "Skull" has the same thing. (For any Jules Verne/"Journey" fans, I've been to the top of Stromboli and saw lava bursts at night. One of the coolest things I've ever seen...(y) That's where the characters from "Journey" exit!)
 

Indy's brother

New member
Stoo said:
"Journey" is a one of my faves (I own the VHS & DVD) and agree that there are some Indy homages to it but this isn't a B-movie. (Don't know if that's what you were trying to say but it kind of read that way.)

"Journey" was most definately not a B-movie. I was tried to segway into my examples from this film with this quote from my post:

Or just because a film has been forgotten by many, that doesn't mean that it wasn't groundbreaking in it's time.

I guess I could have been more clear.:eek:
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Indy's brother said:
I guess I could have been more clear.:eek:
Don't sweat it. I could have read a little better, too. Your "forgotten film" bit was noted and I should have figured that's what you meant (rather than it having "B" status). Double :eek:

What's cool is that "Skull" seems to have more homages to film history than "Crusade" does (with "Raiders" topping the list, obviously, and "Doom" 2nd). I could go on & on about this but it would be off-topic in the KOTCS section.

There's another thread similar to this that has some good references for Indy IV, too. I'll try & find it.:hat:
 

Indy's brother

New member
Just to keep some blood pumping through the veins of this thread:

brandoshia.JPG


Marlon Brando in "The Wild One"

This one's a gimme, I know, but it belongs here.
 

Raiders90

Well-known member
KOTCS' 1950s influences

It's well known that the first three films were inspired by films such as Secret of the Incas, Zorro, Republic Serials, Gunga Din, etc etc,

But what specific films could you cite as influencing KOTCS? I know the B Movie genre of the '50s in general, but what particular films?
 

Montana Smith

Active member
Raiders112390 said:
It's well known that the first three films were inspired by films such as Secret of the Incas, Zorro, Republic Serials, Gunga Din, etc etc,

But what specific films could you cite as influencing KOTCS? I know the B Movie genre of the '50s in general, but what particular films?

The 1954 Mickey Rooney film, The Atomic Kid, has been cited here before as the inspiration for the Doom Town scene.
 

Montana Smith

Active member
A lot of similarity. A credit to KOTCS that it was actually nastier than Goldfinger: in KOTCS they didn't know the enemy was coming.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Indy's brother said:
....which can be found in this thread. I feel a merge coming on.....:p
Motion seconded. With all haste! Even with an extra, newly appointed moderator strolling the halls, the floor still needs sweeping.:whip:

The final chamber with the inter-dimensional beings and the outdoor Ugha attack have a striking similarity to "Green Hell"!
 

Indy's brother

New member
Stoo said:
The final chamber with the inter-dimensional beings and the outdoor Ugha attack have a striking similarity to "Green Hell"!

I've never seen it, but this summary from IMDB tells me that it's likely no coincidence,

A group of adventurers head deep into a South American jungle in search of ancient Incan treasure. A beautiful woman, brought to their camp by hired bearers, has come to join her husband, a newer member of the group, who was recently killed by hostile natives. As the months go by, jealousies and tempers flare as fights break out over the woman. The Incan treasure is finally found but the treaure-seekers, now united by a common enemy, are about to be attacked by hundreds of fierce natives armed with bows and poisoned arrows.

any chance you can find a screenshot of this scene to put here? I'm coming up empty....

Also, while I still have time to edit this post, I'll add "The Atomic Kid" starring Mickey Rooney as a direct influence on the Doom Town sequence. There used to be a video on youtube that was referenced on these boards, but it's been deleted.
 
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Stoo

Well-known member
Indy's brother said:
any chance you can find a screenshot of this scene to put here?
I can but would rather post them in the other thread...Are all the mods sleeping on the job? Merge, damn you, MERGE!:D:whip:

Otherwise, we'll just end up repeating ourselves.

"The Naked Jungle". Multitudes of ants.
 

Montana Smith

Active member
Stoo said:
Motion seconded. With all haste! Even with an extra, newly appointed moderator strolling the halls, the floor still needs sweeping.:whip:

Stoo said:
Are all the mods sleeping on the job? Merge, damn you, MERGE!

If only you had some sweeping powers, Stoo, as 'Keeper of the Threads'. :gun:

We're going to hell in a handbasket, and all for the want of a broom! ;)
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Montana Smith said:
If only you had some sweeping powers, Stoo, as 'Keeper of the Threads'.:gun:

We're going to hell in a handbasket, and all for the want of a broom! ;)
The request for applications has been terminated. It is finnished.
Indy's brother said:
Keep your pants on, guys, it's only been a little over 2 hours since this thread was created for chrissakes. :rolleyes:
Well, within the last hour SOMEONE (for some ridiculous reason) changed the title of the OTHER thread! Its previous title was almost identical to this one. How 'bout them apples?:rolleyes:

Here we go with repeating ourselves...

"Journey to the Center of the Earth". Escape by underneath pressure in a cylindrical hole of rock.
 
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