tambourineman said:
Indy was always intended as an anti-hero, I dont know why anyone would argue differently. But its an unfair criticism to accuse CS of "moralizing revisionism" and turning Indy into a straight out hero. It was Last Crusade that did that, and (much as I love that film) it was far more moralizing than anything in CS and Indy was never more altruistic. Indy's character in CS was nothing more than an older version of the character in Last Crusade.
If Indy "wasnt Indiana Jones" in CS than he certainly wasnt in Last Crusade either.
In TLC Indy was still ambiguous. As a boy he sees Fedora taking the Cross of Coronado, then makes it his life work to take it back from Panama Hat. Yet Fedora was doing nothing different from what Indy was inspired to do by Fedora himself.
One man's museum or private collection is another's fence for stolen objects, on the subterfuge that public display is a justification for taking something that others may have better claim to.
With TLC what we do get is a personal quest rather than one initially begun for profit.
And on the subject of target audiences, ROTLA wasn't intended solely for kids. Indy was more scoundrel than plain hero, and therefore an anti-hero.
From The Story Conference Transcripts:
GEORGE LUCAS : He could have known this little girl when she was just a kid. Had an affair with her when she was eleven.
LARRY KASDAN : And he was forty-two.
GEORGE LUCAS : He hasn't seen her in twelve years. Now she's twenty-two. It's a real strange relationship.
STEVEN SPIELBERG : She had better be older than twenty-two.
GEORGE LUCAS : He's thirty-five, and he knew her ten years ago when he was twenty-five and she was only twelve. It would be amusing to make her slightly young at the time.
STEVEN SPIELBERG : And promiscuous. She came onto him.
GEORGE LUCAS : Fifteen is right on the edge. I know it's an outrageous idea, but it is interesting. Once she's sixteen or seventeen it's not interesting anymore. But if she was fifteen and he was twenty-five and they actually had an affair the last time they met. And she was madly in love with him and he...
Lucas, Spielberg and Kasdan were creating a pulp representation distilled for a varied modern audience.
In ROTLA Marion had been fifteen during her fling with Indy, and she virtually blamed him for having to take up prostitution.
In TLC Elsa was a virtual 'Vice Girl of Venice', sleeping with men to get closer to the Grail.
I don't think Lucas et al were bothered with how Indy's representation would be received in the 1980s, because rogues are fun characters. (And to iterate yet again, Lucas wasn't bothered in 1977 that Han shot Greedo first - this is constantly important to illustrate Lucas' changing mindset). Yet, with the passing of time Lucas became much more aware of the education value of film: first came the moral and historically educational tales of the
Young Indiana Jones series, and when Indy finally returned to the big screen he was set right by his son on grave robbing, and he ultimately marries to presumably put an end to his womanizing ways.
The tone of KOTCS differs from the first three movies. It's safe and bland nature strongly suggests a younger target audience.