Snake statue in Temple of Doom

The Magic Rat

New member
Okay, I can't really find information on this and it's driving me nuts. Watch very closely when Indy goes to steal the stones from the alter. He politely tips his hat to the snake statue and walks away.

The snake turns ever so slightly while an ominous tone plays.

I have no idea why. There are only a few possible explanations I can imaigne. Perhaps it's some sort of mystical element? Or are the Thugees are spying through the snake? It would explain why they know Indy, Willie, and Short Round are there.

Is there an explanation I'm missing?
 

Benraianajones

New member
You are right. Just as he walks off it turns around. oddly never noticed before!

I always assumed the Thugees knew Willie and Shorty were there due to the fact she screamed loud during the cereamony.
 

QBComics

Active member
Yep. There was a thread about this ages ago. Plenty of good explanations.

I always thought of it as a trap. Because no less than a minute later, they're all caught.
 

nitzsche

New member
I think it was supposed to be a gag.

In a cut scene, when Indy first approaches the giant skull to get the stones, he is worried about the cobra and waves his hand in front of it to see if it was alive. It doesn't move.

Then when he grabs the stones, tips his hat to the snake and turns, the cobra actually does tilt to the camera suggesting it was actually alive.
 

StoneTriple

New member
nitzsche said:
I think it was supposed to be a gag.

I'm with Nitzsche on this one. I always thought it was just Spielberg & Lucas having a little fun with the audience. I never gave it any thought about possibly being story connected.
 

The Magic Rat

New member
StoneTriple said:
I'm with Nitzsche on this one. I always thought it was just Spielberg & Lucas having a little fun with the audience. I never gave it any thought about possibly being story connected.


Seems like a waste if that's so.
 
H

Henry-Defance

Guest
I always assumed he was just referencing his fear. Sort of like saying OMG a snake, oh wait its a statue. Boo on you snake, I've got the stones and I'm out.
 
I always thought it was similar to the weighted pillar that the Chachapoyan Idol rested on, but a bit more sophisticated. If the Stones were removed it triggered a mechanism and the snake was possibly the handle or on/off switch. Otherwise some rube-goldberg device alerted the faithful.

Wishful thinking but they planned on a rube-goldberg type gag on board Lao Che's Chicken Plane...

Maybe Indy and Co could have avoided detection if only he wasn't affraid to TOUCH THE SNAKE!
:dead:
 
amazing how the human eye can watch something hundreds of times and still miss obvious details,maybe its not the eye but more the mind. Its so old school when the snake turns its head, something right out of a 30's b movie,I cant believe I had never seen tha,t now its one of my favorite scenes in Doom... from the whip swing right up until the snake turns.:D
 
nitzsche said:
Cool! This I have never heard. More info?

There was a whole egg rolling, falling, etc which ends with Indy seemingly asleep, Fedora pulled over his face, putting out his hand and catching it in mid drop.:dead:
 

The Drifter

New member
I noticed this about a year ago.
I think the snake itself don't move. I think the camera just barely moves like an inch, and it gives the effect of the snake moving.
 

DoomTown

Member
Rocket Surgeon said:
There was a whole egg rolling, falling, etc which ends with Indy seemingly asleep, Fedora pulled over his face, putting out his hand and catching it in mid drop.:dead:


I remember reading about this...it happens on Lao Che's plane, right???
 
KVoss said:
I remember reading about this...it happens on Lao Che's plane, right???

yeah, I have a drawing of the whole contraption...it's probably in The Complete Making of.

Hey if you had a German language version you would probably have a lot of fun getting your class to translate it for you or any other Indy book for that matter. You know, copy some pages hand out different ones. Tell me THAT wouldn't be a good time, listening to german accents reading you The Complete Making of in class!

If you ever do that you have to video it and post it on youtube!

:dead:
 

The Drifter

New member
Yes, the blueprint to the contraption is in the Complete Making Of book.
Hmmmm, I may seriously try to build that this summer.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Yes, the egg scene! A vague, yet familiar, memory for me but...

There is a very good 2-3 year old thread somewhere on here about the egg-catch but I've been searching and can't find it. (The word "egg" is too short which makes the hunt difficult.) I remember VP as a particpant so maybe he knows where it is? It would be a worthy thread to resurrect.

Re: the moving snake:
This is one of the fun things about owning widescreen versions of the films. One can notice small details that were not caught in the theatre or were able to see on the early, cropped VHS releases.
 
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