Volume Three, The Years of Change

tupogirl

New member
Phantom train, I concur with all your points! I had seen Transylvania a few times before on VHS, but was surprised to see it again on History Channel and the GORE! My kids were in and out of the room too, so I hope they're not traumatized!:confused:
 

Stoo

Well-known member
phantom train said:
* The second half of "Masks of Evil" (Transylvania 1918) really blew me away -I had never seen this before, since this episode had never been broadcast in the U.S. This episode was a lot gorier than would have been allowed on network U.S. TV in the '90's, so I can see why it was never shown here.
The entire blood-letting scene in the tower is not shown in the TV version.
Torgo, draws the curtain closed > commercial > curtain opens and he licks his lips.
The only signs of blood are the stains on the curtain. Despite this, it was still too
violent to be shown in the U.K.!

Hard to believe that's Bob Peck (game keeper in "Jurassic Park") as Torgo.
Great performance! I love the noises he's making when walking onto the bridge.

Enjoying your reviews, phatom train. Keep 'em up!
 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
AICN's take is brutal.
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/36557
Well, guess what? Both “Mystery of the Blues” and “Masks of Evil” are crashing bores.
The Ford segments are embarrassing, which could explain why the press release below makes no mention of the actor. I found the rest of “Mystery of the Blues,” packed silly with jazz numbers, dullsville, man.
It’s absurd how easily Indy’s crew manages to outwit Dracula, and one wonders how the bloodsucker managed to last four months against his countless enemies, let alone 400 years.
It bears noting that series writer Frank Darabont, who went on to mastermind such projects as “The Shawshank Redeption,” “The Green Mile” and “The Mist,” does not contribute to this third and final volume. Jule Selbo, who went to write “Models Inc.” and “Melrose Place,” contributed heavily to these final seven “movies.” So did Jonathan Hales, who would go on to co-write “Attack of the Clones.”
I remain vexed by how much more boring Indy is in his youth. The series is bathed in a sense that big-deal filmmaker Lucas looked upon that era of television with little more than condescension. I could see him stumbling across “Murder She Wrote” and “Knots Landing” and thinking, “How could I not make something better than this?” Unfortunately, he probably wasn’t stumbling across better shows like “Northern Exposure,” “Picket Fences” and “The Simpsons.” Fans moan about how the “Star Wars” prequels soured childhood memories, but I think an argument could be made that the TV version of Indiana Jones was an enterprise rather more injurious to its franchise. Let’s hope Lucas does a better job with his two fast-approaching “Star Wars” series.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Moedred said:
AICN's take is brutal.
AICN=:sick:

The 2nd half of "Masks of Evil" is a standout chapter and an improvement over
"Transylvania, January 1918" (cool enough as it is in its TV-censored format).
Judging by many voices on this forum, "Masks" seems to be one of the most
highly anticiptated/enjoyed stories of the series.

So, how slim or fat is the box for Volume 3? Is it the same as Volume 2?
I absolutely love the fact that the packaging makes them look like the diary.
Mine are stored with the pages facing out (instead of the spine).

In the documentaries, is there any coverage on the Italians in WW1?
 
It really is too bad this show never continued into a 3rd season. It sounds like that could have been the best episodes of the Chronicles. I really like the fact that they were setting up to Indy's early archeology adventures pre-Raiders with the introduction of Belloq. I think the 3rd season would have been closer to the movies and would have pleased fans of the films. Unfortunately, most never made it past the first few episodes with the kid. I have to admit, when I try to watch season 1 I always fall asleep. The War Years are the best episodes of the show but Years of Change puts me to sleep again. Mystery of the Blues is really dull and the bookended Harrison Ford scenes just look tacked on like the network had demanded that Lucas put Harrison in there somewhere to boost ratings. But man, after reading the plot synopsis for the third season stories I think of the potential of what could have been was exciting. Again, if Lucas had skipped the juvenile years with Star Wars and Indy and started at a more interesting point in their lives both could have been great.
 

Crack that whip

New member
Honestly, I loved "Mystery of the Blues," and not just because of the Ford bookends (I want to view and own copies of it with the Hall bookends as well). AICN is full of s***.
 

The Tingler

New member
Volume 3 is worth is for Masks of Evil and definitely Treasure of the Peacock's Eye, which is the closest episode to the films. Germans searching for a mythical treasure! Indy racing them to get there! Ancient traps and tomb-robbing! That's more like it.

It is just a shame that Lucas insisted on the series being more educational and less Indiana Jones. The really young Indy ones are mostly atrocious, with the only good one being the first - Curse of the Jackal (first half of My First Adventure).

However, if you're going to get one box, get Vol 2. All good episodes, some great, none painfully dull. Only a couple are Indyish though.
 

Crack that whip

New member
"Atrocious"? Oh hardly. Please! They're solid drama, with a wonderfully realistic look at how the more fanciful adult character we see in the movies might have come to be; that they serve a double purpose as educational historical drama is just icing on the cake (even if that was the impetus of the whole project).

The only "problem" with them is that they're undeniably so different in tone from the feature films, but I don't see that as a problem at all. Personally, I think it enhances the believability and richness of the films; the show and the movies complement one another beautifully.

Just my opinion, of course...:whip:
 

Adamwankenobi

New member
Agent Spalko said:
It really is too bad this show never continued into a 3rd season. It sounds like that could have been the best episodes of the Chronicles.

I'm sure they would have been great episodes just like the first two seasons, but I don't understand how a few Raidersreferences/over-the-top adventure elements would have made them overall better episodes. :rolleyes:

Agent Spalko said:
I have to admit, when I try to watch season 1 I always fall asleep. The War Years are the best episodes of the show but Years of Change puts me to sleep again.

The series was created and aired out of chronological order, hence Season 1 was a mixture of "young" and "old" young Indy episodes. Since the DVD sets present them in (mostly) chronological order, Corey Carrier's episodes come first.

Agent Spalko said:
Mystery of the Blues is really dull and the bookended Harrison Ford scenes just look tacked on like the network had demanded that Lucas put Harrison in there somewhere to boost ratings.

Correct. The Harrison Ford bookends were thrown together at the last moment, and took the place of already shot bookends with George Hall.

The Tingler said:
It is just a shame that Lucas insisted on the series being more educational and less Indiana Jones.

I think what you mean to say is that you would have prefered the series to be more action-oriented.

Crack that whip said:
"Atrocious"? Oh hardly. Please! They're solid drama, with a wonderfully realistic look at how the more fanciful adult character we see in the movies might have come to be; that they serve a double purpose as educational historical drama is just icing on the cake (even if that was the impetus of the whole project).

The only "problem" with them is that they're undeniably so different in tone from the feature films, but I don't see that as a problem at all. Personally, I think it enhances the believability and richness of the films; the show and the movies complement one another beautifully.

Just my opinion, of course...:whip:

Exactly. (y) :hat:
 
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Adamwankenobi said:
I'm sure they would have been great episodes just like the first two seasons, but I don't understand how a few Raidersreferences/over-the-top adventure elements would have made them overall better episodes. :rolleyes:

Easy... Indy and Belloq looking for lost treasure, Belloq stealing it. It's the prequel to Raiders and establishes the back story of Indy's early archeological years. It would have shown Indy being an archeologist, not wandering around Europe as a spy, falling in love in Paris or learning to play jazz and putting me to sleep. And you're right, I want more adventure with my Indiana Jones. If I wanted a history lesson I'd watch the Discovery channel.
 

Adamwankenobi

New member
Agent Spalko said:
And you're right, I want more adventure with my Indiana Jones. If I wanted a history lesson I'd watch the Discovery channel.

But see, part of my point is that you (along with many others) were expecting this series to be something it was never intended to be. The idea of the series was to get people interested in history through the Indiana Jones character, with a little adventure elements thrown in every now and then. In other words, you can't shake an apple tree and expect oranges to fall.
 
Says who? Lucas? Bah! Audiences wanted to see the early years of Young Indiana Jones the archeologist as a student of Abner Ravenwood and the relationships with Marion. There's so much that could have been explored and could have kept with the adventurous spirit of the films instead of Indy coincidentally meeting every famous historical person early from early 20th century.
 

Adamwankenobi

New member
To quote Lucas:

"If this wasn't called 'Indiana Jones,' it wouldn't have been made. I told the network this is not going to be like the movies, that this is not an action-adventure film, but a coming-of-age film. It deals with issues and ideas. It's not a high-tech adventure thing. So far everything has gone well, but when the scripts came in they got a little nervous. It was the other shoe dropping. It's like: 'Where's all the action? Where's the jeopardy? Where's the bad guys?' Well, it's basically Tom Sawyer. It may not be as exciting as the Indiana Jones that we think of, but it's much more emotionally powerful."
 

Crack that whip

New member
Agent Spalko said:
Says who? Lucas? Bah! Audiences wanted to see the early years of Young Indiana Jones the archeologist as a student of Abner Ravenwood and the relationships with Marion. There's so much that could have been explored and could have kept with the adventurous spirit of the films instead of Indy coincidentally meeting every famous historical person early from early 20th century.


Sure, but the adventures we see in the show are what led to his being the adventurer we see in the movie. Nobody like Indiana Jones, with all his skills and knowledge and traits and quirks and passions, would just magically come into being out of nowhere, springing fully-formed from the forehead of Henry Sr.; a person grows, changes, experiences, and learns his/her way into the person he or she is later in life.

The show shows how and why Indy became so adept at languages, how global travel became second nature to him, how he and his father developed the decades-long rift between them, how he developed his odd mix of idealism / nobility and cynicism / world-weariness, how he became a sort of ladies' man, how he developed his acumen for outdoorsiness and survival skills... all things that are present in the movies, but explained only in the show.

An Indy that had constantly had fantastic, Saturday matinee serial-type adventures (with the supernatural as often as not) every day of his life since he was in kindergarten would be too great a stretch in believability; it's also difficult to conceive how such a person would ever have developed enough of a passion for an intellectual pursuit like archaeology to have made a career of it, and Indy's motivations and passions wouldn't be there. The show we did get, on the other hand, lays out the foundation the character needs to be able to be what he is and do what he does in the movies.
 

The Tingler

New member
Adamwankenobi said:
I think what you mean to say is that you would have preferred the series to be more action-oriented.

Correct. I think a bit more excitement and a bit less philosophy lecture would've gone a long way.

While I'm not quite at Aintitcool's or Agent Spalko's level of distaste I get their general point. Call something 'Indiana Jones' and that sets an image in people's minds of excitement, adventure and really wild things (like Zaphod Beeblebrox).

Corey Carrier's episodes didn't have to be dull - Curse of the Jackal was a nice mystery with a historical bent, Travels With Father had quite a nice feel to it as the episode focused on the two characters I actually liked. Corey episodes mostly however dipped too far into travelogue and lecture territory.

Sean Patrick Flanery's however mostly got it right, with The War Years being educational and exciting, or at least good to watch. Oganga: The Giver and Taker of Life for example doesn't have that much excitement in it but is just a really well told and acted emotion-driven story. I don't mind learning about history or other countries, but what I really want is a good story that is good to watch. I don't think Corey Carrier's accomplished that for the most part.

I won't comment too much on Volume 3's episodes because I haven't re-watched them yet. I didn't like Mystery of the Blues when I saw it on video, but maybe my opinion will change...
 

Adamwankenobi

New member
The Tingler said:
Call something 'Indiana Jones' and that sets an image in people's minds of excitement, adventure and really wild things (like Zaphod Beeblebrox).

And I think that's the main part of the problem. One of things Lucas was trying to do with this series originally was basically show that there is so much more to Indiana Jones than he had led audiences to believe over the (then) last 11 years. Indy is such a unique character who, by the time of the films, has "seen everything".

I disagree with you about the Corey Carrier episodes. I enjoy philosophy and was very pleased to see that the character and franchise had been taken in the direction. It just brings so much more to the table. The series complements the films, and vice versa.
 
But did we really need to see that? Did we really need to see Anakin Skywalker as a spoiled slave brat pod racing on Tatooine either? No. Lucas could have started the Prequels with Episode II with Anakin already established as a Jedi and it would have been a lot more interesting. You don't need to give us his whole life story from the moment of birth. That's a lot of dull and extraneously unnecessary exposition that puts audiences to sleep. I'd say you could have started the first year of Young Indy during the War Years and started the second season with the early adventures of Indy the archeologist. Those are the most interesting and entertaining. The rest is just exposition that can be implied, or inferred. Leave something for the imagination. We don't need to know EVERYTHING about the Man With The Hat's past. Leave some mystery to his character. The last thing I want to be thinking about when we meet him in Raiders is that time he spent as a boy in Africa learning how to fire a gun with Teddy Roosevelt. Now when he shoots the Cairo Swordsman I'm thinking about that instead of just how badass Indy was in that scene.
 

IndyJr.

New member
I'm having a real difficult time finding this set in stores. Everywhere I go they're saying they've removed it from their shelves because it's way to expensive, therefore nobodies buying it...

I say someone lowers the prices on these things! I mean, come on!
 
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