Harrison Ford likes Crystal Skull so much he prefers not to tell anyone

You're not alone, Stranger. I also thought of these quotes as the most interesting aspects of the mtv-interview. And as we seem to talk about every tiny piece that concerns this film I thought I might just as well finally give this S C A N D A L!!!! OMFG!!! the room it deserves.


To be fair Ford also says:

MTV: But then you actually had to deliver a product that people would enjoy.

Ford: I felt mostly confident about that.

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But then there's that:

MTV: There were a number of potential plotlines and scripts considered for this film over the years. Was this your favorite?

Ford: This was the final incarnation. I came to agree to it.

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And I thought they wouldn't do the film unless they were very happy with the material...

MTV: A few months later, can you be objective about the film now?

Ford: I have two heads. I can go inside or outside the film. I think that's important for me to see it in an external way.

MTV: Does that external head think this one stands up to the other three films?

Ford: That external head has no mouth. That external head is smart enough to keep his goddamn mouth shut. [Laughs.]

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Ok, so he isn't really in love with this movie. Who cares. Spielberg, to this day, is unable to appreciate the value of Temple Of Doom.

The point is, though, that it was kind of the deal that Spielberg, Lucas and Ford would only do this film if they were in fact happy with the material. At least that's what they stated in hundreds of interviews during the long years of development. It was their excuse, if they appeared in a 2004 talkshow promoting a random film that, in 2001 they said would be the new Indiana Jones movie. "We're waiting for a story that pleases all of us."


One of my thoughts is that in the end Ford's eagerness to put on the hat one more time succeeded over the further meditation on the script's quality after decades of development hell. And in the end he just went with -indeed- "let's shoot this piece of ****"...

http://www.lucasfilm.com/press/news/news20070102.html

Spielberg states "George, Harrison and I are all very excited. We feel that the script was well worth the wait. We hope it delivers everything you'd expect from our history with Indiana Jones."

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And yet Mr. Stevie recently revealed he still couldn't give a toss about the script's alien angle.

The money is made. They don't need to pretend anymore...

I think you all are misinterpreting Harrison's statements.

I doubt he thinks it's crap, but I'm sure he believes Raiders and Last Crusade to be better films. I mean, really, do you think he prefers Hollywood Homicide or Firewall to KOTCS? KOTCS is a decent film. Everyone involved (except for Shia) is old now. The Indy & Marion relationship felt old. They can make 10 more Indy films and they'll never be able to replicate Raiders! Their age has an effect on their perspective of the film. Ultimately, it comes down to it being a business and films are made for money first and art second (if ever at all). Indy was never art, it was just fun!

Everyone has their own opinions and things they like. Personally I like KOTCS. Some do not, fine. Some prefer TOD over Raiders or Last Crusade too and perhaps Harrison is one of those people. I'm sure he has a preference. Doesn't mean he hates any of them though. I think he was just being careful since the haters are being very shallow and pathetic with their disdain (see the South Park episode).

I do like the idea of Tina Fey being a female sidekick. It'd be original and she'd bring a smarter style of comedy as opposed to slapstick and kids.

What a new film needs to feel fresh is new characters and new attitudes. Marion was a retread (nice, but a little too old). Charles Stanforth was basically a copy of Marcus. John Hurt really didn't add anything and Spalko was like Toht and the Nazi bad guy from LC. I like Mutt, but once is enough. Everything was new, but still the same. What they need is an entirely new set of characters with new motivations (other than Indy). No more cameos by old characters or old macguffins. It also need more violence. I do not wish to promote violence, but Indy needs to get a little bloody so the audience feels he's in danger (since we know from the get go that he always wins).

As much as we would all love to hear Ford say something that coincides with our individual views on KOTCS, this quote of his is perfectly vague. Rather than project my own opinion onto Mr. Ford, or put words in his mouth, I am just going to assume the best--that he realizes the polarizing effect this film had on the fan base and chose not to take sides.

And Sandiegojones, you're right about Raiders. Raiders was, if not an origin story per se, it was the introduction of the Indiana Jones character. That magical facet of the series is gone for good, and that type of lightning can't strike twice. Luckily they got it right.

The Man said:

And yet Mr. Stevie recently revealed he still couldn't give a toss about the script's alien angle.

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Yeah, that little bit that Spielberg let slip in the special features of the dvd where he recalls his conversation with Lucas regarding the "Interdimensional Beings" was far more telling than Ford's rather cryptic comments. In fact, I was immediately surprised that Spielberg's little anti-alien rant made it to the dvd!

Indy's brother said:

Yeah, that little bit that Spielberg let slip in the special features of the dvd where he recalls his conversation with Lucas regarding the "Interdimensional Beings" was far more telling than Ford's rather cryptic comments. In fact, I was immediately surprised that Spielberg's little anti-alien rant made it to the dvd!

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What part of the special features is that?

Raiders112390 said:

What part of the special features is that?

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I think it was the first document on disk 2... Although it may have been one of the documents on the main feature disk as well. I was also a bit surprised by the comment being included - being as it were that most of the rest of the documents really give the feeling that they thought that they were working on a great movie...

torao said:

One of my thoughts is that in the end Ford's eagerness to put on the hat one more time succeeded over the further meditation on the script's quality after decades of development hell. And in the end he just went with -indeed- "let's shoot this piece of ****"...

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Eh, not necessarily. I can see the plausibility behind this, and indeed I immediately considered it when I read the interview myself, but I have to point out there are more than two possible positions here ("let's shoot this piece of ****" and "we're making a masterpiece"); there are all sorts of possible degrees of "it's not quite a masterpiece, but it should do fine." It's also conceivable his opinion changed at some point in the more than a year between when he agreed to the script and when MTV asked him about the finished, months-in-release movie.

That's emphatically not to suggest I think Harrison really does or did regard the script / movie highly; I just think we can't be sure, given those answers.

Indy's brother said:

Yeah, that little bit that Spielberg let slip in the special features of the dvd where he recalls his conversation with Lucas regarding the "Interdimensional Beings" was far more telling than Ford's rather cryptic comments. In fact, I was immediately surprised that Spielberg's little anti-alien rant made it to the dvd!

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Yeah, but he voiced his opposition to aliens not because he didn't like it for Indy per se, but that he had done it before with Close Encounters and ET (and also later War of the Worlds) and that Indy plot was an "invasion" story and ID4 had just been released (at the time that script was pitched). They ALL agreed on KOTCS. We know they came to a mutual decision otherwise it would not have taken 19 years to make.

Face it: the main reason Ford agreed to make Skull was to please his future father-in-law...


"F*ckin' genetics..."

Crack that whip said:

Eh, not necessarily. I can see the plausibility behind this, and indeed I immediately considered it when I read the interview myself, but I have to point out there are more than two possible positions here ("let's shoot this piece of ****" and "we're making a masterpiece"); there are all sorts of possible degrees of "it's not quite a masterpiece, but it should do fine." It's also conceivable his opinion changed at some point in the more than a year between when he agreed to the script and when MTV asked him about the finished, months-in-release movie.

That's emphatically not to suggest I think Harrison really does or did regard the script / movie highly; I just think we can't be sure, given those answers.

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Yeah...absolutely. I just put it a bit harshly and used the term "let's shoot this piece of ****" because Labeouf mentioned in some interview that Ford used this phrase to kinda lift off the pressure from their shoulders. You're absolutely right.

same ole, same ole.

He's never exactly the most enthusiastic or transparent chap in interviews- you can put whatever slant you want on his words but I don't think you'll be able to make him say that he thinks this film was bad (and he didn't like the gophers).

He said in a previous interview he thought they'd made a ''dynamite picture'', and with a worldwide box office of 800 million, that speaks for itself.

If I recall correctly, and I could be totally wrong about this, Harrison said that he had only seen Star Wars once. I've heard him say that he doesn't like watching himself in movies. So for him, the process of making the movie is most enjoyable, and he's said the reason he likes making the Indy movies is because "they're so much damn fun".

I say let's get one more out of the old man. Promote Indy 5 as one last adventure and really make the movie feel like it's a sendoff. Pull out all the stops. Indy, and the fans, deserve it.

Dewy9 said:

If I recall correctly, and I could be totally wrong about this, Harrison said that he had only seen Star Wars once. I've heard him say that he doesn't like watching himself in movies. So for him, the process of making the movie is most enjoyable, and he's said the reason he likes making the Indy movies is because "they're so much damn fun".

I say let's get one more out of the old man. Promote Indy 5 as one last adventure and really make the movie feel like it's a sendoff. Pull out all the stops. Indy, and the fans, deserve it.

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I agree, except I think they should do it up to six, so we at least have a modern trilogy and a classic one so everybody can appreciate! Kinda like Star Wars, but better lol!

Oh, and George Lucas needs to speed up on "Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings" game, he's already completed the story since 2005, finish the game dammit!

Oh well, till then I guess I have the indycast to keep me sane

Ford appeared on a UK film awards programme a couple of months ago, to accept a prize for KOTCS, and said that he thought it "a rattling good yarn".

He has also said in the past that the film only needed to compete with itself, not with the other three.

I'm sure he's happy enough. Films aren't as good as they were 20 years ago, so Indy 4 was never likely to be up with the first three.

sandiegojones said:

Some prefer TOD over Raiders or Last Crusade too and perhaps Harrison is one of those people.

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i doubt ToD is his favourite seeing as he practically broke his back while shooting and then had surgery and months of rehab after.

muttjones said:

i doubt ToD is his favourite seeing as he practically broke his back while shooting and then had surgery and months of rehab after.

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That wasn't my point and what happened during filming has no bearing on ones opinion of the finished product. Harrison busted his knee filming Raiders during the German Mechanic fight. I guess he hates that movie!

sandiegojones said:

That wasn't my point and what happened during filming has no bearing on ones opinion of the finished product. Harrison busted his knee filming Raiders during the German Mechanic fight. I guess he hates that movie!

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i was kidding