Flannery10
New member
We had a lot of discussion lately about the fact, that the Old Indiana Jones bookends were removed for the VHS and DVD release. Some say the original version is better, some people don't care and are happy that the series was finally released on DVD and some prefer the chronological rearrangement of the new versions. But this is not, what this thread is about. It's about the content and meaning of the bookends, most of them done by George Hall, but one by Harrison Ford and another one by Flannery. Based on the uploads of Stoo on youtube, and all the others who posted them, I will put at least 2 or 3 analysis, a wekk in this thread so we can discuss about them. And once again, please don't make this a Young Indy, canon or not thread.
Curse of the Jackal Bookends (shot with George Hall, takes place in the American Museum of Natural History in New York)
Short summary of the content:
Old Indiana Jones catches two students, who are not interested in the artifacts and try to get away from their class. Indy, shocked by their lacking interest, tells them the story of the Jackal, which he first discovered in Egypt and finally recovered from Demetrius in Mexico. Finally, he shows the kids, that the Jackal is in the museum, and they finally realize that there might be an adventure behind every one of them.
What we find out about Indiana Jones:
Those bookends go very deep into the story, and those are definetely the ones, we find out most about Indy. He finally reveals his birthdate and place and how he spend his childhood. It's also quiet interesting to see, that Old Indy refers to his father, as a smart man, several times, obviously proud to be his son, so we can assume that they started to have a better relationship after "Last Crusade". We find out more about Indys mother, her looks and character. The world lecture tour, which plays a great part in the Corey Carrier episodes and Miss Seymour, also explain where Indy got his interest for different cultures from.
Elements, that got lost in the DVD versions:
This is actually one of very few episodes, Indy does not refer to historical events very much. Sure, he meets Carter, Pancho Villa and Ned Lawrence, but he never explains what happened to them after he left them, even though he would meet Lawrence and Carter again in later episodes. In the bookends we found out where the Jackal finally ended up, of course, which just disappears after Chapter 6 in the DVD versions, never to be heard of again.
Words of Wisdom and Moral:
The purpose of the bookends was certainly to encourage people to have a bigger interest in history and like school. When Old Indy introduces Miss Seymour, he says: You think your teacher's tough? Let me tell you, she's a pussicat compared with Miss Helen Seymour. So now we can all appreciate our teachers, since she's not as bad as Miss Seymour was, even though their relationship becomes a lot deeper, during the world tour. To see Old Indy sliding down the bainster in the end, was to show, that just a simple thing, can bring back your spirit and hunger for adventure.
Now, all my analyses will be divided into those four parts, of summary, things we find out about Indy, things lost in the DVD versions and words of wisdom. If you think we should add another category, let me know. I'm looking forward to read your posts and hope we'll have a great discussion about those great pieces of Indiana Jones.
Curse of the Jackal Bookends (shot with George Hall, takes place in the American Museum of Natural History in New York)
Short summary of the content:
Old Indiana Jones catches two students, who are not interested in the artifacts and try to get away from their class. Indy, shocked by their lacking interest, tells them the story of the Jackal, which he first discovered in Egypt and finally recovered from Demetrius in Mexico. Finally, he shows the kids, that the Jackal is in the museum, and they finally realize that there might be an adventure behind every one of them.
What we find out about Indiana Jones:
Those bookends go very deep into the story, and those are definetely the ones, we find out most about Indy. He finally reveals his birthdate and place and how he spend his childhood. It's also quiet interesting to see, that Old Indy refers to his father, as a smart man, several times, obviously proud to be his son, so we can assume that they started to have a better relationship after "Last Crusade". We find out more about Indys mother, her looks and character. The world lecture tour, which plays a great part in the Corey Carrier episodes and Miss Seymour, also explain where Indy got his interest for different cultures from.
Elements, that got lost in the DVD versions:
This is actually one of very few episodes, Indy does not refer to historical events very much. Sure, he meets Carter, Pancho Villa and Ned Lawrence, but he never explains what happened to them after he left them, even though he would meet Lawrence and Carter again in later episodes. In the bookends we found out where the Jackal finally ended up, of course, which just disappears after Chapter 6 in the DVD versions, never to be heard of again.
Words of Wisdom and Moral:
The purpose of the bookends was certainly to encourage people to have a bigger interest in history and like school. When Old Indy introduces Miss Seymour, he says: You think your teacher's tough? Let me tell you, she's a pussicat compared with Miss Helen Seymour. So now we can all appreciate our teachers, since she's not as bad as Miss Seymour was, even though their relationship becomes a lot deeper, during the world tour. To see Old Indy sliding down the bainster in the end, was to show, that just a simple thing, can bring back your spirit and hunger for adventure.
Now, all my analyses will be divided into those four parts, of summary, things we find out about Indy, things lost in the DVD versions and words of wisdom. If you think we should add another category, let me know. I'm looking forward to read your posts and hope we'll have a great discussion about those great pieces of Indiana Jones.