How did Indy "ruin Marion's life"?

Raiders90

Well-known member
In their conversation in the bar, Marion says, full of pain and bitterness, "You don't know what you did to me, to my life..." Implying that whatever he did to her in 1926 not only hurt her then, but set her whole life off on a bad course, leading her to working in that dive...It makes me wonder just what he did that he ruined her life. In KOTCS, she also makes reference to Indy leaving a "trail of human wreckage." It just sounds like he destroyed her as a person....It makes me wonder.
 

Montana Smith

Active member
He broke her heart.


She wanted to break his jaw.

120.jpg



Since Indy was partly conceived as a womanizing Bond-type character, Lucas and Spielberg showed us the flipside: the trail of broken hearts!

To make matters worse she was a lot younger than him, so she could feel justified in believing that he lead her on before leaving her. He, in turn, thought he was doing the right thing by ending it.

It all worked out okay in the end.

Well, sort of okay.
 

The Drifter

New member
Marion was over-dramatic in that scene. "Ruined her life"? Yeah, he screwed her and left, but he hardly ruined her life. He didn't chain her in cold Nepal, making her cater to drunken sherpas and mountain folk. How did she get stuck in such a hovel? Most likely because she burnt her bridges with a lot of people with her self-entitled attitude (That includes her father), so who'd want to help a wench like that? Not me.
 

Montana Smith

Active member
The Drifter said:
Marion was over-dramatic in that scene. "Ruined her life"? Yeah, he screwed her and left, but he hardly ruined her life. He didn't chain her in cold Nepal, making her cater to drunken sherpas and mountain folk. How did she get stuck in such a hovel? Most likely because she burnt her bridges with a lot of people with her self-entitled attitude (That includes her father), so who'd want to help a wench like that? Not me.

Should've dumped her back at the charred hovel as soon as his government contract was complete.

Better still, should've left her in the flying wing.

Pre-conceptual euthanasia.

Mutticide.

Skullicide.



I mean, he knew what Marion was like. She obviously got worse with age. Nothing good could (or did) come of it.


If Indy'd made more of an effort to save Elsa things could've been a whole lot more fun.

Or, as a last resort, hooked up with Spalko. At least they could have shared their passion for leaving a "trail of human [and archaeological] wreckage."
 

The Drifter

New member
Montana Smith said:
Should've dumped her back at the charred hovel as soon as his government contract was complete.

Better still, should've left her in the flying wing.

Pre-conceptual euthanasia.

Mutticide.

Skullicide.



I mean, he knew what Marion was like. She obviously got worse with age. Nothing good could (or did) come of it.


If Indy'd made more of an effort to save Elsa things could've been a whole lot more fun.

Or, as a last resort, hooked up with Spalko. At least they could have shared their passion for leaving a "trail of human [and archaeological] wreckage."

Or married Willie, then Marion wouldn't have been so brash when he came for the headpiece.
 

Montana Smith

Active member
The Drifter said:
Or married Willie, then Marion wouldn't have been so brash when he came for the headpiece.

Interesting.

Imagine how that would have changed the dynamic of Raiders and Skull.

Willie would've stayed home, but allowed Shorty to go and keep an eye on Indy, so he didn't play away from home.

By 1957 Shorty would have been more Mutt than Mutt, and therefore a more credible sidekick. And no attached female interest to make the family outing so complete.
 

Brooke Logan

New member
Can we choose to believe that Marion either lied or was mistaken about Indy being Mutt's father?;)
Willie would've stayed home, but allowed Shorty to go and keep an eye on Indy, so he didn't play away from home.

By 1957 Shorty would have been more Mutt than Mutt, and therefore a more credible sidekick. And no attached female interest to make the family outing so complete.

Works for me. Although I'd like to see Willie, and if she had any children with Indy, what they were like.
 

Pale Horse

Moderator
Staff member
Wow, now there's a Reboot.

Willie's Offspring vs. Marion's Offspring vs. Short Round as a villain in

THE NEW ADVENTURES OF YOUNG INDIANA JONES

Two competing sons vie for the coveted estate and wealth of the Jones Estate while a throw away orphan does everything in his power to reclaim the 'first son' blessings of his previous 'father'. Think a classic Jacob and Essau story with a bit of Cain and Able thrown in. In fact, make the artifact the flint that spilled the first human blood on earth. Cain’s knife. Symbolism wall-ah! To that end, make Shorty the one who already knows where it is. (hints at Donovan’s duplicity). The two sons are on a quest to find it.


Why I don't make a mint in Hollywood, I have no idea.
 

JerryKing

Member
Well, to quote a certain pair of beards...

George Lucas: I was thinking that this old guy could have been the mentor. He could have known this little girl when she was just a kid. Had an affair with her when she was eleven."

Lawrence 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.


:eek:
 

Raiders90

Well-known member
JerryKing said:
Well, to quote a certain pair of beards...

George Lucas: I was thinking that this old guy could have been the mentor. He could have known this little girl when she was just a kid. Had an affair with her when she was eleven."

Lawrence 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.


:eek:

Jesus.
It would be "amusing" for a 25 year old man to have sex with a 12 year old girl, George? And Spielberg making it so that it was the 12 year old girl's fault? I think Chris Hansen better go and raid their houses.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Raiders112390 said:
How did Indy "ruin Marion's life"?
---
...It makes me wonder just what he did that he ruined her life.
Marion never used the word, 'ruin', in that scene so why "quote" & refer to it as if she did?:confused:
Raiders112390 said:
In their conversation in the bar, Marion says, full of pain and bitterness, "You don't know what you did to me, to my life..." Implying that whatever he did to her in 1926 not only hurt her then, but set her whole life off on a bad course, leading her to working in that dive...It makes me wonder just what he did that he ruined her life. In KOTCS, she also makes reference to Indy leaving a "trail of human wreckage." It just sounds like he destroyed her as a person....It makes me wonder.
Actually, her line is, "Do you know what you did to me, to my life?"

What did Indy do? Isn't it obvious? The essence was given right there during the conversation. He wasn't serious about their relationship. Like many young girls, Marion probably had visions of them eventually getting married & starting a family. Had things gone that way with Indy, she wouldn't have been dragged "all over this earth" by her father and been stuck in Nepal, after he died there. Even being the owner of a bar, she still can't make enough coin to return to the States (her dialogue confirms that).

Add to that the bit in the script (still in 2 months before filming began) which alludes to her struggling to make ends meet by being a prostitute because her penniless dad didn't leave her any money. While that part of her background isn't present in the film, the bitter sentiment is.

She experienced a miserable chain of events that, in her mind, must have been triggered by Indy's flirtatious ways and lack of commitment. Sure, she could have hooked up with someone else after he moved on but perhaps their affair led to a deep mistrust towards any further romantic involvements.

My interpretation of the "human wreckage" line is about wounded & dead bodies...not broken hearts.
Drifter said:
Marion was over-dramatic in that scene. "Ruined her life"? Yeah, he screwed her and left, but he hardly ruined her life.
Marion never used the word, 'ruined', in that scene so you needn't follow Raiders112390's example.;) Plus, we don't know for certain if Indy had intercourse with her or not. They could have just fooled around which could have been enough for a teenaged Marion to be feel jilted.
Raiders112390 said:
Jesus.
It would be "amusing" for a 25 year old man to have sex with a 12 year old girl, George?
George didn't say anything about them having sex. You're putting words in his mouth. Believe it or not, it is possible to have an "affair" and a "relationship" without sex.:rolleyes:
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Raiders112390 said:
In their conversation in the bar, Marion says, full of pain and bitterness, "You don't know what you did to me, to my life..." Implying that whatever he did to her in 1926 not only hurt her then, but set her whole life off on a bad course, leading her to working in that dive...It makes me wonder just what he did that he ruined her life. In KOTCS, she also makes reference to Indy leaving a "trail of human wreckage." It just sounds like he destroyed her as a person....It makes me wonder.
Something funny that deserves a mention:
The other time that you started a thread on this exactly-the-same subject, it was closed 55 minutes later and you were given a 7-day suspension by The Mods.

"Do you know what you did to me, to my life?"
Raiders112390 said:
Has anyone ever wondered here what that line meant? Marion says it to Indy in the bar scene.

I could see Indy breaking her heart as a teenager over their affair, but what else could he have done that was so horrible that she alludes to it ruining her life?
 

capa150

Member
Karen Allen strongly disagrees with the idea

I interviewed Karen Allen in 2017. She strongly rejects the notion that Marion was a prostitute.

?I never read that version of the script. So I never had any of that information,? Allen said.

?It would have annoyed me if I had,? she said, forcefully.

?Because, honestly we?re all tired of that [idea that] independent women have to be prostitutes. It?s a theme in films but it?s not one that I sign off on.?

She wondered who it was that came up with the idea in the first place.
 
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Major West

Member
Indeed. Marion is talking about emotions, her feelings. Love. Some people have got their mind in the gutter tbh.(n)
 
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