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How do we know history happened if we aren’t there to see it? - Henry Jones Jr
The answer of course is through the artefacts, through what remains. Indy sees his role as an archaeologist as a protector of artefacts so they may teach and nurture remembrance.
‘We were trying to save history!’ - Basil Shaw
The series has used history to reflect Indy’s character before, but it feels even more prominent in Dial where it heavily charts his journey from a young man committed to preserving the remnants of the past, to feeling as an older man like he is one figuratively, to getting to almost fulfil it literally by remaining in 214BC.
With this commitment to preserving artefacts also comes obsession. We’ve seen it from Indy’s own obsession in his pursuit of the Cross of Coronado, Abner’s off-screen pursuit of the Ark, Henry Jones Sr with the Holy Grail, Harold Oxley with the Crystal Skulls and Basil Shaw with the Antikythera mechanism. The series has always contrasted our protagonist’s pursuit with the villains which are always for bad, selfish ends, not for teaching.
I think it’s fitting for a movie that out of the five is most interested in Indy’s state of mind and exposing his soul that there are two interventions. The first is Indy’s intervention of Basil when he is gripped in the obsession over the Dial. It’s not a successful one as he lies to Basil and I’m assuming doesn’t return his promise of contacting Helena once he lands back in the states. So he takes the artefact and runs. Sound familiar? Only Basil continued to obsess until his death. Another person in his life he didn’t stick around for. It’s no surprise that when asked what he would do with the dial it’s to dissuade his son Mutt from enlisting. It’s understandable but his mind is so caught up in the past, thinking of things he should have said, rather than focusing on what he could be doing in the present. The second is Helena’s intervention of Indy, which is far more successful, even if it requires socking him unconscious. But she more than makes up for it afterwards by sticking around and reuniting him with Marion.
The only way out of obsession it seems is to form strong personal relationships. Something the series has demonstrated before.
In a nice little echo we get two instances where friends of Indy care enough about him that they carry his bag of belongings (fedora, whip, jacket). First is Basil who is caught with the bag and is brought with him aboard the Nazi train, allowing Indy to later change into his familiar iconic look. Later, Sallah makes the effort off-screen to go to Indy’s apartment and retrieve his same bag of belongings. He gives them to Indy at the airport. While Indy’s first words in Dial are, “I like to be alone,” the movies keep coming back to the important role his friends and family play in his life, both big and small.
But it isn’t just through Indiana Jones and Basil that we see the importance of history. In his brief couple of scenes, another echo of sorts, Sallah is first shown asking his grandchildren what year the Suez Crisis was. It’s a nice way to fill us in on some backstory, but it also works thematically. For later we see Sallah and his grandchildren again, after Indy reunites with Marion, he’s recounting the adventures of Indy and Marion to them, showing us the importance he also puts on keeping personal history alive. I like that these two scenes connect in that way. His grandchildren and perhaps Teddy too, will continue their love of history after they’re gone.
George Lucas’ philosophy behind the making of the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles was that history is really about people, more than it is about events. And Dial of Destiny continues that tradition.
The answer of course is through the artefacts, through what remains. Indy sees his role as an archaeologist as a protector of artefacts so they may teach and nurture remembrance.
‘We were trying to save history!’ - Basil Shaw
The series has used history to reflect Indy’s character before, but it feels even more prominent in Dial where it heavily charts his journey from a young man committed to preserving the remnants of the past, to feeling as an older man like he is one figuratively, to getting to almost fulfil it literally by remaining in 214BC.
With this commitment to preserving artefacts also comes obsession. We’ve seen it from Indy’s own obsession in his pursuit of the Cross of Coronado, Abner’s off-screen pursuit of the Ark, Henry Jones Sr with the Holy Grail, Harold Oxley with the Crystal Skulls and Basil Shaw with the Antikythera mechanism. The series has always contrasted our protagonist’s pursuit with the villains which are always for bad, selfish ends, not for teaching.
I think it’s fitting for a movie that out of the five is most interested in Indy’s state of mind and exposing his soul that there are two interventions. The first is Indy’s intervention of Basil when he is gripped in the obsession over the Dial. It’s not a successful one as he lies to Basil and I’m assuming doesn’t return his promise of contacting Helena once he lands back in the states. So he takes the artefact and runs. Sound familiar? Only Basil continued to obsess until his death. Another person in his life he didn’t stick around for. It’s no surprise that when asked what he would do with the dial it’s to dissuade his son Mutt from enlisting. It’s understandable but his mind is so caught up in the past, thinking of things he should have said, rather than focusing on what he could be doing in the present. The second is Helena’s intervention of Indy, which is far more successful, even if it requires socking him unconscious. But she more than makes up for it afterwards by sticking around and reuniting him with Marion.
The only way out of obsession it seems is to form strong personal relationships. Something the series has demonstrated before.
In a nice little echo we get two instances where friends of Indy care enough about him that they carry his bag of belongings (fedora, whip, jacket). First is Basil who is caught with the bag and is brought with him aboard the Nazi train, allowing Indy to later change into his familiar iconic look. Later, Sallah makes the effort off-screen to go to Indy’s apartment and retrieve his same bag of belongings. He gives them to Indy at the airport. While Indy’s first words in Dial are, “I like to be alone,” the movies keep coming back to the important role his friends and family play in his life, both big and small.
But it isn’t just through Indiana Jones and Basil that we see the importance of history. In his brief couple of scenes, another echo of sorts, Sallah is first shown asking his grandchildren what year the Suez Crisis was. It’s a nice way to fill us in on some backstory, but it also works thematically. For later we see Sallah and his grandchildren again, after Indy reunites with Marion, he’s recounting the adventures of Indy and Marion to them, showing us the importance he also puts on keeping personal history alive. I like that these two scenes connect in that way. His grandchildren and perhaps Teddy too, will continue their love of history after they’re gone.
George Lucas’ philosophy behind the making of the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles was that history is really about people, more than it is about events. And Dial of Destiny continues that tradition.
