BOOK REVIEW:
Countless
of making of books are published a year to tie-in with the
summer blockbusters. But nothing even comes close to this
one, “The Complete Making of Indiana Jones: The Definitive
Story Behind All Four Films”. Containing over three
decades of information from the Lucas archives and spanning
300 pages of cast & crew interviews, artworks and photographs,
it is simply breath-taking to say the least. It’s indeed
a book every Indy fan is waiting for.
Written
by veterans Laurent Bouzereau and executive editor at Lucasfilm,
J.W. Rinzler, the book is divided according to the various
episodes and excerpts from the original script treatment are
included for your reading pleasure. It’s amazing to
read about how the iconic George Lucas and Steven Spielberg
work so closely despite their individual newfound successes
to create the “Lost Ark”. It was a daring venture
for both Lucasfilm and Paramount to first launch the man with
the hat at that time but of course everything pays off in
the end.
Some rather
interesting anecdotes include how the goofy Indy’s duel
with the scimitar wielding bad guy came about and Kate Capshaw
resistance to film a scene with reptiles in a deleted sequence
from the original “Temple of Doom” shooting script.
And who
can forget ILM’s contribution to the visual effects
especially the memorable opening of the Ark sequence, get
to know how the primitive optical and matte effects were done
in those days where digital technology were unheard of. Even
stuntman Vic Armstrong who stand in for Harrison Ford in a
couple of action scenes were covered. Almost every notable
cast and crew members who worked on the popular series were
interviewed for their contribution.
Despite
“The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” being a lackluster
entry to the magnificent franchise, “The Complete Making
of Indiana Jones: The Definitive Story Behind All Four Films”
serves to remind us that how the great cinema of the eighties
were done and created. Of course let’s not forget how
it tediously traces the journey of how the man with the whip
and hat was born. No doubt Indiana Jones will always be one
of the greatest icons in contemporary cinema.
CHOICE XCERPT:
"All the films I have done in the past 15 years have
really been movies that have appealed to me,”
Spielberg says, "which I assumed wouldn't reach vast
audiences on the levels of Jurassic Park, E.T. or Indiana
Jones. But this new film is for the audience; I had them in
mind every waking hour: What would they like to see, are we
being too complex in our layering of clues, are they too far
ahead of us, too far behind, are they going to laugh here,
is this crazy enough, is it funny enough? It was always for
the audience!"
VERDICT:
The Hat. The Whip. The Legend. Get this at all cost!
Review
by Linus Tee
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