#4497039 - 11/13/19 02:25 PM
Speaking of WWI Film Productions- Indiana Jones
|
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 6,728
bones
Hotshot
|
Hotshot
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 6,728
Earth
|
I originally was going to post this as a reply to a thread about the movie "1917" but got on a roll and didn't want to hijack the thread, so I'll post here instead:
As far as offbeat WWI productions go, I have to say I really enjoyed the entire WWI segment of the "Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" that was first aired in 1993.
If interested, note that spoilers are ahead. I am going from memory so I might not have all the details but a general overview.
A young Henry "Indiana" Jones (played by Sean Patrick Flannery of "Boondock Saints" fame) enlists in the Belgian army under the guise of Henri Defence since they have no age restrictions so that he can fight in the Great War. He begins as a motorcycle messenger and rises to the rank of corporal. Then he is sent to the front at Verdun where his unit is practically wiped out, so much that he is the ranking soldier in his unit as all officers and NCOs were killed. The remains of the unit is thus attached to a French unit led by a young yet battle-hardened lieutenant and his sergeant. This is where Indy gets an even closer look at the horrors of trench and chemical warfare, and when he naively volunteers to sneak deep across no man's land to eavesdrop on the Germans and discovers that a BIg Bertha is being sent to the theatre, things only get worse from there.
He does eventually survive a German onslaught, but again nearly everyone is killed, including the French officer and NCO, and he is captured along with a few Belgian soldiers. They are sent to a POW camp and on the way, Indy and a fellow Belgian soldier steal some French officer uniforms from some officers who died in captivity in order to get better treatment in the POW camp. They attempt to escape several times, the last time results in his Belgian friend getting killed. The Germans have had it with Indy and thus send him to the German version of Alcatraz, a POW prison situated on the top of a mountain used especially for "incorrigibles." There he meets French Army Captain Charles DeGaulle and together they start planning their escape along with some Russian prisoners.
After a few mishaps that resulted in a few deaths, Indy does eventually escape however DeGaulle is captured in the process. Indy makes his way back to friendly lines where some time later he is promoted to Captain. He is deployed to the Congo to lead a joint Belgian/Congo army against the Germans. Under the command of a strict and unforgiving Major, he goes against orders to help some Congo refugees escape the war zone. They are successful after some big losses, escaping via the river, but the harsh jungle conditions take their toll and most of them pick up malaria and ar ein danger of dying or are dead. Indy and his fellow Belgian soldier Remy, reunited for the first time since they were taken prisoner in Verdun, drift downstream with the refugees where they are found by Albert Schweitzer. Immediately, Indy distrusts the doctor because he is German, but along the lines learns some valuable lessons from the humanitarian.
Things work out down the line, and Indy, weary of battle and war, decides to try to end the war another way, using his language abilities in the intelligence service. He transfers to a Belgian military intelligence unit and is dispatched to Russia where he is to spy on the Bolsheviks and their activities. It is October 1917, and things are heating up. After his mission in Russia ends successfully, but at great loss to Indy, he returns to Africa for some intelligence missions there before leaving the service and returning to the US to start school at the University of Chicago.
Granted, this is a complete work of fiction, but as far as WWI movies/productions go which are not as many as WWII, especially at this time, I really enjoyed what I saw. All the other segments of "Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" were kinda eh, especially the 6 year old and 93 year old Indy parts. Although the 6 year old Indy segment made a great reference to the "Eye of the Peacock" jewel that became an obsession for Indy. He had first seen this jewel as a child, stolen away in Egypt, and during his years in the Belgian army had crossed paths with it until it was lost again. It doesn't turn up again until "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" where he finally tracked the jewel down to Lao Che's mafia gang.
The 93 year old Indy was horrible. He was the bookend of each episode, but he came across as a grumpy old man, spewing out stories in such a way that you wish you never had started a conversation with him. He had an eyepatch, and a huge scar to match and no backstory (which kinda ruined the whole Indy mystique for me). It was so bad that when Lucasfilm finally released the whole series, re-titled "The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones", they cut him out completely.
One thing of note: Harrison Ford did come back as Indy before "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." He reprised his role in an episode of the "Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" in a segment set in 1954, telling a story about his time as a student in Chicago. Harrison was just as cool as Indy in that episode as he'd been in the original trilogy, I loved it.
There is also mention of an episode of "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." When Indy at Mutt arrive in Peru, Mutt mentions that he has never heard that dialect of Spanish that Indy was speaking before. Indy says that he learned it when he was riding with Pancho Villa against a common enemy, and spits to show his disgust for him. This was a reference to an episode of the Chronicles when Indy, as a teen, was accidentally captured in Mexico by Pancho Villa and he inadvertantly (Stockholm Syndrome?) joins his cause.
It was also great seeing other actors getting their first roles here. Elizabeth Hurley, Daniel Craig, Ian McDiarmid...fun!
But I'm rambling, so, that's it....
v6, boNes
"Also, I would prefer a back seater over the extra gas any day. I would have 80 pounds of flesh to eat and a pair of glasses to start a fire." --F/A-18 Hornet pilot
|
|
#4497046 - 11/13/19 03:30 PM
Re: Speaking of WWI Film Productions- Indiana Jones
[Re: bones]
|
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 121,480
PanzerMeyer
Pro-Consul of Florida
|
Pro-Consul of Florida
King Crimson - SimHQ's Top Poster
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 121,480
Miami, FL USA
|
You were 7? I was in college when the series premiered. I be old!!!
Last edited by PanzerMeyer; 11/13/19 03:30 PM.
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
|
|
#4497047 - 11/13/19 03:35 PM
Re: Speaking of WWI Film Productions- Indiana Jones
[Re: bones]
|
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 2,921
vonBaur
Senior Member
|
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 2,921
|
It sounds like being Indy's friend is only slightly less dangerous than being his enemy.
SALUTE TO ALL!
|
|
#4497054 - 11/13/19 04:37 PM
Re: Speaking of WWI Film Productions- Indiana Jones
[Re: vonBaur]
|
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 6,728
bones
Hotshot
|
Hotshot
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 6,728
Earth
|
It sounds like being Indy's friend is only slightly less dangerous than being his enemy. Haha yes! I didn't know too much about WWI before I saw the series. It was fictional, but at least they tied in historical figures. Yes Wonder Woman counts, haha. Only because it's Gal Gadot and I'm not paying attention much to the historical worth of the movie because I'm a bit distracted. What I would like to see is a WWI movie about the USMC's involvement. We know that they were dubbed Devil Dogs by the Germans, and it stuck forever, but I want to know why. v6, boNes
"Also, I would prefer a back seater over the extra gas any day. I would have 80 pounds of flesh to eat and a pair of glasses to start a fire." --F/A-18 Hornet pilot
|
|
#4497058 - 11/13/19 05:01 PM
Re: Speaking of WWI Film Productions- Indiana Jones
[Re: bones]
|
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 1,990
wormfood
Member
|
Member
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 1,990
Texas
|
What I would like to see is a WWI movie about the USMC's involvement. We know that they were dubbed Devil Dogs by the Germans, and it stuck forever, but I want to know why.
v6, boNes
Mostly due to the battle of Belleau Wood where they halted the German advance at the edge of the wood then counter attacked and pushed them out over the course of a few weeks. These woods were very dense and the fighting was a very brutal, close quarters affair. They went on to fight a few more battles after that, but Belleau Wood was the one where they earned that nickname. Their marksmanship at the wheat field and ferocious fighting in the woods supposedly gained the respect of the Germans. They only made up about 1/4 to 1/3 of the American force, the rest was a the Army, but since they never let any reporters into the field with them, the Marines got the majority of the press.
|
|
#4497059 - 11/13/19 05:05 PM
Re: Speaking of WWI Film Productions- Indiana Jones
[Re: PanzerMeyer]
|
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 1,990
wormfood
Member
|
Member
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 1,990
Texas
|
You were 7? I was in college when the series premiered. I be old!!! No, I was mistaken. Looking it up now, it came out in 92, which put me at about 9 at the time.It makes me the young pup around here. If you're that old, do you have any stories of hunting dinosaurs? :P
|
|
#4497079 - 11/13/19 07:36 PM
Re: Speaking of WWI Film Productions- Indiana Jones
[Re: bones]
|
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 24,712
Dart
Measured in Llamathrusts
|
Measured in Llamathrusts
Lifer
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 24,712
Alabaster, AL USA
|
Son, we didn't hunt dinosaurs.
We rode them.
The opinions of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events. More dumb stuff at http://www.darts-page.comFrom Laser: "The forum is the place where combat (real time) flight simulator fans come to play turn based strategy combat."
|
|
#4497087 - 11/13/19 09:19 PM
Re: Speaking of WWI Film Productions- Indiana Jones
[Re: wormfood]
|
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 5,503
Pooch
Hotshot
|
Hotshot
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 5,503
Orlando, FL
|
You were 7? I was in college when the series premiered. I be old!!! No, I was mistaken. Looking it up now, it came out in 92, which put me at about 9 at the time.It makes me the young pup around here. If you're that old, do you have any stories of hunting dinosaurs? :P You think THAT'S old? When the show came out, I already had been working for American Airlines for twenty years! But I do remember something in that show having to do with Manfred Von Richtofen. Unless it's alzheimer's kicking in.
"From our orbital vantage point, we observe an earth without borders, full of peace, beauty and magnificence, and we pray that humanity as a whole can imagine a borderless world as we see it, and strive to live as one in peace." Astronaut William C. McCool RIP, January 29, 2003 - Space Shuttle Columbia
|
|
#4497090 - 11/13/19 09:26 PM
Re: Speaking of WWI Film Productions- Indiana Jones
[Re: bones]
|
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 5,503
Pooch
Hotshot
|
Hotshot
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 5,503
Orlando, FL
|
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zm0UfikAZeIThought so. Whew! Was worried there, for a second.
"From our orbital vantage point, we observe an earth without borders, full of peace, beauty and magnificence, and we pray that humanity as a whole can imagine a borderless world as we see it, and strive to live as one in peace." Astronaut William C. McCool RIP, January 29, 2003 - Space Shuttle Columbia
|
|
#4497103 - 11/13/19 11:56 PM
Re: Speaking of WWI Film Productions- Indiana Jones
[Re: bones]
|
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 5,503
Pooch
Hotshot
|
Hotshot
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 5,503
Orlando, FL
|
And sometimes they rode us.....but I'd really rather not talk about that night.
"From our orbital vantage point, we observe an earth without borders, full of peace, beauty and magnificence, and we pray that humanity as a whole can imagine a borderless world as we see it, and strive to live as one in peace." Astronaut William C. McCool RIP, January 29, 2003 - Space Shuttle Columbia
|
|
#4497107 - 11/14/19 02:32 AM
Re: Speaking of WWI Film Productions- Indiana Jones
[Re: bones]
|
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 2,921
vonBaur
Senior Member
|
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 2,921
|
You were 7? I was in college when the series premiered. I be old!!! Not that old, PM. I'd had ten years since finishing nearly ten in the Air Force and was on my second marriage. Son, we didn't hunt dinosaurs. Of course not. They tasted terrible. Although the Tyrannosaurus was the inspiration for Buffalo wings.
SALUTE TO ALL!
|
|
#4497109 - 11/14/19 02:40 AM
Re: Speaking of WWI Film Productions- Indiana Jones
[Re: bones]
|
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 2,921
vonBaur
Senior Member
|
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 2,921
|
OMG! Just watched the clip Pooch posted. That takes historical inaccuracy to a whole new level. In fact, I think it will replace "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" as my favorite example.
SALUTE TO ALL!
|
|
#4497123 - 11/14/19 11:41 AM
Re: Speaking of WWI Film Productions- Indiana Jones
[Re: vonBaur]
|
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 121,480
PanzerMeyer
Pro-Consul of Florida
|
Pro-Consul of Florida
King Crimson - SimHQ's Top Poster
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 121,480
Miami, FL USA
|
OMG! Just watched the clip Pooch posted. That takes historical inaccuracy to a whole new level. In fact, I think it will replace "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" as my favorite example. To be fair, the Young Indy series never sold itself at all as being historically accurate. In that sense it was patterned just like the theatrical Indy films.
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
|
|
#4497139 - 11/14/19 01:52 PM
Re: Speaking of WWI Film Productions- Indiana Jones
[Re: bones]
|
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 6,728
bones
Hotshot
|
Hotshot
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 6,728
Earth
|
Yeah really it was meant to introduce you to historical figures and get you to research and learn about them.
I mean, do people really think Indy bumped into Adolf Hitler and got his signature in his Grail Diary?
v6, boNes
"Also, I would prefer a back seater over the extra gas any day. I would have 80 pounds of flesh to eat and a pair of glasses to start a fire." --F/A-18 Hornet pilot
|
|
#4497147 - 11/14/19 03:39 PM
Re: Speaking of WWI Film Productions- Indiana Jones
[Re: bones]
|
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 2,921
vonBaur
Senior Member
|
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 2,921
|
I get that it was entertainment. And whatever sparks an interest in learning more is a good thing. But for crying out loud, "Peanuts" got me interested in WWI aviation (and by extension WWI in general), and THAT took fewer liberties with the truth than this.
SALUTE TO ALL!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exodus
by RedOneAlpha. 04/18/24 05:46 PM
|
|
|
|
|
|
|