By the way, that scroll-away introduction reminds me of the Flash Gordon Serials of the 1930's. I wonder if George Lucas was influenced by it.

Absolutely. Lucas originally wanted "Episode IV" in the scroll-up even before he knew he'd be able to make any more films, but he chickened out by his own admission. ("Episode IV: A New Hope" wasn't added until the 1981 rerelease.) He wanted it to feel like the Saturday afternoon serials he saw as a kid. You may have missed what happened the previous two or three weeks, and you might miss the next few as well. You just caught the episodes that were on when you happened to be there, and you were always thrown right into the middle of the action -- a trait all the Star Wars movies pretty much have.

I also agree that the changes to the first Star Wars movie were definitely NOT an improvement.

I think parts of it were an improvement while other parts weren't. I still hate the Greedo scene. It's been improved on the DVD version, but it's still nowhere near as good as the original. There was just no reason to mess with that scene.

I'm actually more bothered by changes to the other two, especially Empire. The added sequence of Vader taking the shuttle to his Star Destroyer is, IMHO, completely unnecessary and ruins the pace of the action at the end of the movie. And I miss the terse "Bring my shuttle!" line that took place right before that. It sounded much better than the line they replaced it with.

Then there's some of the ADR that got changed. What happened to "You're lucky you don't taste very good"? Much better line than "You were lucky to get out of there." Ugh. Now I'm ranting.

And I too hope they don't change the Raiders movie.

There actually already has been one small change, though most people won't notice it! In all the previous video releases, you can see the reflection of the cobra in the glass between it and Indy. In the DVD version, the reflection has been digitally removed!

I keep forgetting the blooper about the length of the staff. It's always bugged me, but fortunately it's not enough to keep me from enjoying the movie!

Blake

I keep forgetting the blooper about the length of the staff. It's always bugged me, but fortunately it's not enough to keep me from enjoying the movie!

Me neither, but I do tend to notice things like that.

How about that Mithral shirt Frodo wore in the LOTR series? It stopped the lance of that cave troll, but it didn't stop him from getting stuck by Shelob.

Ken V.

Amrish Puri was the Indian actor who played Mola Ram. He just died in January.

I just remembered that another of my favorite Indy scenes is actually from Temple of Doom. It's the moment when Indy decides to free all the slave children. It's one of those great "hero" moments in movies when you realize he's through taking any crap! There's that great shot of him standing silhouetted as the slavemaster notices him (great music here by John Williams, too), the camera cuts to a shot of the children, then there's just the sound of Indy beating the crap out of the guy, who then skids across the camera's field of view. Great moment.

Blake

LOL!

Who, the guy in the picture I linked? He's a bit old isn't he? I'd have to see what he looks like now, but based on that picture, no.

I was just thinking about him in that particular photo. Not the makeup, just the way he looked. And that's not so bad for a guy who's over 150 years old.

Also, remember we need to be looking for a Chinese actor probably, since it is being adapted to China.

Yeah, I know. 'Course, by the time they are ready to start filming, India will probably be a great deal closer to China. (Continental drift don't ya know.)

Ken V.

I don't remember the staff "blooper," so I looked it up on IMDb. Is this what you are referring to?

Continuity: The staff is supposed to be 60 inches tall (6 kadams = 72 inches, minus 1 kadam). The pole that Indy inserts into the hole in the map room towers over his head, indicating (incorrectly) that Indy is less than five feet tall. The laserdisc edition disproves any claim that he's standing on a lower step.

Ken, you will probably find this one interesting:

Anachronisms: The Schmeisser machine pistol - the submachine gun used in several places in the film - is the MP-40 (Machine Pistol, model of 1940); the handguns used by the Germans are the P-38 (Pistol, model of 1938), neither of which was in use in 1936.

Anachronisms:[T]he Panzerschreck that Indy uses to threaten the Ark wasn't deployed until late in 1943 after the Germans saw the effectiveness of the U.S. Army bazooka.

Anachronisms: The shoulder-fired weapon that Indy uses to threaten the ark is actually a Soviet-made rocket propelled grenade or "RPG", not a panzerfaust. This weapon was produced nearer the end of World War II, not prior to it when the story takes place.

There are whole websites devoted to this stuff, unfortunately I can't remember them off the top of my head.

Yeah, I know. 'Course, by the time they are ready to start filming, India will probably be a great deal closer to China. (Continental drift don't ya know.)

No, no. Continental drift separates the continents; the Himalayas will continue to press upward and separate the two countries.....

There are whole websites devoted to this stuff, unfortunately I can't remember them off the top of my head.

Here's one: http://www.moviemistakes.com/search.php

Neither can I. Could you see Harrison Ford as Mathew Quigley?

Ken V.

I am probably being a pinhead here but I think Kenji was making the point that Tom Selleck was who was offered the role of Indiana Jones first, he wanted it, the movie producers and director wanted him but the producers of "Magnum P.I." wouldn't let him out of his contract for that series, so we got Harrison Ford for Indy.

I am probably being a pinhead here but I think Kenji was making the point that Tom Selleck was who was offered the role of Indiana Jones first, he wanted it, the movie producers and director wanted him but the producers of "Magnum P.I." wouldn't let him out of his contract for that series, so we got Harrison Ford for Indy.

I'm sure you're right, but still, after seeing Harrison Ford in the part, could you imagine anyone else playing that role? Switch it around. Could you imagine Harrison Ford in a western?

I can't.

Ken V.

I don't remember the staff "blooper," so I looked it up on IMDb. Is this what you are referring to?

Continuity: The staff is supposed to be 60 inches tall (6 kadams = 72 inches, minus 1 kadam). The pole that Indy inserts into the hole in the map room towers over his head, indicating (incorrectly) that Indy is less than five feet tall. The laserdisc edition disproves any claim that he's standing on a lower step.

Yes! Are they saying that Jones really isn't a Hobbit?

Ken, you will probably find this one interesting:

Anachronisms: The Schmeisser machine pistol - the submachine gun used in several places in the film - is the MP-40 (Machine Pistol, model of 1940); the handguns used by the Germans are the P-38 (Pistol, model of 1938), neither of which was in use in 1936.

I'm aware of that. I may have mentioned this before, but it reminds me of the John Wayne movie, THE COMANCHEROS. Wayne is carrying his ubiquitous Colt model 1873, Lee Marvin has a Remington model 1875, the rifles being traded to the Comancheros are model 1892 or 1894 Winchesters made to look like 1860 Henry's, and the rifles used by the Texas Rangers are Winchester model 1892's. At the beginning of the movie, it states that it's taking place in 1843 . . . or was it 1848.

No, no. Continental drift separates the continents; the Himalayas will continue to press upward and separate the two countries.....

I was thinking that India would be to the immediate EAST of China. Gone full circle so to speak.

Ken V.

I'm sure you're right, but still, after seeing Harrison Ford in the part, could you imagine anyone else playing that role? Switch it around. Could you imagine Harrison Ford in a western?

I can't.

Ford was apparently in The Intruders (TV) in 1970 - about the James/Younger gang. He was also in The Frisco Kid in 1979 with Gene Wilder - must be a comedy/western. I haven't seen either of those, though, so I don't know if he plays a "cowboy."

He is almost definitely my favorite actor; he's just in so many damn good movies.

I was thinking that India would be to the immediate EAST of China. Gone full circle so to speak.

Ken V.

That works, I guess, but what would happen to the Thailand/Vietnam region?