Harrison Ford faces the fifth and final adventure of the character
In one of the scenes of Indiana Jones and the dial of fate, the professor and archaeologist played by Harrison Ford pronounces this declaration of intent: «I do not believe in magic. But throughout my life I have seen things. Things I can’t explain. And my conclusion is that it doesn’t matter so much what you believe, but the intensity with which you do it.
The formula could serve as a guide for viewers when they see the new adventure of one of the great heroes of cinema: what matters is faith in human nature. Often one has to take a “leap of faith,” as Henry Jones (Sean Connery) proposed near the end of Indiana Jones and the last crusade. And the spectators have approached the theaters with the faith of those who will continue to believe in the archaeologist despite his years, his sadness over the loss of his son and the threat of divorce from his wife, Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen ), and how uncomfortable a man feels when he reaches old age and cannot adapt to the times.
James Mangold, a solvent director capable of delving into any genre and succeeding (see Cop Land, Identity, Walking a tightrope, Logan and Le Mans ’66, among others), takes over from Steven Spielberg with the intention of giving him a dignified finishing touch at the end of the saga, something that he achieves by far and on his own merits because this installment surpasses indiana jones and the crystal skull although not to the first three films. His work has consisted of giving another approach to the character and, along the way, paying homage to the previous films. Mangold has his own style, more focused on rhythm and impossible chases, than on that game of astonished looks and situations resolved through humor, which are the personal trademarks of the master Spielberg.
In search of religious relics
As for the tributes, Mangold’s film delivers more than enough, starting with the magnificent prologue, a sum of themes, symbols and situations: we return to the past, to review the maneuvers of the Nazis to satisfy Hitler’s desire to gather relics and pieces of art, to see Dr. Jones in trouble and again in the uniform of an enemy soldier as in in search of the lost ark and, especially, they connect us with another sacred relic.
As in the first film they were looking for the Ark of the Covenant that contained the Ten Commandments, and in the third they were chasing the trail of the Sacred Chalice of the Last Supper and the fictitious Cross of Coronado, at the beginning of the new adventure Jones competes with the Nazis to seize the Holy Lance of Longinos. This shows us that, with few exceptions, the archaeologist is usually connected to religious objects and symbols, although not always of Catholicism (see Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom where he was trying to get the Sankara Stones).
A sad and exhausted but not defeated man
In order not to gut the keys to the argument, we can summarize it more or less like this: Doctor Jones is about to retire when he receives a visit from his goddaughter, Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), who needs him to find an artifact that Archimedes invented and that, in dangerous bad ways, could change the fate of the world. Hunting for the treasure is also Jürgen (Mads Mikkelsen), an enemy from the past. Although Jones is already a saddened and exhausted man, he is able to show that old age does not have to be a deterrent when it comes to facing dangers and difficult decisions.
James Mangold’s Indy is the portrait of the character in his decline at the end of the 60s. In this, the interpretation of Harrison Ford is essential, who captures him as an individual who has changed: he hardly smiles, as he did in the past; his sarcasm is more hurtful; and in his new life he has lost friends, enemies and relatives. This sum of pain works as a contrast to the vital and enthusiastic role of Helena, a much younger person and very given to risk.
But the most important of feature film It is not on the surface (in that older individual who can still stand face to face with his enemies), but in the subtext: Indiana Jones is and will always be a hero aware that, in the balance, what is human surpasses what is material. , love is stronger than ideals and treasures, sacrifice only makes sense when it is an act of salvation for others. We have seen it in other installments: Jones does not usually stay with the material, with chalices, or crosses, or idols, but with what helps us to live: the reunion with a father, the recovery of a child, the discovery of a new love. … This was one of the great discoveries of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg: inventing a hero who, beyond the logical passion of someone who discovers relics, keeps his morals intact and is capable of putting his neck on the line for those he loves. needs.
2023-07-12 19:57:18
#Indiana #Jones #Dial #Fate #Intensity #Faith
