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The Indiana Jones trilogy comes to DVD tomorrow:
- A close second to the original “Star Wars” trilogy on DVD-lovers’ wish list, “The Adventures of Indiana Jones” debuts Tuesday in a four-disc boxed set that includes one of the most comprehensive making-of documentaries ever.
Hardcore fans who think they know it all about cinema’s best-known archaeologist are in for a surprise, promises Jim Ward, vice president of marketing for Lucasfilm, “Indiana Jones” executive producer George Lucas’ outfit.
“It’s very important for us to come to the table with something fresh and new,” Ward said. “We up at Lucasfilm went on our own archaeological dig, if you will.”
The team unearthed a huge range of behind-the-scenes footage for 1981’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” 1984’s “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and 1989’s “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” Among the material: Footage of star Harrison Ford practicing with Indy’s whip; Lucas bouncing along the suspension bridge built for “Temple of Doom”; and director Steven Spielberg pleading for more snakes in the “Raiders” tomb scene.
The two-hour documentary mixes that footage with new interviews of Spielberg, Ford, Lucas, female co-stars Karen Allen, Kate Capshaw and Alison Doody and Sean Connery, who played Indy’s father in “Last Crusade.” Interviews also feature other cast members and technical crew that created the stunts, sets and effects. [AP]
I love these movies, although, as usual, the first was by far the best. I find the endorsement of the Judeo-Christian God as preeminent among various supernatural entities loose in the mysterious world one of the most philosophically interesting elements of the trilogy: mess with the Judeo-Christian God and get your face melted, among other unpleasantries.
The Amazon price of about $45 is a darn good deal: $15 each, around the price of a CD. As long as DVDs are in that price range, CDs are going to have to come down to about half of that to be seen as a value. That’s just cold reality whether it’s fair or not.
