settle on an epic journey inspired by the legendary archaeologist and adventurer, Indiana Jones.
The line that perhaps best sums up Indiana Jones is uttered deadpan, in the middle of the film Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Beaten, bruised and tired, the archaeologist-adventurer declares: « Time does nothing. That’s mileage. »
Five films and forty-two years later, mileage has seriously increased. Besides the Fedoras and Harrison Ford, one of the franchise’s now iconic visual marks is a map, or rather, a red line running across seas and continents as Dr. Jones searches, loves and makes his way across the world by boat, plane, bike or submarine.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the character’s latest cinematic boost, should inspire a new generation of adventurers, if previous installments are to be believed.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
The jungles of Peru » were actually filmed on American soil, on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. Kalalea Mountain provided the very first shot of the film. Other sites around the Huleia National Wildlife Refuge and historic Kipu Ranch near Puhi have replaced Chachapoya warrior territory.
INDIANA JONES AND THE CURSED TEMPLE (1984)
The Obi Wan Club (a nod to Lucasfilm’s other franchise) wasn’t in Shanghai like they wanted us to believe, or in the studio, for that matter.
The neon-lit streets soaked by the monsoon and filmed during the opening scenes of Dr. Jones’ second installment were in fact located in Macau, an island often referred to as the Las Vegas of Asia.
With its exuberant architecture and gaming culture, Macau became a special administrative region of China in 1999, having been a Portuguese colony for almost 500 years.
Although the film is set in India, The Temple of Doom has shifted production south to Sri Lanka due to reactions to possible cultural stereotypes (a criticism maintained by viewers today).
A tea plantation near Kandy, the island’s central town, has been transformed into a rural village for the purposes of the film and has since hosted the Ceylon Tea Museum. The cult suspension bridge scene was filmed near Victoria Dam on the Mahaweli River, a place now off the beaten track.
INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (1989)
We see, as in the film, between the walls of the Siq (a sandstone gorge) the resplendent Al-Khazneh (the treasure) of the ancient rock city of Petra in Jordan.
It exudes majesty and mystery. Historians believe that this 2,000-year-old cliff-cut architectural triumph served during the True Crusades, during which it is believed to have been used as an outpost in the 12th century. But beyond the door, no one will find a vaulted room like in the film because only a modest, bare room with an uncertain function is there.
Selected to replace the Middle East, southern Spain had the infrastructure and dry aesthetic the production team needed for some key action scenes.
Filming locations include Cala de Mónsul Beach and the spectacular Desierto de Tabernas, a dramatic badland home to tarantulas, eagle owls, and Algerian hedgehogs. The area also served as a filming location for many spaghetti westerns in the 1960s. One of these preserved western settings, called Fort Bravo, is now a surreal theme park.
Mark.