This Indiana Jones cult scene was not planned! 7 anecdotes about the saga with Harrison Ford

A skillfully explained scar!

A whip, a hat, and a scar on the chin: these are the three characteristics of Indiana Jones. The latter is actually a sequel to a car accident of the actor. Often covered in make-up on Harrison Ford’s other films, she is nevertheless very present in the franchise. The script therefore found a story for it.

The opening scene of the third episode, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, shows us a flashback of the hero then adolescent and embodied by the late River Phoenix. By cracking his mythical whip for the very first time in front of a lion, he opens his chin, thus explaining the presence of the mark on his face for the rest of the saga!

Hollywood’s Most Influential Dog

How can we talk about Indiana Jones without mentioning the friendship that binds its director, Steven Spielberg, to George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars? By shaping the adventurer, the two filmmakers are looking for a name, and agree to use that of George Lucas’ dog: Indiana.

This Alaskan Malamute also inspired another cult character a few years ago, namely Chewbacca, Han Solo’s sidekick played by… Harrison Ford. The circle is complete !

A close link with a famous French-speaking hero

During the European promotion of Raiders of the Lost Ark, French journalists underline Indiana Jones’ resemblance to Tintin. Not knowing him, Steven Spielberg instantly devours all the volumes and becomes a fan to the point of buying the film rights to the comic strip in 1983.

If The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, was released in cinemas 28 years later, the influence of the Belgian reporter was immediate in the writing of Le Temple maudit. The character of the Maharajah is directly inspired by the work of Hergé.

A shot that was not in the script!

It’s one of the most iconic scenes in the entire tetralogy. While he is prey to an Egyptian mercenary hired to hinder his plans, the professor of archeology draws his sword. And while we expect an epic duel, he grabs his gun and sends the case in seconds.

Originally planned, the choreographed and skillfully orchestrated fight scene was changed at the last minute by Harrison Ford himself. The actor indeed suffered from a violent dysentery which forced him to make many round trips in his caravan. A setback that gave birth to this perfectly rhythmic face-to-face, with a memorable comic effect.

A hectic first day

Alfred Molina (Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2) lands his first role on a Hollywood set with Raiders of the Lost Ark: the realization of a dream.

But it was without knowing that his very first scene would probably be one of the most difficult of his career: the one where a cohort of live tarantulas climb on his back. To add a dose of realism, the breeder put a female tarantula in it, in order to agitate the males… Realism guaranteed!

A trick to ward off bad luck

As his poignant 1993 masterpiece Schindler’s List points out, Steven Spielberg, son of a Jewish World War II veteran, knows how to stage the Third Reich, despite the difficulty of the challenge.

In the third opus of Indiana Jones, the scene of the Nazi auto-da-fé bringing together hundreds of extras in uniform is blood-curdling. This is why the director asked the extras to cross their fingers behind their backs, in order to avoid any feeling of guilt.

A scene you’ll never see the same way again

In 1989, Steven Spielberg fulfilled his teenage dream by directing Sean Connery in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. But the iconic James Bond of the 60s can sometimes move away from the refinement of the British spy…

During the filming of the scene where the heroes are seated aboard the airship, the late actor did not hesitate to remove his pants in order to fight against the heat of the set. To follow suit, Harrison Ford naturally did the same. Impossible to see the scene again without imagining the two friends in their underwear!

Find the Indiana Jones tetralogy now on Prime Video.