Revisiting Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom on blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[FatherDude]

I unabashedly adore Temple of Doom. Raiders is objectively the better movie, but I actually thought Temple did the best job of evoking the non-stop nature of the actual serials. The way Spielberg and Lucas were honoring these old pulp films and shorts and filtering them through their own sensibilities with a big budget and impeccable level of craft feels almost like a precursor to what Tarantino would eventually do with Kill Bill. That's sort of the mission statement behind all the Indy movies but Temple feels particularly "balls out" in a way I don't think we'll ever see from Spielberg again.

I am very happy with Temple's Blu-ray, which looks accurate to the original palette and does not carry any of the controversy that Raiders does with its revamped color timing.

 

[Tino]

It doesn't matter what the intentions were, ToD is a racist film. That doesn't mean Spielberg is a bad person. It doesn't mean the film should never screened. You don't have to go rushing to its defense. Just try to imagine what it would feel like to be Indian and to see that movie.

I mean, India refused to let them shoot it there, partly on the grounds that it was super racist.

In YOUR opinion it is. I don't think it is at all. No offense but Please don't label an opinion as fact.

 

[TravisR]

I have to say that reading other folks' thoughts on the positives of Temple Of Doom have softened by own views a little bit. It's been a while since I've seen it so I should probably watch it again soon.

 

[skylark68]

Temple of Doom and Crystal Skulls are the worst Indiana Jones films. That said, they are much better than the majority of adventure films out there. The problems I have with ToD have already been mentioned, the "dining" sequence and Capshaw's incessant screaming.

One interesting thing that I have observed is that many people who complained Indy surviving the fridge being nuked in Skulls have no qualms about the life raft sequence in ToD.

Raiders and Last Crusade are far superior films to the other two films in my opinion. Nazis are just inherently good villains, and the pursuit of Judeo-Christian artifacts are much more compelling to me rather than alien skulls and sacred stones. Perhaps this is due to my Western/Christian upbringing and knowing the stories behind them before viewing the films.

Funny enough, ToD was the only film I never saw on original release in the theaters. Mom had heard stories about the intense sequences like the heart being ripped out of living victims and said "no way" to my brother and I going to see it. I never saw it until it was released on VHS.

These films definitely made me eager to pursue Gunga Din and Secret of the Incas.

 

[Worth]

Temple of Doom and Crystal Skulls are the worst Indiana Jones films. That said, they are much better than the majority of adventure films out there. The problems I have with ToD have already been mentioned, the "dining" sequence and Capshaw's incessant screaming.

One interesting thing that I have observed is that many people who complained Indy surviving the fridge being nuked in Skulls have no qualms about the life raft sequence in ToD.

Mythbusters put the life raft idea to the test and, astonishingly, found it plausible:

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/videos/the-buster-awards-falling-life-raft/

 

[Ted Van Duyn]

When taken all of the Indiana Jones movies into account, Temple of Doom has the unfortunate distinction of being the most unique movie out of the whole bunch. It's not hard to see how after ToD that the next two Indy movies all followed the Raiders formula almost to a T. Large foreign power that the US wasn't on good terms with seek a relic that will give their country immense power only to have their quest for said power be their ultimate undoing. It's also refreshing to see Indy taking charge in the movie's climax rather than being held captive by the bad guys while they foolishly kill themselves.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Right, and no one (rightfully so) is claiming these movies were prejudice towards Germans who were not Nazis. I understand not all Germans were Nazis. lol

Thankfully, some people understand this. Being of German heritage on my father's side it is nice to know that at least some people know German does not equal Nazi...however...one day last year I was in a liquor store and was browsing the giant craft and foreign beer section. A friendly fellow shopper struck up a conversation with me about how many beers we had to choose from and then asked if there were any I recommended. I began pointing some out and then said that for a very long time I had loved the beers made by Weihenstephaner, an outstanding and very old German beer maker, and said those beers sort of formed the way I would judge beers going forward. I then added that I was probably a bit biased due to my German heritage.

At which point the guy looked at me in horror and said...and this is a quote..."I'd drink piss before I would drink a German beer. We should have wiped all of your kind out when we had the chance! It is an insult that they even sell that garbage in this country."

I laughed because I was not really sure if the guy was joking because his switch from friendly to nasty was so abrupt then he stormed off but yelled at me across the store "I hope you die a horrible and painful death!"

This is a store I've been in many times so the people at the counter of course said to me when I was checking out "What was that all about?" and I laughed and said "I recommended the wrong beer to him I guess."

 

[Mikey1969]

I've always loved ToD for what it is. The darkness didn't bother me and and I was glad the film makers didn't just rehash Raiders (as they would later do to diminished returns in Last Crusade). I didn't mind the Willie character and found her well-played although obviously very different from Marion. The scenes in the Temple were the only real minus for me as they seemed very slow compared to the rest of the film.

 

[Martin_Teller]

I have neither the time nor the energy nor the inclination to explain racism to people. No matter how much you love the film, it would be disingenuous to argue that it's not racially or culturally insensitive (again, the Indian government refused to them shoot it there because it was offensive).

 

[TravisR]

I have neither the time nor the energy nor the inclination to explain racism to people.

You don't know anything about who I am or the views that I hold so you're not in a position to explain anything to me or anyone else. People disagree with you, it doesn't make them ignorant or racist, it means that they see something different from you.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Apparently the Chinese were not happy with it either at the time. Yes, India refused to let them shoot there and Harrison Ford also apologized for the racism in the picture. So, there were apparently people that took issue with it at the time it was being made. When I read about the "racist" side of the film I thought the film had been retroactively classified as racist. But, no, people thought it was racist at the time they made it. Sixteen Candles from the same year is also on the list I guess for a Chinese exchange student that is in the film...which some people apparently describe as some of the worst racism ever committed to celluloid. Apparently, 1984 was a big year for this kind of thing.

Interestingly, to me, you could have easily removed that stuff from the film as it was primarily all goofball nonsense. The big palace dinner scene adds nothing to the story or the film. It is basically just there for laughs and so Capshaw can do a bunch of goofy reactions to what they serve for dinner. I have no idea what the point was of having Jones have a Chinese child sidekick either. That came out of nowhere and really did not enhance the story. Again, the kid is just used for comic relief.

 

[Nick*Z]

Temple of Doom is better than most give it credit for. It's part Lost Horizon - the whole plane crash in the the Himalayas - and part Gunga Din. Lots to recommend it, from its splashy production number to the darker, edgier appeal of Harrison Ford's performance, perfectly offset by Jonathan Ke Quan's adorable Short Round and the perpetually shell-shocked and hilariously comedic Kate Capshaw, who BTW sings Cole Porter's Anything Goes entirely in Cantonese. No small feat, I'm sure. Great special effects, a compelling screenplay that moves like gangbusters, another superb John Williams score, some stunning matte process work and a rollicking finale, begun as a 'roller coaster' mine ride and ending with 'a bridge too far' - literally. Saw it and loved it in 1984. Own it, repeatedly watch it and still love it now.

Last Crusade is WEAK. Connery's constant ribbing of Ford as 'Junior' did not endear me. Think about it: in Raiders and Temple, Ford's fortune hunter is a guy's guy - butch in the extreme and lusting after life and women with varying returns on his blind-sided investment in testosterone. He was a guy every guy - and boy - in the audience wanted to be, and every gal in audience wanted to be with despite his masculine flaws. That was the cream of the jest.

Last Crusade turns him into something of a 'mama's boy' who was really a big disappointment to his dear ole dad until their reunion. They both slept with the Nazi babe, remember? Getting Hitler to autograph his book in Berlin was too campy. The Nazis were at least treated with a tone of ominousness in Raiders. In Last Crusade their merely comic relief; not frightening but just silly, stupid and bungling. Temple has the incredible Amrish Puri as an absolutely terrifying villain. When he rips the heart out of that poor guy slated for the human sacrifice it's both shocking and traumatic; what all truly evil 'evil doers' ought to be.

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a non-starter. Just awful and best not considered part of what was always designed as a trilogy.

Bottom line: Temple of Doom rocks. Not as much as Raiders, but still a valiant successor to the series and yes, a very close runner up to Raiders for excellent actioner/thriller entertainment. Fun too.

 

[Martin_Teller]

Think about it: in Raiders and Temple, Ford's fortune hunter is a guy's guy - butch in the extreme and lusting after life and women with varying returns on his blind-sided investment in testosterone.

That is NOT AT ALL how I would describe Jones in Raiders (think of his uncomfortable reaction to flirting in his classroom, or his bashful approach to seduction with Marion). He's not a "guy's guy"... he's an academic! Which is why his characterization in ToD is often so jarring.

 

[Dave H]

Thankfully, some people understand this. Being of German heritage on my father's side it is nice to know that at least some people know German does not equal Nazi...however...one day last year I was in a liquor store and was browsing the giant craft and foreign beer section. A friendly fellow shopper struck up a conversation with me about how many beers we had to choose from and then asked if there were any I recommended. I began pointing some out and then said that for a very long time I had loved the beers made by Weihenstephaner, an outstanding and very old German beer maker, and said those beers sort of formed the way I would judge beers going forward. I then added that I was probably a bit biased due to my German heritage.

At which point the guy looked at me in horror and said...and this is a quote..."I'd drink piss before I would drink a German beer. We should have wiped all of your kind out when we had the chance! It is an insult that they even sell that garbage in this country."

I laughed because I was not really sure if the guy was joking because his switch from friendly to nasty was so abrupt then he stormed off but yelled at me across the store "I hope you die a horrible and painful death!"

This is a store I've been in many times so the people at the counter of course said to me when I was checking out "What was that all about?" and I laughed and said "I recommended the wrong beer to him I guess."

Wow!

I'm actually 50% of German heritage (from mother's side) and when I was younger, I recall a friend of mine whose mother used to use the words Germans and Nazis interchangeably as if they were the same. I was only around 10 years old at the time and just kind of laughed it off (as you did) as I knew she was quite a character to say the least.

 

[TravisR]

That is NOT AT ALL how I would describe Jones in Raiders (think of his uncomfortable reaction to flirting in his classroom, or his bashful approach to seduction with Marion). He's not a "guy's guy"... he's an academic!

In my mind, he's both in the first movie. In the sequels, he's more of a tough guy that also happens to know stuff when he needs to.

Sixteen Candles from the same year is also on the list I guess for a Chinese exchange student that is in the film...which some people apparently describe as some of the worst racism ever committed to celluloid.

I don't think it's the worst racism ever but it's some of the worst in a mainstream movie in the last few decades. *gong sound effect*

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I have blonde hair and blue eyes and so my friends when I was a kid would always joke about me being part of the Aryan race...to which I would joke that I was also half Scottish so sure I would drink too much and occasionally invade a country but I would be polite when I did.

Anyway, I guess the liquor store thing was my one moment where somebody treated me in a bad way due to my race. It sort of amused me more than anything though. I have had some weird moments where people asked me about Hitler when it was revealed I was part German...like being German means I need to explain myself with regards to Hitler...but mostly I take that as people being somewhat uneducated on the topic. And hey, Germans have been used a lot as bad guys in films and so I guess that means I should be prepared to explain why I am not a bad guy, ha.

I do have a hard time getting the stewardesses to speak to me in English when I fly Lufthansa...should I think of that as "discrimination?"

 

[Tino]

I have neither the time nor the energy nor the inclination to explain racism to people. No matter how much you love the film, it would be disingenuous to argue that it's not racially or culturally insensitive (again, the Indian government refused to them shoot it there because it was offensive).

What makes you think you have to explain racism to people? You're an expert? Because they disagree with your opinion? Jeez Dude. No one is asking you to explain anything. [emoji15]

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I've never seen Sixteen Candles so I don't know exactly what they did but my wife said that it was "sickening" and in very bad taste. I was sort of stunned because I was thinking "Isn't it just some kind of Molly Ringwald teen romance thing?" and why would there be something "racist" in a Molly Ringwald movie...hilariously, I was imagining Molly Ringwald yelling racial epithets at another character.

Honestly, before I watched Temple of Doom recently I could not recall what was in the film. I only saw it once when it opened in 1984 and so had forgotten the majority of the film including the opening song and dance...which I wonder if they thought that was "racist" as well because they had white women portraying Chinese women. I'm guessing we were supposed to think all the background dancers were Chinese. I mean that would be blown up as an issue now.

 

[Tino]

And again in the words of a famous genius......

[emoji12][emoji13]

 

[TravisR]

I've never seen Sixteen Candles so I don't know exactly what they did but my wife said that it was "sickening" and in very bad taste. I was sort of stunned because I was thinking "Isn't it just some kind of Molly Ringwald teen romance thing?" and why would there be something "racist" in a Molly Ringwald movie...hilariously, I was imagining Molly Ringwald yelling racial epithets at another character.

There's an exchange student character called Long Duk Dong who is just a stereotype and they play his accent for jokes. I'm sure if you look up Sixteen Candles or Long Duk Dong on You Tube, you can find some clips. I like the movie overall but it's tough to defend the Donger.