Re: Well, I do... :(

Posted by Indiana Joe from dialup83.multilinkws.com on November 01, 1999 at 22:49:07:

In Reply to: Don't miss him... posted by Micah on November 01, 1999 at 17:28:04:

: I broke out a couple of the old ABC Young Indy eps recently, and I didn't realize how much I disliked the Old Indy bookends.

Don’t get me wrong, he’s not exactly the way I envisioned Indy in his ’90s - but then, not everyone gets to be that old in the first place, and in a number of the “bookends” old Indy showed himself to still be as charming, resourceful, witty, and strong of character as he was in his earlier years. The appeal of the portrayal aside, I also thought the majority of the stories simply worked better when given some sort of framing devices for context - almost without exception, I found the ones that were told in flashback by an older Indy, whether the 90+ year old or the 50 year old to be more involving than the one or two ABC aired without bookends, as well as the Family Channel movies, and it seems the framing scenes were the key. In other words, even if the Old Indy segments weren’t good on their own (and that’s debatable, of course), I think their presence made the rest of the show work better. Just my opinion, of course, and I’m aware that many disagree - hence the deletion of the bookends from the shows now; Lucas and McCallum apparently got negative feedback from some of the fans. But then, they never asked ME... :/

: I think the main problem I have is that Indy's domain is the heyday of archaeology full of mystique and adventure. The old Indy's domain is sitting in coach class talking to an airline exec, breaking up women at a dinner party arguing about fur. Ack!

Well, in all fairness one can’t expect the guy to have the adventure of anyone else’s lifetime every single day, and I actually like getting to see at least a bit of him in the ordinary circumstances that must surely define the greater part of even his time. It helps define the character, I think, and adds depth - one could expect him to live the same lifestyle into his old age, and if he did, it would actually make him less interesting. I mean, real people change and grow with their experiences; if Indy is to remain this heroic figure of interest to us, he has to grow and change the same way the people who follow his adventures do. That doesn’t mean never watching Raiders again, of course; it just means that other adventures from other parts of his life need to reflect some growth. To me, part of the reason Indy is so appealing is because he has depth not often found in “action hero” characters. I mean, I learned more about Indy as a person in just three films than I learned about James Bond in over a dozen. I’m not saying that to slam 007 - I’m quite aware many of the other forumgoers enjoy his exploits as much as they do Indy’s - I’m saying it because Indy is a more developed character than MOST other individuals in this kind of fiction. I enjoy admiring the character - and, frankly, I don’t think I’d admire him quite so much if he just went and did the exact same thing over and over without letting it change him at all, without him becoming more reflective...

Again, it’s just my opinion too! Thankfully, there’s room for both points of view, and many more ;-)

: Just my opinion,
: Micah

- IJ

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: : I broke out a couple of the old ABC Young Indy eps recently, and I didn't realize how much I disliked the Old Indy bookends.

: Don’t get me wrong, he’s not exactly the way I envisioned Indy in his ’90s - but then, not everyone gets to be that old in the first place, and in a number of the “bookends” old Indy showed himself to still be as charming, resourceful, witty, and strong of character as he was in his earlier years. The appeal of the portrayal aside, I also thought the majority of the stories simply worked better when given some sort of framing devices for context - almost without exception, I found the ones that were told in flashback by an older Indy, whether the 90+ year old or the 50 year old to be more involving than the one or two ABC aired without bookends, as well as the Family Channel movies, and it seems the framing scenes were the key. In other words, even if the Old Indy segments weren’t good on their own (and that’s debatable, of course), I think their presence made the rest of the show work better. Just my opinion, of course, and I’m aware that many disagree - hence the deletion of the bookends from the shows now; Lucas and McCallum apparently got negative feedback from some of the fans. But then, they never asked ME...   :/

: : I think the main problem I have is that Indy's domain is the heyday of archaeology full of mystique and adventure.  The old Indy's domain is sitting in coach class talking to an airline exec, breaking up women at a dinner party arguing about fur.  Ack!

: Well, in all fairness one can’t expect the guy to have the adventure of anyone else’s lifetime every single day, and I actually like getting to see at least a bit of him in the ordinary circumstances that must surely define the greater part of even his time. It helps define the character, I think, and adds depth - one could expect him to live the same lifestyle into his old age, and if he did, it would actually make him less interesting. I mean, real people change and grow with their experiences; if Indy is to remain this heroic figure of interest to us, he has to grow and change the same way the people who follow his adventures do. That doesn’t mean never watching Raiders again, of course; it just means that other adventures from other parts of his life need to reflect some growth. To me, part of the reason Indy is so appealing is because he has depth not often found in “action hero” characters. I mean, I learned more about Indy as a person in just three films than I learned about James Bond in over a dozen. I’m not saying that to slam 007 - I’m quite aware many of the other forumgoers enjoy his exploits as much as they do Indy’s - I’m saying it because Indy is a more developed character than MOST other individuals in this kind of fiction. I enjoy admiring the character - and, frankly, I don’t think I’d admire him quite so much if he just went and did the exact same thing over and over without letting it change him at all, without him becoming more reflective...

: Again, it’s just my opinion too! Thankfully, there’s room for both points of view, and many more  ;-)

: : Just my opinion,
: : Micah

: - IJ

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