Great Character: Professor Henry Jones (“Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”)
This month’s theme: Father figures. Today’s guest post by Jason Cuthbert features Professor Henry Jones from the 1989 movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, screenplay by Jeffrey Boam, story by George Lucas and
Menno Meyjes, characters by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman.
“Raiders of the Lost Ark” introduced audiences to the iconic retro adventurer of archeology known as Indiana Jones. Indy’s creator George Lucas may have been creating his own version of the globetrotting hero James Bond with Indiana Jones. But when the 1989 third edition, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” was released, James Bond had a chance to join Indiana Jones to face the bad guys “mano y mano” via Bond’s beloved actor Sean Connery playing Indiana’s father figure Professor Henry Jones.
Directed by George Lucas’ juggernaut celluloid superstar collaborator Steven Spielberg, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” not only gives audiences an insight into Dr. Jone’s boyhood affection for antiquities, but also a peek at a 12-year-old Indiana Jones getting his first fedora, how Indy realized whips can be a life saver and his father’s direct and indirect influence on his life. Screenwriters Jeffrey Boam (“The Lost Boys,” “Innerspace”) and Tom Stoppard (“Empire of the Sun,” “Brazil”) crafted the script from a story concocted by George Lucas himself and Menno Meyjes (“The Color Purple,” “Empire of the Sun”) that provided much of the bright light-hearted charisma of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and much less of the gore and gloom of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” Much of the excitement and sentiment that was evoked in “Indy3” revolved around the complicated father and son relationship between Jones Junior and Jones Senior.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade plot summary from IMDB:
When Dr. Henry Jones Sr. suddenly goes missing while pursuing the Holy Grail, eminent archaeologist Indiana Jones must follow in his father’s footsteps and stop the Nazis.
Professor Henry Jones is portrayed as Indy’s father, but also the competitive measuring stick that Indy privately calculates his progress with. As soon as we first meet Henry Jones, although it is partially off-screen, we learn just how addicted to archeology he is, specifically the Holy Grail. His work has him transfixed to the point that he never moves a muscle when his home is filled law enforcement confronting Young Indy (River Phoenix) with the treasure snatcher Indiana “stole from” and a room full of witnesses. Henry Jones can’t even be bothered to utter a lazy “What’s going on in there?” during the front room commotion.
PROFESSOR HENRY JONES: Actually, I was a wonderful father
INDIANA JONES: When?
PROFESSOR HENRY JONES: Did I ever tell you to eat up? Go to bed? Wash your ears? Do your homework? No. I respected your privacy and I taught you self- reliance.
INDIANA JONES: What you taught me was that I was less important to you than people who had been dead for five hundred years in another country. And I learned it so well that we’ve hardly spoken for twenty years.
PROFESSOR HENRY JONES: You left just when you were becoming interesting.
Henry Jones doesn’t despise his son, but he definitely adopted his Holy Grail passion at the expense of Indiana’s need for an active father who is emotionally invested. He raised Indiana under the same roof, but unfortunately from an invisible vantage point. The hurt and resentment that is built up in “Junior” is to the point that he has taken on the name of the family dog “Indiana” (named after George Lucas’ dog also) instead of proudly being acknowledged by his birth certificate name Henry. Indy also makes every attempt to not just follow in his poppa’s footsteps career-wise but to outdo him every chance he gets. Indiana Jones points out that students don’t enjoy his dad’s teaching abilities, he frowns on Henry’s “filling of the age gap” sexual affair with the much younger Elsa, who Indy also got some “rhythm” from, and Indy openly takes pride in the fact that he is the one trying to save his dad and not the other way around.
PROFESSOR HENRY JONES: You dolt! You think my son would be that stupid? That he would bring my diary all the way back here?
[pause]
PROFESSOR HENRY JONES: You didn’t, did you?
[another pause]
PROFESSOR HENRY JONES: You didn’t bring it, did you?
INDIANA JONES: Well, uh…
PROFESSOR HENRY JONES: You *did*!
INDIANA JONES: Look, can we discuss this later?
PROFESSOR HENRY JONES: I should have mailed it to the Marx Brothers!
INDIANA JONES: Will you take it easy?
PROFESSOR HENRY JONES: Take it easy? Why do you think I sent it home in the first place? So it wouldn’t fall into their hands!
INDIANA JONES: I came here to SAVE you!
PROFESSOR HENRY JONES: Oh, yeah? And who’s gonna come to save you, JUNIOR?
INDIANA JONES: [shouts] I told you…
[grabs a gun and shoots all soldiers dead]
INDIANA JONES: DON’T call me Junior!
PROFESSOR HENRY JONES: Look what you did! I can’t believe what you did!
Before Henry even thinks to give Indiana Jones any credit for saving their lives, especially his, Henry’s first instinct is to criticize and belittle his son’s efforts. This is not to say that killing a group of guys deserves a standing ovation and a ten-minute applause. But these soldiers were not exactly holding Indiana and Henry captive to play some video games and have a sleepover party. It was do-or-die, literally, and Indiana rose to the occasion. But even though Indiana has earned a lifetime worth of stripes in the violence department, Henry still sticks to his limited survival skillset and shows Indiana what an umbrella can do when it isn’t raining.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzE6-WZtOi4
The character arc that Professor Henry Jones faces is the balancing act of having a passionate career and having passion for his family. This is a man who was better at historical research than parenting and must now face that reality after 20 years of separation and in the midst of a life-or-death situation that his son has much more experience in. What makes matters worse, and much more interesting is that Henry fights tooth and nail against any compromise of his pride, refusing to make room for humility. Henry clings to his fatherhood seniority card over his grown son as an excuse to keep any regrets to himself — until he almost loses Henry Junior forever.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvcpFTLZwrU
Even with this false alarm emotional breakthrough between father and son, Henry quickly reverts back to guarding his heart, hiding his flaws and refusing to relinquish any submission to Indy’s abilities. What is required is for Indiana to literally save his father’s life while risking his own for Henry’s “I’m the Father, Do as I say, not as I do” ego to deflate and for mutual respect to rear its head high.
For his rapid wit, his realistic struggle with obsession and his reluctant journey to patriarchal redemption — Professor Henry Jones is a multi-dimensional GREAT CHARACTER.
The inclusion of this father figure Professor Henry Jones really gave a jolt to the franchise and opened a new window into Indiana’s persona. Plus the father-son dynamic is a complete hoot.
Thanks to Jason for yet another Great Character post. Join us in comments for a discussion of Professor Jones in the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
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