ELSA: “Don’t look at me like that. We both wanted the Grail. I would have done anything to get it. You would have done the same.” INDY: “I’m sorry you think so.”
I agree with nearly everything you wrote about IJATLC, and your comparison of it to Raiders. I liked your point at the end as well, regarding the two artifacts. Let me add two points/opinions.
One element of both films that lend to their fun and adventure is the change of locales. Neither movie is static (one reason why Temple of Doom pales in comparison). Exotic locations, cities, and milieus adds to the excitement and scale.
Point two re: set pieces. I gotta give the nod to Raiders, if solely for the Nepalese tavern fight - including his reunion with Marion. So much said with so little dialogue. Best brawl (with a clever plot point hidden in plain sight) bar none. And yes, I intended that pun.
Honorable mention: the Cairo market fight scene is also perfect - most iconic improvisational scene ever, in my estimsation.
That's a wonderful brawl, Larry . And the bit about the staff's head is fantastic, as you mention. The clarity in all the sequences in Raiders is extraordinary, truly. Picking between the two films is a tall task, for sure. (And probably an impossible one.)
At the opening of this Every Frame a Painting video, Tony Zhou has a wonderful analysis of the technical subtlety in the sequences right before the brawl: https://youtu.be/8q4X2vDRfRk.
And the point about locale is dead-on, as well. I have such vivid memories of that little plane, circling the globe. And of the red line that tracks Indy's progress. Great stuff.
I agree with nearly everything you wrote about IJATLC, and your comparison of it to Raiders. I liked your point at the end as well, regarding the two artifacts. Let me add two points/opinions.
One element of both films that lend to their fun and adventure is the change of locales. Neither movie is static (one reason why Temple of Doom pales in comparison). Exotic locations, cities, and milieus adds to the excitement and scale.
Point two re: set pieces. I gotta give the nod to Raiders, if solely for the Nepalese tavern fight - including his reunion with Marion. So much said with so little dialogue. Best brawl (with a clever plot point hidden in plain sight) bar none. And yes, I intended that pun.
Honorable mention: the Cairo market fight scene is also perfect - most iconic improvisational scene ever, in my estimsation.
That's a wonderful brawl, Larry . And the bit about the staff's head is fantastic, as you mention. The clarity in all the sequences in Raiders is extraordinary, truly. Picking between the two films is a tall task, for sure. (And probably an impossible one.)
At the opening of this Every Frame a Painting video, Tony Zhou has a wonderful analysis of the technical subtlety in the sequences right before the brawl: https://youtu.be/8q4X2vDRfRk.
And the point about locale is dead-on, as well. I have such vivid memories of that little plane, circling the globe. And of the red line that tracks Indy's progress. Great stuff.