Cutler: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indy changes from mercenary knight to indentured knight and finally to the Holy Grail quest knight. The first scene in this film where Indy is shown as a mercenary knight is when he steals Coronado's cross from the bandits in Utah. Even though he is doing it for a good cause ("it belongs in a museum"), he is still stealing it, therefore doing it for his own gain. The next scene shows Indy as an indentured knight. He and his father narrowly escape the Nazis and come to a crossroads. Indy wants to go find Elsa, but Henry Sr wants to retrieve his diary in the enemy territory (Berlin). Indy begrudgingly obeys his father and becomes indentured to him and his quest to find the Holy Grail. Finally, we see Indy as a Grail quest knight. After years of his distant relationship with his father, Indy realizes that he is on a spiritual quest to find the Grail and he must respect that. He joins his father in finding the Grail. The scene when Henry Sr is shot, Indy becomes a Grail quest knight and follows his father's dream by searching for the Grail using his diary. He uses his knowledge that his father had instilled in him all throughout his life to realize that the Grail is modest and not flashy, so he picks the right one. In the end, Indy narrowly escapes but he has the knowledge that he found the Grail with help from his father.

Gooch- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Although each of the movies in the Indiana Jones trilogy is meant to show Indiana’s journey through each stage of knightly formation, The Last Crusade has elements of all three stages in one movie. This last mission of the trilogy is the perfect mission for him to fully transform into the Aristocratic, or Spiritual, Knight because it is personal. The journey with the father he barely knows challenges Indy to search more inside himself for what he believes. He is challenged to confront his

past and the resentment he holds against his father. The first part of The Last Crusade explains where Indiana’s love for escaping death in the pursuit of ancient artifacts was first born. In this back story, we see so many reasons why Indiana Jones is the way he is: his fear of snakes, his belief in preserving artifacts, why he has little belief in the law, and the distance between him and his father. In the ending scene of the back-story he is confronted with his pursuers and the sheriff, being forced to give the crucifix back. In this scene we see how he is formed into a Mercenary Knight. He no longer believes the law can help him, so instead he works on his own fighting without belief in the cause, but simply to achieve the artifacts and achieve

the thrill.

Then as Indiana finds out that his father is in trouble, he becomes much more invested in his mission to save him. This personal connection attaches Indiana to a bigger cause and transforms him into the Indentured Knight. We see how much he lacks spiritually still when we compare him to his father. His father is on this journey not for the thrill or to retrieve an artifact, but to protect the artifact from evil and find “illumination.” This is shown in the scene where Indiana is at the cross roads with his dad arguing about where to go. His father explains why he has searched for so long for the Holy Grail, but Indiana still won’t believe because he has suffered from his father’s dedication to his mission.

We see Indiana reach his final stage at the end of the movie when he has to retrieve the Holy Grail in order to save his father. He has to go through three stages that are no longer based simply on cunning, like his previous tests, but on spiritual kn

owledge. We see him accept his role as a Spiritual Knight when he is hanging from his father’s arm trying to reach the grail. He is faced with the choice to risk his life one more time and retrieve an ancient artifact, or simply appreciate what it had done to save his father and leave it behind. In his refusal to reach for it and walk away with his father, he proves his worthiness to be a Spiritual Knight.

Lazo - The Last Crusade

The Indiana Jones trilogy as a whole depicts the three stages of a knight's quest: mercenary, indentured, and Grail quest. There is, however, a depiction of all three stages in The Last Crusade. The condensing of the knight's journey into one film highlights the shift in authority figures as the knight transitions from mercenary to Grail quest.

Indy is first scene as a mercenary knight on the boat by the Portuguese coast. This is best shown by the transition that precedes this scene. The mercenary gives Young Indy his hat, and the film immediately shifts to 1938, underscoring that Indy is, on some level, imitating that rogue who gave him the hat so many years prior. Further, Indy is stealing. No matter how much he says, "It belongs in a museum," he is exercising his own rogue interpretations of right and wrong by stealing the Cross of Coronado. Even though he is getting the cross for a museum, he is answering to no one but himself.

Indy reclaims his position as an indentured knight when he answers the government's call to find his father and seek the Holy Grail. Here, he is serving two master: his father and his government. Indy must save his father because, well, he's his father. He is also once again helping his country by seeking the Grail to keep it from the Nazis, who would use it for evil. His motives are greater than that of money or his own interests; instead, they serve a greater authority in the forms of his father and government.


One of the most significant scenes comes after Indy has rescued Henry Jones, Sr. Father and son arrive at a physical fork in the road that represents the two paths Indy can take. He can either go to Venice and try to save Marcus, making him an indentured knight (interested in a greater good, but not a spiritual one) or head to Berlin to retrieve the Grail diary, becoming a Grail knight. Henry convinces Indy of the importance of the diary, saying that the quest for the Grail is bigger than any one man and emphasizes the spirituality of discovering it. They go to Berlin. Indy accepts the Grail quest with an understanding and faith in a greater power above humanity in the form of God.

Roberts-Temple of Doom

In the beginning Indiana is approached by a small village for help when one of their shrine stones goes missing. They believe that he was sent to them from Shiva to return it to them. Indiana is apprehensive and faithless until he realizes that the stone may be a Sankara stone which if retrieved would promise fortune and glory. His journey for the stone is not to help the village but to advance himself. Fast forward to the end. Indiana has drunk the blood of Kali, been rescued by Shorty, and now the original trio are trying to make their escape across a flimsy rope bridge. This is where Indiana's Apotheosis occurs.
Originally doubting the faith of the villagers from before Indiana now invokes the power of Shiva in order to defeat the villain. He no longer seems worried about his original goal of fortune and glory and instead threatens to dispose of the stones when Willie and Shorty's lives are threatened. Finally he is not upset when two of the three stones are lost to the crocodiles below. He has the one that was needed for the village's shrine. He returns it to the village and concludes his journey.

Cutler: Temple of Doom

In Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the scene on the rope bridge is both an apotheosis for Indiana Jones and an initiation into a higher form of behavior. Before the bridge scene, Indiana was just in it for money and glory, living up to his categorization of the mercenary knight. However, on the bridge, he lets go of his opinion that the stone was just a ghost story. When he is stuck on the bridge with Short Round and the stones after escaping the Temple of Doom, his enemies have him surrounded. He decides to cut the bridge, sending the other men into their watery grave, and saving himself, Short Round and Willie. It seemed like a crazy action as he said "prepare to meet Kali in HELL!" but he did it when he realizes he can't act like a mercenary hero anymore.
He used the powers of the stones to go through an apotheosis into a higher form of behavior, both literally and religiously. The stones were a religion for the people of the village and he used them to connect with a higher being to save the stones and kill the antagonists. He also went through an initiation into a higher form of behavior because he no longer acted selfishly and for the fortune and the glory, but rather for the sake of the village and Willie.
When the climatic rope bridge scene ends, we see Indy in an entirely new way. He no longer wants money, but uses his skills as an archeologist in a good way to better more people.

Massiha Temple of Doom

Indiana goes from a willing mercenary to a village hero. In the beginning of Temple of Doom, all he wants his fortune and glory. When he’s first told in the village about the stone, he dismisses it as an old ghost story. Shorty tries to warn him that he will get killed if he goes, but Indiana’s fortune and glory motto holds true and lures him into the adventure. He just doesn’t realize how much crap he got himself into. You’d think after he almost got impaled to death and was chased after a creepy shaman and a couple hundred Thuggees that he would quit with the fortune and glory BS. But, it takes Indy being under the Kali influence, witnessing a sacrifice, and seeing child slaves, to finally realize this stuffs no joke. Fast forward to Indiana being on the rope bridge surrounded by Thuggee lead by their creepy priest leader. It’s at that moment he you realize he has to make a decision. As he’s dangling from the rope bridge he just cut, the creepy shaman decides to a pull used car saleman line and say just give me the stone and I’ll spare you guys cliché bad guy line. Indiana pretty much rejects him and at the point we don’t know if it’s because he wants the stones for himself or for the village. The shaman then gets angry as most rejected people do and tries to steal the stones. Mind you they are dangling over a crocodile infested river. One thing leads to another and Indiana starts a chant. He tells the shaman that he betrayed Shiva and that this is revenge. He starts chanting faster and thus ignites the stone. The shaman refusing to let the stone drop to the crocodiles, reaches out for the stone and consequently burns his hands and plummets down to the crocodiles, but not before Indiana can catch the

stone. It’s not til everyone is waiting for Indiana to climb up that we notice the change. He hoists the stone up first and that’s when we realize it’s not about the fortune and glory. It’s about doing the right thing. He realizes that the village needs it and that it does hold power. I guess not all things belong in a museum.

Morris- Bridge Scene

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom begins with the title character being up for anything as long as he will achieve "fortune and glory". When Indie is asked, or rather told, by the head of the village to go to Pankot Palace and retrieve the stone that had been stolen, Indie does it only because he realizes the stone's value to himself. He does not believe that the stone was the source of life for the village.

Once Indie sees the stone's power at work and even experiences it himself, he starts to believe in it. This new found belief is what saves him on the bridge.

When Indie is hanging on the bridge with Mola Ram, his only hope is his belief in the stone's power. Throughout his journey, he has seen what the stones can do, and he developed a belief in something more powerful than himself. He no longer dismisses the villagers' desire to have the stone back because he knows how powerful it really is. Indie surrenders himself to the power of the stone, trusting it will save him, and he is right. The stone catches fire and Mola Ram falls to his death.

To complete his journey, Indiana Jones returns to the village with the stone and the children as he was supposed to. Willie asks him why he returned the stone instead of putting it in a museum, and his answer shows that he has changed in his journey. He took others into consideration before himself. Although, he also says that he will keep looking for "fortune and glory" which shows that there is more to his transformation to come.

Ramon- Temple of Doom

The difference in belief and believing is a great one. It is one thing for someone to be aware of a certain belief a group has, but believing is the key to success in a journey. To make reference to sport, a team must not only execute a system of play the their coach has set for them, but they must also genuine belief in that system for a sense of confidence among the members an a cohesive unit to become truly successful. That is directly equated to the apotheosis Indiana Jones goes through in Temple of Doom. In the beginning of Act II, Shorty is told by Indiana that the villagers merely told him a ghost story about the stone’s importance to the village. At this point, Indiana is a pure mercenary (like we see in the bar in Episode IV: New Hope). Jumping to (pun) the scene on the bridge, Indiana emerges from a state of belief to believing in the power of the stones.

In a hermeneutic arc, one goes through constant states of refection and experience. Not all of these experiences come from “good.” Here Indiana’s believing comes from his journey to the underworld, where “evil” reigns. It is through our experiences with ‘evil” that we grow to a sense of “good.” Once Indiana experiences the underworld, he is drawn to the side of “good” for which he must fight to protect. Indiana uses the divine powers of “good” as a catalyst to overcome Mola Ram, thus overcoming “evil.” In the hero’s journey, he is sent to bring back an item from the underworld to the people he is a part of or sent to be a part of. The hero’s journey would not be complete if Indiana would have taken the stone to a museum. 

Triay - Temple of Doom

In Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, we see Indiana Jones differently than in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Set one year before the events of Raiders, Jones is portrayed as a Mercenary Knight, letting his loyalties fall to whomever presents the most money. The opening scene demonstrates this, as Jones strikes a deal with a Chinese gangster that betrays him by poisoning him and taking Jones's payment (the diamond), setting in motion the events of the film.

Jones and his side-kick Short Round with the club singer Willie Scott eventually find themselves aiding a desperate Indian village whose magical stones have been stolen by a religious cult known as the Thuggees. Jones begins to see within himself the path to virtuousness when he agrees to help the Indians. After eating some monkey brains, heavy flirting, and a death by ceiling fan, the group finds themselves within the Temple of Doom.

Eventually, Jones retrieves the three magic stones and saves all the enslaved children. As he is escaping the Temple of Doom, he finds himself trapped on a bridge with the stones. The Thuggees are closing in on him, swords drawn. It is at this moment that Indiana Jones (as the Mercenary Knight) enters "the wasteland" within himself. He realizes that his role as the Mercenary Knight must come to an end. He has seen the good works he has done by saving the children and retrieving the stones, and he realizes that he cannot be a sympathetic Mercenary. He must decide what path to take. This apotheosis leads Jones to abandon his mantra of "fortune and glory" and let his loyalties lie within the path of virtue.

Koeferl- Harrison Ford's apotheosis on the bridge

Indiana Jones is trapped- enemies are closing in on him from both sides of the bridge. This represents the two paths that he can take. We do not yet know whether he will try to sell the stones or give them back to the village people (he still has all three stones). Back in the temple, Jones throws a rock at one of the Thuggee in an attempt to help the children. As he's escaping the temple, he makes the decision to rescue the children as well as themselves. Although he cares for the children, we know that he also cares about his fortune and glory. On the bridge, we know that Indie is going to try to survive one way or the other, but it is not until he accesses the power of the stones that he understands the significance of the religion. He realized that the remaining stone was more important to these villagers than to anyone else (even himself!).

Theology and religious beliefs are rhyming elements in the Indiana Jones series. In both Temple of Doom and Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indie is confronted with religious artifacts and until the end of each of these films, he doesn't believe in any "mumbo jumbo" spiritual beliefs. An apotheosis is the "exaltation of a subject to a divine level". In the end of the bridge scene of Temple of Doom, Indie comes to believe in the power of the stones, and actually uses them to cast the antagonist into the crocodile-infested ravine. In that moment, Indiana Jones experiences an apotheosis and reaches a godlike level.

It might seem like Indie used the stones only to survive and not because he actually believed in the stones' power or in any religion (this is what I thought at first). However, he wouldn't have been able to use the stones if he wanted to keep them for himself or if he was planning to turn them in for personal wealth or glory. If that were the case, he wouldn't have truly believed in the religion. Indie was able to overcome the priest because the priest had betrayed Shiva, and Indie was trying to return the stones to the village. He was fighting for the right reasons, and the priest wanted the stones for the wrong reasons. He could use the stones only because he believed in the power of the religion.

Kuebler-Temple of Doom

In this scene Indiana Jones seems to transform from grave robber to a brave archeologist with a purpose. Before this his mission was for personal gain and fortune. It was in this moment that he realized that he could not just hand the stones over to the evil shaman of the dark tribe. When he exudes such bravery it becomes apparent that he is no longer in this for himself as he is risking his life for his friends and the people of the village.

If one looks they can see the discomfort in his eyes when he realizes that he must make a choice and that it must be one of a higher calling. Putting one's life on the edge like this usually creates a change. This is truly noticed when he throws two of the three stones into the river and begins to show faith in the magic of the stones. The shaman is cast into the water as one who has broken the faith and turned his back on shiva. What was once an adventure for fortune and glory has now become one of life and renewal of character.

As Indie climbs up the latter after his near death fall and struggle with the shaman the party can see the change that he has undergone. He hold up the stone with pride that he was able to save one stone in order to return to the village. When they are in the village Willie asks Indie about his fortune and glory and he responds that the adventure is not over yet. This shows that he has not fully transformed but is on the road to becoming a "knight." He then proceeds to take his "prize" and catches Willie with his whip, showing that he no longer cares for the gold but wishes the hand of a maiden, much like any knight of the round.

Hutchinson- Temple of Doom

Throughout Temple of Doom, we watch Indiana Jones go on a quest for the sacred rock that was stolen from the village. It is clear from the beginning that Jones isn't searching for the rocks to help the people of the village but to find "fortune and glory" for himself. It is his mantra, always he says he is after "fortune and glory." Being a scholar, he doesn't actually believe in the sacred powers of the stone that were described by the villagers. However, he does understand the historical value, and he hopes that finding the stone will secure the fame and wealth he's been craving.

Fortunately for the people of the village (and the audience for that matter), Indy starts to develop a conscience. His journey brings about a change in him that finally breaks through in the scene on the bridge. The creepy priest guy gives him a chance to save himself and Shorthand and Willie if he gives up the stones. Naturally, Indy says no, but it's still unclear whether that's because he wants the stones, or he wants to return them to the villagers. It isn't until Indy and the creepy priest are dangling perilously from the severed bridge that Indy's change comes to fruition.

The creepy priest tries to take the rock from Indy's satchel, but Indy's belief brings the rock to life, burning the priest and sending him to his immediate doom. Indy realized that the priest betrayed Shiva, and that he had fallen (quite literally) from the faith. He saw the path the priest's actions had taken. He saw that there was more death than life, and more suffering than prosperity. He freed the children from the mines. He knew that he was their only chance for salvation. He knew that the priest took the stone, it would never end. Indy was the savior, and this realization brought belief. The belief brought the power needed to save the village's children. No longer is it just about Indiana Jones and "fortune and glory," it is about the communities and the people.