The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Volume 3
Review by Tate Blackmore
This third and final DVD set from Paramount follows Young Indy (Sean Patrick Flannery) through years of great change, as he transitions from a soldier and spy in The Great War to a college student, majoring in archeology. While Indy does not meet Abner Ravenwood, Marion’s Father and Indy’s mentor, he does get tangled in a love triangle with Ernest Hemingway, works for legendary director John Ford, discusses the treaty of Versailles with Lawrence of Arabia, and shares a dorm room with Eliot Ness. Lighter in tone than Vol. 2: The War Years, paint an interesting portrait of an optimistic yet hesitant world, reeling from the most violent and catastrophic war to date. And, at the center of all the action, of course, is young Henry Jones, Jr.! Standout episodes include:
The Mystery of the Blues
It doesn’t get much better than this! In the episode, Harrison Ford makes his only Young Indy appearance, sporting the beard he wore in The Fugitive and narrating a tale about working his way through college as a waiter at a jazz club. Set in Wyoming, 1950, Ford’s brief cameo bridges the gap between The Last Crusade and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The adventure itself is a rollicking good time, as young Indy learns how to play jazz with some of the Chicago greats and then solves a murder mystery with Ernest Hemingway and a young, nerdy Eliot Ness. The second Blues disc is loaded with great special features, including documentaries on Louis Armstrong, prohibition, Al “Scarface” Capone, and Eliot Ness. The latter two feature commentary from Road to Perdition author Max Allan Collins. You’ll be doing the Charleston in no time!
Winds of Change
Working as a translator at the Paris Pease Conference, Indy witnesses the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The second half is an unaired episode, set in Princeton, 1919, depicting Indy’s return home. He butts heads with his rigid father, setting the foundation for Last Crusade. The scene at the dinner table, in which Indy informs his father that they do not have a normal father-son relationship, nicely echoes the conversation aboard the Nazi zeppelin in Crusade. Accompanying the episode are informative documentaries on The Paris Peace Conference and Woodrow Wilson.
Treasure of the Peacock’s Eye
At the end of the war, Indy and Remy find a treasure map that sets them on a globe trotting adventure for the mysterious Peacock’s Eye. One of the best episodes of the series, Indy battles pirates, runs from headhunters, and matches wits with a greedy, one-eyed treasure hunter. On a tropical island, Indy meets anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski, who helps him make a life-altering decision to abandon the hunt for the Peacock’s Eye and become an archeologist.
Masks of Evil
Clearly the darkest episode of the set, Indy and an elite group of allied spies head deep into the heart of Transylvania, seeking missing officers and come face to face with Vlad the Impaler. What’s that you say, Vlad the Imapler died in 1476? Is Lucas smokin’ death sticks? Perhaps, but remember, vampires can’t die! While this adventure doesn’t quite fit the aesthetic of the other, lighter episodes, it’s a neat horror mystery, accompanied by a cool documentary called “Dracula—Fact or Fiction” that features commentary from director Roger Corman.
Overall Impressions
Like the first two Young Indy sets, this one is packed full of educational and thoroughly researched documentaries, making this set a must-have for hardcore fans and teachers. Furthermore, several of the episodes are among the best of the show’s entire run and begin shaping the title character into the tenacious archeologist-treasure hunter featured in the three, soon-to-be four films. (A rumored third season was to have Indy encounter a young Belloq and Abner Ravenwood.) Some fans have complained at the high price of these sets, but with an average of four, well-produced documentaries per episode, each disc is pretty loaded. While it took several years of waiting, Lucas Film has created something very unique not only for Indy fans but also for teachers and history buffs.
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles is available for purchase at Amazon.com
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