Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade [Special Edition]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

The third installment in the widely beloved Spielberg/Lucas Indiana Jones saga begins with an introduction to a younger Indy (played by the late River Phoenix), who, through a fast-paced prologue, gives the audience insight into the roots of his taste for adventure, fear of snakes, and dogged determination to take historical artifacts out of the hands of bad guys and into the museums in which they belong. A grown-up Indy (Harrison Ford) reveals himself shortly afterward in a familiar classroom scene, teaching archeology to a disproportionate number of starry-eyed female college students in 1938. Once again, however, Mr. Jones is drawn away from his day job after an art collector (Julian Glover) approaches him with a proposition to find the much sought after Holy Grail. Circumstances reveal that there was another avid archeologist in search of the famed cup -- Indiana Jones' father, Dr. Henry Jones (Sean Connery) -- who had recently disappeared during his efforts. The junior and senior members of the Jones family find themselves in a series of tough situations in locales ranging from Venice to the most treacherous spots in the Middle East. Complicating the situation further is the presence of Elsa (Alison Doody), a beautiful and intelligent woman with one fatal flaw: she's an undercover Nazi agent. The search for the grail is a dangerous quest, and its discovery may prove fatal to those who seek it for personal gain. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade earned a then record-breaking $50 million in its first week of release. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Audio: THX
• Features:
  • cc
  • New introduction by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas
  • Indy's women reminisce
  • Indy's friends and enemies
  • The Birth of an Action Hero! The Last Crusade opening scene storyboards
  • Photo galleries
  • LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures game demo

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Won Best Sound Effects - 1989 (Ben Burtt, Richard Hymns)
•     Nominated Best Score - 1989 (John Williams)
•     Nominated Best Sound - 1989 (Shawn Murphy, Tony Dawe, Ben Burtt, Gary Summers)

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pictu - 1989 (Sean Connery)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Harrison Ford - Indiana Jones
       Sean Connery - Dr. Henry Jones
       Denholm Elliott - Marcus Brody
       Alison Doody - Dr. Elsa Schneider
       John Rhys - Davies - Sallah
       River Phoenix - Young Indy
       Julian Glover - Walter Donovan
       Michael Byrne - Vogel
       Kevork Malikyan - Kazim
       Robert Eddison - Grail Knight
       Richard Young - Fedora
       Alexei Sayle - Sultan
       Alex Hyde - White - Young Henry
       Paul Maxwell - Panama Hat
       Billy Mitchell - Dr. Mulbray

• Director:

  Steven Spielberg

• Producer:

  Kathleen Kennedy, Robert Watts

• Screenwriter:

  Jeffrey Boam, Chris Columbus

• Screen Story:

  George Lucas, Menno Meyjes

• Screenwriter:

  Menno Meyjes

• Cinematographer:

  Paul Beeson, Douglas Slocombe

• Composer (Music Score):

  John Williams

• Editor:

  Michael Kahn

• Production Designer:

  Joan Bradshaw, Ian Bryce, Elliot Scott, Roy Button

• Art Director:

  Richard G. Berger, Benjamin Fernandez, Fred Hole, Guido Salsilli, Stephen Scott

• Associate Producer:

  Arthur Repola

• Executive Producer:

  George Lucas, Frank Marshall

• Set Designer:

  Peter Howitt, Alan S. Kaye

• Costume Designer:

  Joanna Johnston, Anthony Powell

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Ben Burtt

• Makeup:

  Peter Robb-King

• Special Effects:

  Michael J. McAlister, George Gibbs

• First Assistant Director:

  David Tomblin

• Stunts:

  Vic Armstrong

• Casting:

  Maggie Cartier

• Production Manager:

  Roy Button

• Casting:

  Judy Taylor, Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton

• Sound Effects Editor:

  Richard Hymns

REVIEW:

• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, while perhaps lacking the impact of the original, is an invaluable addition to the acclaimed series. Steven Spielberg, seemingly aware of the mistakes made in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, utilized the formula of the first movie without making a duplicate by providing the audience with a pseudo-historical backdrop, offering a comedic and quite understandable explanation for the elder Indiana's fear of snakes, and the origins of his famous whip and hat. The late River Phoenix, looking every inch the young Indy, provides The Last Crusade with an exciting prologue, showcasing his then unsuccessful attempt across unsafe terrain and reptile-laden circus boxcars to wrestle a precious historical artifact away from those who wanted it for all the wrong reasons. Mixing a return to form with archaeological thrills, outrageous stunts, and deadpan comedy, The Last Crusade has all the charm of the first two films combined. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi