Henry Jones, Sr.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Indiana Jones character | |
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| Henry Jones Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Professor of Medieval Literature |
| Family | Anna Jones (wife, deceased) Henry "Indiana" Jones, Jr. (son) Henry "Mutt" Jones III (grandson)) Marion Ravenwood (daughter-in-law) |
| First appearance | Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade |
| Portrayed by | Sean Connery Lloyd Owen Alex Hyde-White |
Professor Henry Walton Jones, Sr. (1864?-1942?) is a fictional character in the Indiana Jones franchise. He is the estranged father of Indiana Jones, who is captured by Nazis while searching for the Holy Grail to act as bait for Indiana.
The character was portrayed by Sean Connery in the 1989 film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Alex Hyde-White cameoed as the younger Henry in the film's prologue (though his face was not seen, and Connery dubbed his voice). Lloyd Owen played Jones in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles TV series. The character subsequently made appearances in novels and a comic book.
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[edit] Characterization
The father of renowned archaeologist Indiana Jones, Jones Sr. is a professor of medieval history (he received his degree from the University of Oxford on June 5, 1899) who, according to his son, is "the one the students hope they don't get".[1]
A driven man, Jones Sr. was fascinated by the search for the Holy Grail, keeping all the clues he found regarding its whereabouts in his Grail diary. He is apparently a Christian (although his denomination is unclear). Certainly he does not tolerate his son using Jesus's name in vain, slapping the younger Jones across the face when he does so and telling him, "That's for blasphemy."[1]
Seemingly finding parenting difficult, Jones Sr. did not bond with his son during his childhood; after the death of his wife Anna from scarlet fever, the gulf between father and son grew to the point where they rarely spoke. To Indiana's disgust, Jones Sr. refers to his son only as "Junior".
Jones Sr. has a crippling fear of rats, similar to his son's fear of snakes. He also has a habit of saying "This is intolerable!" in particularly trying circumstances. Throughout the film, Henry is shocked by his son's violent lifestyle, such as when he guns down a pair of Nazis, and is unimpressed when his son defeats their Nazi pursuers with only a pole during their escape on motorcycle. During the tank battle, though, he blows up a truckful of Nazis to Brody's horror, explaining "It's war!"
[edit] Appearances
In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, set in 1938, Walter Donovan finds a tablet that provides new clues to the Grail's location, he hires Jones Sr. to lead an expedition to locate the artifact. While on the expedition, he discovers that his colleague (Elsa Schneider, whom he has a brief affair with) is working for the Nazis. Jones Sr. mails his Grail diary, with its many vital clues, to his son for safekeeping - shortly afterwards he (while working in a Venetian library) is captured by Nazi officials and interred in Brunwald Castle on the Austrian border.
He is eventually rescued from the castle by his son, and they learn that Donovan is also working with the Nazis. Jones Sr. convinces Indiana that the Grail must not be taken by the Nazis and that they need to go to Berlin to reclaim his Grail diary to complete the quest. During the course of the adventure, father and son grow closer and begin to resolve the issues that caused their estrangement. Henry is fatally shot by Donovan in the film's climax, but Indiana finds the Grail in time and uses it to heal his wounds. Henry returns the favor by rescuing Indiana from a rift (created when Elsa crosses a seal with the Grail), imploring his son to let the Grail go.
In The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, following the publication of a successful book on chivalry in 1909, Jones is invited to speak at a number of schools and universities around the world. He took his wife and son along with him, hiring his former tutor, Helen Seymour (portrayed by Margaret Tyzack) to tutor his son.
In Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Jones Sr. is hinted to have died prior to the events of the film. A framed photograph of him is seen on Indy's desk at one point in the film. (Indy also says Jones Sr.'s saying "This is intolerable" to Mutt, and "Grandpa is laughing somewhere now". Near the end of the movie, Indy addresses Mutt as "Junior".)
[edit] Conception
Steven Spielberg chose to introduce Indiana's father in the third film, as he found the Holy Grail an unspectacular plot device. Sean Connery was the obvious choice to play the role for him, as James Bond was an inspiration for Indiana.[2] George Lucas and Harrison Ford were surprised though. Ford explained Connery (born in 1930), was only twelve years older than him.[3] Connery enhanced the character, who was conceived as more bookish. He came up with the line "She talks in her sleep" while filming, which caused the crew to ruin the take as they found it so funny.[2]
To prepare for the role in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Lloyd Owen prepared by watching numerous Connery films and studied his accent. Owen shared the character's love of medieval history, having studied Geoffrey Chaucer's The Knight's Tale. Owen considered the character "a good father. I think that's obvious by the way Indy has turned out. He even said in the film that he's not the kind of father that says, 'Eat your food, go to bed, brush your teeth!' He's not that kind of guy at all. He's a very liberal parent for the 1900s."[4]
Connery turned down a cameo appearance in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), as he was enjoying retirement too much. In a statement, he provided one last piece of advice for "Junior" – keep the cliffs low, the monsters CGI and the whip close at hand to fend off the stunt coordinator.[5] George Lucas said in hindsight that it was good Connery did not appear, as it would disappoint the audience when his character did not join the film's adventure.[6] Ford joked, "I'm old enough to play my own father."[7]
[edit] Reception
Sean Connery received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance.[8]
Horizon released a vinyl model kit of Henry in 1993, which the buyer could assemble.[9] The Japanese company Kotobukiya will release a vinyl kit in 2008.[10] That same year, Hasbro released a 3 ¾-inch action figure that comes with his suitcase, umbrella and the Holy Grail; a die-cast model of him and Indiana in the motorcycle;[11] and a Might Mugg (caricature) toy.[12] Lego also made a Henry figure for its playset based on the motorcycle chase.[13]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
- ^ a b The Last Crusade: An Oral History. Empire Online. Retrieved on 2008-05-14.
- ^ (2003). Indiana Jones: Making the Trilogy (DVD). Paramount Pictures.
- ^ Young Indy Time Capsule Interview: Lloyd Owen. StarWars.com (2007-10-05). Retrieved on 2008-05-14.
- ^ Lucasfilm. "The Indiana Jones Cast Expands", IndianaJones.com, 2007-06-07. Retrieved on 2008-04-22.
- ^ Steve Sonsky. "George Lucas Hails Maverick Filmmakers, Teases Indy 4", TV Guide, 2007-09-18. Retrieved on 2008-04-22.
- ^ Steve Daly. "Harrison Ford Q&A: Indy speaks!", Entertainment Weekly, 2008-04-19. Retrieved on 2008-04-22.
- ^ Tom O'Neil. "Will 'Indiana Jones,' Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford come swashbuckling back into the awards fight?", Los Angeles Times, 2008-05-08. Retrieved on 2008-05-08.
- ^ Indiana Jones vinyl figure kits. TheRaider.net. Retrieved on 2008-05-15.
- ^ "USTF: Kotobukiya's Indiana Jones Lines", Action-Figure, 2008-02-16. Retrieved on 2008-05-15.
- ^ "Hasbro: What's Next For Indiana Jones?", Cool Toy Review, 2008-05-14. Retrieved on 2008-05-15.
- ^ Photo Archive: Hasbro – Indiana Jones. Cool Toy Review. Retrieved on 2008-05-15.
- ^ Motorcycle Chase. Cool Toy Review. Retrieved on 2008-05-15.
