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INFLUENCED SPIELBERG + CO TO CREATE INDY?

posted 15 years ago by wildpeckinpah
14 replies | jump to latest

Anyone else notice strong similarities between scenes in Papillon and Raiders of the Lost Ark?

In Papillon there's the scene where Papillon is making his second escape. Hoffman's character has just been captured and Papillon takes off with the Spanish guy. Several times with his dress (hat, weathered "white" shirt", denim trousers) and the way McQueen is framed, he looks much like a certain adventurous archaeologist.

Then as they're running through the jungle the Spanish guy steps on a trap and is impaled standing-up in a scene similar to when the traitorous Satipo is killed in Raiders. And Papillon approaches and walks around the body just like Indy.

Am I crazy and grasping at straws here?

[–] balboa76 15 years ago

I wouldn't say you're crazy lol grasping at straws, for sure, there are know similarities between Raiders of the Lost Ark and Papillon. You do have some valid points, but I don't think papillon influenced the makers of Raiders in the least.

[–] Thoe 15 years ago

Why not? McQueen was and kind of still is the epitome of cool. Surely Spielberg and co. had wanted their hero to be viewed in a similar way.

[–] dav2323 15 years ago

I didn't get the idea that Raiders of the Lost Ark could have been influenced by Papillon. I did however feel while watching this that The Shawshank Redemption could have been. Both basically center around the innocent fighting for freedom.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] lucid768 13 years ago

i absolutely agree. two films obviously owe a lot to the influence of papillion - either openly or subliminaly. one is raiders. that scene with the spanish guy in particular is absolutely like the opening scene of raiders. its almost a copy in certain aspects. its been mentioned here several times but the mood, pacing, themes, and even music from shawshank all pay clear homage or are at least influenced by this movie. great performances, an intriguing plot, some physcological interplay, and cool dream sequences all make this movie a winner in its own right.

[–] j-jameson 13 years ago

It's a possibility. I had the same feeling when he entered the sick mens hut.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] gribfritz2 12 years ago

I noticed the Indy "look" slightly before you mentioned it; when they arrive at the leper colony. Then the trap and finally, the blowguns. So you're not the only one who noticed the similarities. It was truly a wtf moment.

[–] vicky_lc2001 (1907) 7 years ago

I also felt it before that scene as well but it hit me hard by the spears trap scene.

[–] Eric-1226 12 years ago

There was a 1954 movie with Charlton Heston, "Secret of the Incas", which greatly influenced the creation of the character we know as Indiana Jones. It's uncanny in a few parts how closely Heston's character, Harry Steele, in that 1954 movie resembles the Harrison Ford character in the Indiana Jones series.

From Wikipedia:

Influence on Raiders of the Lost Ark

The film [Secret of the Incas] is often cited by film buffs as a direct inspiration for the Indiana Jones franchise of films, with many of the scenes in Secret of the Incas bearing a striking resemblance in tone and structure to scenes in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Throughout Secret of the Incas, the main character, Harry Steele, can be seen wearing the "Indiana Jones" outfit - brown leather jacket, fedora, tan pants, an over-the-shoulder bag, and revolver.[2] The character also sometimes wears a light beard, unusual for films of its time, and there is a tomb scene involving a revelatory shaft of light similar to the "Map Room" sequence in Raiders.

Raiders' costume designer Deborah Nadoolman Landis noted that the inspiration for Indiana's costume was Charlton Heston's Harry Steele in Secret of the Incas: "We did watch this film together as a crew several times, and I always thought it strange that the filmmakers did not credit it later as the inspiration for the series" and quipped that the film is "almost a shot for shot Raiders of the Lost Ark."[3]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_of_the_Incas#Influence_on_Raiders_ of_the_Lost_Ark

[–] James_Byrne 11 years ago

Some say McQueen's NEVADA SMITH was an influence on Indiana Jones - but there is only a similarity in the names.

As Eric-1226 stated above, Charlton Heston as Harry Steele in SECRET OF THE INCAS is the most obvious inspiration for the Indiana Jones character.

http://www.secretoftheincas.co.ukhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhSPcAyCgwE

[–] Silverhawkins 11 years ago

I totally agree with the OP and had the exact same thought myself as I watched the film.

"oh mummy, oh daddy - lets all play Kabadi!"

[–] vicky_lc2001 (1907) 7 years ago

That scene reminded me immediately of ROTLA as well.

[–] asd6644 (0) 4 years ago

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