If you’re a creative filmmaker who loses out on the chance to play in a particular sandbox, it presents an opportunity to create something of your own to rival the original. George Lucas did it when he couldn’t get the rights to Flash Gordon, and thus Star Wars was born. But apparently not only was the entire character of Indiana Jones created when Steven Spielberg couldn’t land a directing gig in that universe, there was also an entire scene in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom that featured a bit of a dig at 007 and his home studio.
As highlighted by the Twitter account Hidden Easter Eggs, the twice-rejected Spielberg helped bring Indiana Jones to life in a franchise that was instrumental in cementing him as a blockbuster filmmaker. But when the time came to make the 1984 prequel to the wildly successful Raiders of the Lost Ark, a bit of familiar costuming helped scratch the Bond style itch that Steven Spielberg had early in his career, whether the folks at MGM and EON Productions thought he was capable of the gig or not. For a side by side comparison, here’s how specific the similarities were:
To be perfectly honest, the white tuxedo/red flower look is something that definitely plays with both Sean Connery and Harrison Ford. The ruggedly handsome look of both actors made the same outfit iconic in two different ways, and one could only imagine this fact helped eventually cast Connery as Ford’s father in 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. However, there is a crucial difference that makes the usage of this outfit another dig at the Bond legacy.
While Goldfinger saw James Bond coolly escape an explosion and foil an assassin while wearing this particular ensemble, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom saw some rather bumbling circumstances befall Dr. Jones when he wore that tuxedo. Not only was he poisoned and fumbling through a musical number in progress, but the ensuing action sends him on his adventure in rather accidental fashion:
Maybe Indy’s father was right when he said the Marx Brothers could have saved the world more effectively than his son. But even as a bumbler, we never do see Indiana Jones down for long in the legendary series that bears his name. Even with a fifth film in the works after an extended absence, Harrison Ford’s hero was never meant as a total slam to the James Bond legacy. Instead, Steven Spielberg proved he was more than up to the task of making 007 movies, and he did it without even playing by the official playbook.
Indiana Jones 5 will see director James Mangold taking the reins, but we’ll have to wait until at least July 2022 to see the results. Meanwhile, James Bond should return to screens soon if No Time To Die’s April 2, 2021 debut holds at the theatrical market. But if you want the full picture for the next year at the multiplex, the 2021 release schedule is here to lead you to fortune and glory, kid.
