Will New Indiana Jones Movie Be Good for Peru? Probably Not
Set for its world premiere today at the Cannes Film Festival, and then its wide release on Thursday, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull will feature Peru prominently in its story. One preview for the movie shows a plane flying over the Nazca Lines and according to another the characters will also take their quest to find the Crystal Skull into Peru’s jungles. Looking back at the past Indiana Jones movies, Peruvians should hold their breath before cheering the arrival of Indiana Jones in theaters.
While the Indiana Jones movies are unquestionably exciting as movie going experiences, they also unfortunately have often portrayed developing and non-western countries in a very negative light. The most striking example of the tendency is how the country of India is portrayed throughout Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. If you’ve seen the movie, then you most likely remember the striking scene where Indiana Jones and his cohorts are offered monkey brains as a delicacy inside the palace of a local person of prestige. Soon thereafter, the heroes find themselves in a secret passageway teeming with insects right next to a bedroom.
These, of course, are just a few examples of how India is treated as a destination. Probably the biggest insult though is the most dramatic and memorable aspect to the movie. A cult leader in the Temple of Doom rips peoples’ hearts out with his bare hands, in preparation for human sacrifices. I was a kid at the time that I first saw the movie. I think if I had seen it as an adult, all of these things would have made me want to jump right on a plane to India.
If you still aren’t believing that the Temple of Doom and other Indiana Jones movies have had some, to put it nicely, cultural deficiencies, check out this scholarly assessment of how Indiana Jones movies have tended to be racist. Other critics have also seen the movies as pro-American propaganda:
The tales of Indiana Jones are tales of knighthood, modernizations of medieval chivalric romances in which America stands in for the Arthurian court, the Third World becomes the forest of adventure, and the Nazis or Thugees function as hostile knights to be defeated in an effort to recuperate and reaffirm America’s cultural destiny.
So what does this mean for Peru? If the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull portrays Peru negatively, this might create a downtrend in tourism to Peru. Tourism is vitally important to Peru’s economy, and also to conservation of its archaeological and natural treasures. According to Peru’s National Institute of Natural Resources, approximately 93% of international tourists visited at least one protected area (e.g., national park) during their visits in 2002. These visits help boost international awareness and support for conserving and protecting the world treasures found in Peru.
There are quite a number of potential ways that the Kingdom of Crystal Skull might slight Peru and its people. Given that part of the movie’s events will take place in the Amazon rainforest, it’s very possible that its ecosystems will be treated as exotic and foreign, teeming with unpleasantries such as dangerous insects, snakes, and hostile, savage natives. A preview for the movie, in fact, shows some form of indigenous-looking characters, that Indiana in narration refers to as the “living dead.” Of course, this probably won’t inspire many viewers to want to visit the rainforests of Peru. Nor will the film’s potential depiction of challenges in urban environments, transportation needs in the country (will we see llamas?), and its treatment of food offerings necessarily appeal in a positive way to viewers. Right now, I am imagining someone offering guinea pig to Indiana and his amigos and this being used as a point of grotesque humor for audiences. Can you believe they eat that? Gross!
The movie’s plot is also rumored to in some way to involve aliens. There are quite a few archaeological sites in Peru that have theories about aliens associated with them, such as the aforementioned Nazca Lines. I’m not sure how this potential aspect to the film would reflect upon Peru. Peruvians do tend to find amusement and interest in these alien possibilities. One example of such amusement is shown in this humorous commercial for a beer named after the famous archaeological site of Caral. It remains to be seen if this potential alien aspect to the Indiana Jones story might actually be something positive to inspire tourism and interest in Peru.
In the end, perhaps what audiences will care about most is whether or not Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Crystal Skull is any good, and if an aged Harrison Ford still has his Indy-mojo. Peruvians, however, should hope that millions of people around the world will walk out of theaters over the next few weeks with a positive feeling toward Peru, rather than a possible thought of “I’m glad I never have to go there.” I’m crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.
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China Bans Moviemaking in Nature Reserves by Amy Stodghill
Photo Credit: David James/Paramount Pictures
Dude, I think you are taking this way too seriously..
IT’S A FILM!!
Thanks for the interesting point of view Levi. I did not think on the movie in that way. But now after reading your article, thinking and discussing with my Peruvian friends I think you are right.
Phil, movies are communication strategies that transmit a lot of information and ideas. They can even can influence your perceptions of the subject matter. As an example of this, I can tell you that my idea of an American university was based on the movies of “Porkys”, “Revenge of the Nerds”, “Animal House”, etc. So, when I was accepted to an American university for graduate school, I was really afraid that I need to deal with those kind of “students”.
Or, when I visited Columbia, I was really worried that I would have to constantly interact with drug dealers and that I might be kidnapped by Columbian guerillas. Of course, none of that was true and there were many terrific people I met there.
I really hope that this new Indian Jones movie shows more respect for Peruvians and does not portray them as uncivilized, uneducated, dumb, and mean people (that need to be rescued by Indiana Jones). In addition, I also hope to be entertained as well as be proud of my country.
Indiana Jones films have long targeted children and teenagers eager for on-screen violence and special effects. Unless one is a relatively ignorant adult, these films are culturally empty, or simply false. In all, Indiana steals archaeological “treasures” from developing countries, but he is the good guy, i.e. a better looter than his competitors.
Some films produced/directed by Spielberg are highly skewed views of history. Good characters are always American whites; bad guys are Germans, Japanese, and 3rd World local people. Notable exceptions may be Oscar Schindler (the good nazi) and Opham, the American coward soldier in Private Ryan film. Even in “The Purple Color”, the worst character is not a KKK pervert, but a black guy (Danny Glover)!
In the real life, Harrison Ford is (or was) an important sponsor, and part of the corporate image of one of the world’s largest environmental NGOs, CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL. Interesting, isn’t it?.
I don’t think Indiana Jones will spoil nature-oriented tourism in Peru. People aiming to enjoy bird diversity in Manu, Macchu Picchu architecture, or the mysteries of Nazca, simply don’t watch Indiana Jones films. On the contrary, some guys may be dumb enough as to travel there to film a T-rex in the Peruvian rainforests!
Hey! I think this is not the way it happens with this kind of movies… for example, Spielberg´s “Jurassic Park” introduced to child´s world a new variable: Dinosaurs. I don think 10-year-old children got nightmares with this!, even better, they started to be interested on learning, visit museums and get excited visiting some natural places where dinosaurs bones can be found -in a way I was never driven when I was a child…-. Other example is “Mission Imposible”. When I visited Praga, the tourist guide used to tell us so many times, what city scenarios where used for the film. I do not think people stop visiting Praga thinking that from now on Tom Cruise was going to blow up all the bridges in town… no way! On the contrary, people do like to take photos running like poor Tom and other things like that. The effect was the proper from this kind of “light” movies: make people fun and give to them some memories. That´s it. Probably, some people will remember this last Indiana everytime they go to Nazca lines and will bring a whip with them to play around with it… big deal.
Very interesting perspective. I’m not sure what effect the movie might have on the tourism industry. I can certainly respect, though, that Peruvians might find the view of the film to be from a neo-colonialist sort of perspective. I wouldn’t want my country to be cast as wild/untamed/savage either, which I think is the image of the destinations visited by our whip-cracking, snake-pit-escaping hero. (Still, pretty cool that Harrison Ford works to support Conservation International!)
Also, I would say that for me personally I think that movies have an appreciable impact. I think they’re certainly one of the ways in which we form our worldviews.
I do not agree that just children, teenagers, or “ignorant adults” will watch this movie. I believe that a wide range of people of different ages and levels of education will watch it.
In addition, I do not consider myself an ignorant adult and I am sure the “older” viewers of Indiana Jones don’t either. I do agree that the movie will not totally affect peoples’ interest to travel to Peru, but for sure it will influence their perceptions about the country and might make them think twice to travel there if the culture, people, and cultural customs are protrayed as dangerous or ugly.
I think Indiana Jones will be good for the Peruvian economy, in the way that SECRET OF THE INCAS was, back in the 1950’s. After seeing this Charlton Heston adventure (which was the inspiration for Indiana Jones) I couldn’t wait to travel to South America and discover the beauty of Machu Picchu and Cuzco.
Interesting thoughts, and I hope you revisit them after the film is released.
I doubt that the new movie will influence my desire to visit Peru, but I gotta tell you, after seeing Last Crusade I had no interest in visiting Nazi Germany.
All kidding aside, I think the issue you’re discussing here is larger than just Indiana Jones and Peru. I had very stereotypical impressions of New York City as a child due to films such as Crocodile Dundee and Coming to America. My perceptions about Africa, much of Asia, and much of South America have mostly been colored by movies I’ve seen. But it’s hard to say if the affect is negative or positive toward those places.
As a Peruvian I feel offended that you find GROSS some of the natives due in their own land? Peru has one of the best GASTRONOMIES in the world!! Peris known this year as the SUMMIT country. Just finishing one and APEC happening in November. Peru alos has one of the best economies and if anyone is going to take advantage of opportunities will be those that are investing in Peru. Number one in silver, number 5 in Gold, number one in Fishiry and having Machu Pichu as the 7th Wonder puts Peru as a place anyone would love to visit. We have done very good in our own, and do not need a movie to promote tourism in Peru. The Machu Pichu Inca trail is sold out until 2009 and is almost sold out for that year as well. Have you been to Machu Pichu?
I think your views of the Indiana Jones movies and what audiences believe about the locales and villains shown is ridiculous and condescending.