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.
Related on the GO Network:
How Green is that Hollywood Movie? by Amy Stodghill
China Bans Moviemaking in Nature Reserves by Amy Stodghill
Photo Credit: David James/Paramount Pictures
I love the Charlton Heston movie SECRET OF THE INCAS, which was partly filmed in Cuzco and Machu Picchu in late 1953. I visited Peru and the exact locations shown in this movie last year. My tour guide told me that Cuzco doesn’t have a cinema, which surprised me. Can any resident of Cuzco tell me if there was a cinema in this terrific city in the 1950’s, when SECRET OF THE INCAS was released, and if so, what was the name of the cinema.
Thanks, James Byrne.
ps. Check out my web site devoted to this great movie, there are photos of Loreto Street and the Plaza de Armas in Cuzco, taken from the movie in 1953.
Political correctness will be the end of us…