The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Espionage Escapades (2007) (V)

Directors:

Terry Jones
Robert Young

Writer:

Gavin Scott (writer)

Release Date:

18 December 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

May 1917. Sixteen year old Indiana Jones joins an international trio of spies plotting against their...

Cast

Sean Patrick Flanery	...	Indiana Jones (also archive footage)
Tim McInnerny	...	Franz Kafka (archive footage)
Amanda Ooms	...	Nadia (archive footage)
Timothy Spall	...	Cunningham (archive footage)
Kenneth Cranham	...	Colonel Schmidt (archive footage)
Harry Enfield	...	Julio the Chauffeur (archive footage)
Terry Jones	...	Marcello (also archive footage)
William Hootkins	...	Sergei Diaghilev (archive footage)
Liz Smith	...	Delfina (archive footage)
David Leland	...	Costume Designer (archive footage)
Charles McKeown	...	Charles (archive footage)
David Hatton	...	Count of Toledo (archive footage)
Sussanah Morley	...	Countess of Toledo (as Susannah Morley)
Wolf Kahler	...	German 2nd (archive footage)
Carl Chase	...	German 2nd (archive footage)

Runtime:

USA:92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain

Company:

Amblin Entertainment

Trivia:

While the poster of the Diaghilev ballet in Barcelona advertises Stravinsky's music, and the spy ring characters mention the "Rite of Spring", the music actually used for the soundtrack as well as the ballet rehearsals is from "Scheherazade" by Rimsky-Korsakov (probably because it's a bit lighter on the ears to the uninitiated.)

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When the Prague Spy is stuck in the closet, he is heard to say "I have to go wee wee". However, his mouth forms the words "I have to go to the bathroom".

Quotes:

Marcello: A Belgian spy is just what we need to complete our little international alliance.

Movie Connections:

Edited from "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Prague, August 1917 (#2.20)" (1993)

Dip into comedy

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

A potentially exciting series of adventures in the life of young Indiana Jones (Sean Patrick Flanery) is ruined by a dip into unfunny slapstick comedy. Indy is posted to Barcelona on another intelligence mission to monitor Colonel Schmitd (Kenneth Cranham), a German military man based in Spain. Later on, he ends up in Prague, where a simple mission to install a telephone becomes a bureaucratic nightmare...

The production values and the acting are all still good quality, but the performers are severely hampered by a script which plays all their scenes for out-and-out comedy. Comedy, as demonstrated by the "Star Wars" prequels, is not Lucasfilm's strongest suit. The nonsense that ensues includes a scene where Indy, masquerading as a dancer, communicates with his colleagues using his diamond codpiece (don't ask) and a slapstick scene where Indy chases a vital document through the city streets, upsetting many people along the way. Some of the actors in these sequences are lumbered with French accents right out of "'Allo Allo".

There are still a few gems here. Flanery is still highly watchable as Indy and it's nice to see Danny Webb make a return as Picasso. It's a relief when Tim McInnery turns up as Kafka and he plays his part straight, balancing out the absurdity of the episode.

Not as good as the others but still watchable entertainment.