Customer Reviews

The Complete Making of Indiana Jones: The Definitive Story Behind All Four Films

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Length:: 0:35 Mins

This is probably the best making-of-the-movie book I've read so far this year.

A lot of effort must have been put into research. Considering when the first Indiana Jones movie was shot, I'm very impressed by how they manage to document all this information.

The book is about the production process of the 4 Indy movies, up to the Crystal Skull. The narration explains in great detail all the events that happen behind the scenes. It's filled with lots of interviews. Read from how Spielberg came up with Indy's name to the last day of shooting Crystal Skull where Harrison Ford gave Shia LaBeouf a signed hat.

Reading the book is like working on the set itself. For that, it's worth the price alone.

There are hundreds of high resolution production photos. Several art illustrations were put in also, such as posters, storyboards and set designs. There are 300 pages in this 15-inch (screen measurement) book.

For fans of Indiana Jones, this will be an immensely satisfying book. For non-fans, this book will still impress. This book is that good.

(More pictures are available on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

I am a huge fan of the "Indiana Jones" series, even though I was slightly disappointed with the most recent film. However, this `coffee-table' style book is a classic keeper! Authors J. W. Rinzler and Laurent Bouzereau piece together all the information any fan could want. From the inception where George Lucas and Steven Spielberg first start the process to the final sequel, there's a ton of information here. It's almost comical the way the storyboards are so carefully and accurately drawn and then filmed. The chronicling of the initial three films is a lesson in production where you get the inside scoop from Spielberg, Lucas and the cast and crew, especially the last ("Crystal Skull") film. I particularly liked the section on "deleted scenes" as some seemed like a good idea and others were just plain silly. This book would make a great present as well.

This is an amazing and extremely comprehensive account of the making of all four Indiana Jones films - complete with all sorts of tidbits, stories, interviews, sketches, notes, letters, and tons of photographs, etc. The author did a magnificent job compiling all of the information into this book - you can almost feel like you were right there with the crew when they were filming these movies. I think this book is a bargain for the price Amazon is offering it for. You will not be disappointed - this is truly a book for the fans of Indy and fans of filmmaking.

I have to say that the research involved in this book was intensive. I am a pretty well-read fan of Lucas and Spielberg and I was still discovering cool snippets of information on every page.

If you need a frame of reference for the amount of love put into the writing of this book you should look at Rinzler's The Making of Star Wars, and Bouzereau's Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays. If you liked those books, you will love this book too.

If you are a fairweather fan, you may find the information overwhelming. For those fans, this is not a fluff PR book put out by the marketing guys.

This truly is as "definitive" a chronicle of the "Indiana Jones" movies as you can get.

Last note...if you want this book in HARDCOVER, it is not available in North America. However, the remedy is very simple...go to AMAZON UK to get it in hardcover. Get it now while they are still available. At the time I'm writing this, they've already sold out of their softcover versions.

Most people know that Tom Selleck was the original choice to play Indiana Jones but did you know that Tim Matheson also tested for the role? Or did you know that Sean Young tested for the part of Marion Ravenwood? These facts and so much more are revealed in The Complete Making of Indiana Jones from Del Rey Books. The 300 page, over-sized trade paperback delves deep into the Indiana Jones series and explores all four films with an abundance of interesting stories and facts and hundreds of photos.

A third of the book is devoted to Raiders of the Lost Ark for several reasons. This chapter not only looks at the development of the first film, but the genesis of the character as well as the friendship that developed between Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. The pair met for the first time back in 1968 on the campus of UCLA where Lucas' film THX 1138 4EB was being shown during a student film festival. It's amazing how much the careers of these two men parallel each other. They both had early films that were well received before they each had their first mega-hit in the mid-70s, Spielberg with Jaws, and Lucas with Star Wars.

You almost feel like you are part of those early meetings regarding Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones (Originally called Indiana Smith!). Lucas, Spielberg, and writer Lawrence Kasdan were meeting in early 1978 and already drafting a script and drawing storyboards. Excerpts from these meetings and early concept art and sketches are provided to give the reader a sense of how much planning went into what was, at the time, considered to be a "B" movie. Legendary comic book artist Jim Steranko was hired to produce several paintings to help develop the look of the film and the character. You'll learn about scenes that never made the final cut including the experimental Nazi jet aircraft. You also get to see rare photos of Selleck screen testing with Sean Young and Matheson screen testing with Karen Allen. The book is like a daily diary, zealously chronicled by those who were there and lived through it all...there's details about production difficulties and delays, like all the stuntmen getting sick at once during Raiders.

The chapter on Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (originally entitled...Temple of Death) provides a peek at the early script and shooting summary. This was the film that caused the MPAA to create the now common PG-13 rating as they were confused over whether to rate the film PG or R due to some of the graphic imagery and child slavery. One of the most notorious difficulties was dealing with the over 80,000 insects that the film required, whose numbers would decrease each day during shooting as they would simply disappear into cracks and cervices.

From there it's on to exploring Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and the latest film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (which went through numerous title changes). The last chapter is especially interesting because it shows how long a fourth Indy film was in the works but the difficulties in getting everyone onboard took many years to work out.

This is a fantastic book, loaded with information and photos. Even the most avid Indiana Jones fan will be amazed at the content in the book.

THE COMPLETE MAKING OF INDIANA JONES is a marvelous, in-depth, well-illustrated guide to the four movies featuring everyone's favorite action-adventure hero. The cover of the book modestly proclaims it to be "the definitive story behind all four films." I don't know I agree with that statement but J. W. Rinzler and Laurent Bouzerea's book certainly sets a standard for future volumes on moviemaking.

As other reviewers have noted, the book is brimming with photos, artwork, storyboards, etc. that give the reader an unparalleled look at the four films. Likewise the behind-the-camera material gives one an education in why and how movies are made. And all for only $35.00.

Having said that, I'd like to throw out the following for what they're worth. As the book progressed, I got a feeling that the narrative was rushed. The coverage given Indy II, III and IV seemed more and more perfunctory. Also, I wondered about the book being a Lucasfilm production. According to the book: (1) everyone loved everyone else on all four films; (2) Steven Spielberg is just about the greatest thing since sliced bread; (3) things like egos, temper tantrums, etc. never intruded in the Indiana Jones film-making; etc. Maybe I'm being cynical but things seemed sanitized(?). Finally, after finishing the book, I still haven't a clue what the authors FELT about the films. They briefly summarize box office and critical reactions but you never find out if, for example, they loved Indy I, were disappointed by Indy II's shallowness and shrillness, felt Sean Connery deserved an Oscar for his ABSOLUTELY CHARMING turn in Indy III, etc. But then, if Lucasfilm is paying the check...

In any case, Indiana Jones' fans will want to add this book to their collection. Whatever my reservations, it's a great piece of work on some of the most entertaining - and profitable - films made in the past three decades. Recommended.

For any fan of the "Indy" film series, this is the ultimate book... While it does contain information we all may have heard or seen in archival footage or interviews on the two recent DVD releases, it also contains an abundant amount of new insight and some really great photographs straight out of the Lucasfilm Archives!

If you hated the new film, you can skip the last chapter, but it is also an insightful read - It also shows, and explains, in great detail how virtually every BAD idea associated with the series can be attributed to Lucas... who miraculously seems to win arguments with Spielberg just by wearing him down over time. While the book is never critical of Lucas, it nevertheless paints a less than flattering picture of him... It's odd that he let certain things come to light.

Anyway. This is the ultimate book for any hardcore "Indy" fan - a must buy.

This is one of the best books on my bookcase. It's just a great book. I paid $35 for it, and at that it was a bargain. It's even cheaper here, so absolutely no reason to buy it.

It begins with the origins of the Indiana Jones character recounted as the classic tale of what happens when Spielberg and Lucas joined forces. But with more detail than what I had heard previously. Then the process and making of each film is included with great pictures, storyboards and models of sets.

Then it ends with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The interesting part is how it details the development process and I was astonished about how many times Indy IV was going to be made and then pushed back for some reason.

A great purchase. Highly Recommended.

I was completely surprised by this book. It is Excellent! The amount of information into the film making and many anecdotal insights is truly amazing not to mention the many visual and graphic images. This is a very good book.

For the Indiana Jones Fan this book is the motherload when it comes to behind the scenes stuff, information, designs, props, etc. Is as complete as it can be.I enjoy it very much and it is displayed proudly in my house next to my Indy toys. If you like Indy, or just clasic cinema in general you cannot go wrong with this book.