Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
23 May 1984 ● English ● 2 hrs 7 mins
Embedded with action and adventure, this fast-paced thriller is the second installment in the Indiana Jones franchise and a prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).
After arriving in India, Indiana Jones is asked by a desperate village to find a mystical stone. He agrees, stumbling upon a Kali-worshiping Thuggee cult practicing child slavery, black magic, and ritual human sacrifice.
Cast: Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw
Crew: Steven Spielberg (Director), Douglas Slocombe (Director of Photography), John Williams (Music Director)
Release Dates: 23 May 1984 (India)
Tagline: If adventure has a name... it must be Indiana Jones.
Did you know? The film has been the subject of controversy due to its portrayal of India and Hinduism. Read More
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as Indiana Jones
as Wilhelmina
as Mola Ram
as Shaman
as Wu Han
as Short Round:
as Captain Philip Blumburtt
as Chattar Lal
as Lao Che
Direction
Director
Distribution
Distributor
Camera and Electrical
Director of Photography
Music
Music Director
Editorial
Editor
Stunts
Stunt Performer
Film Type:
Feature
Language:
English
Colour Info:
Color
Frame Rate:
24 fps
Aspect Ratio:
2.39:1 (Scope)
Stereoscopy:
No
Taglines:
If adventure has a name... it must be Indiana Jones.
The hero is back!
Trust him.
The man in the hat is back...
The hero is back!
Trust him.
The man in the hat is back...
Movie Connection(s):
Referenced in: Ice Age 4: Continental Drift (English)
Featured in: Umrika (Hindi)
Referenced in: The Lone Ranger (English)
Referenced in: Ice Age 4: Continental Drift (Hindi)
Referenced in: Ice Age 4: Continental Drift (Telugu)
Referenced in: Ice Age 4: Continental Drift (Tamil)
Featured in: Umrika (Hindi)
Referenced in: The Lone Ranger (English)
Referenced in: Ice Age 4: Continental Drift (Hindi)
Referenced in: Ice Age 4: Continental Drift (Telugu)
Referenced in: Ice Age 4: Continental Drift (Tamil)
Goofs:
Audio/Video Mismatch
As the trio is about to jump out of the plane, Shorty says, "Lady, I can't breathe," but his mouth doesn't move.
Audio/Video Mismatch
When Dr. Jones and Willie first crash into Short-Round's car, he says, "Hold on to your potato!" but his mouth clearly does not match this.
Audio/Video Mismatch
When Willie is on the elephant yelling "I can't go to Pankot, I'm a singer!" her lips don't match the audio.
Audio/Video Mismatch
In the mine, when Shorty uses the ladder as a pole vault, he holds the bag with his mouth yet we hear him scream.
Audio/Video Mismatch
When the escaping Indian boy is leaning against a boulder to rest, the sounds of his breathing do not match the actual rise and fall of his chest.
Audio/Video Mismatch
When Indiana Jones and Short Round were caught in the room with the ceiling coming down at Pankot Palace, spikes come out of the ceiling and we see a wide shot of Indiana Jones and Short Round in the corner of the room. In the very next close-up, Indiana yells, "This is serious!" But in the wide shot, his mouth moves, mouthing, "This is s - !" but no audio is heard. He also slightly slouches while saying the line, the way he does in the closeup. All this indicates that the footage of Indiana Jones yelling, "This is serious!" was used twice... for some strange reason.
Audio/Video Mismatch
When Indy and Shorty exit the Village Elder's hut, Shorty asks if they made the plane crash to get him there. Indy replies, "No Shorty, it's just a ghost story, don't worry about it," but his lip movement does not match the speech.
Character Error
Although they might be consumed in some parts of Southeast Asia, snakes, insects, and monkey brains would never be served in India (and especially not in the palace of a Hindu king or "maharaja") due to very strict Hindu and Islamic dietary codes. In fact, a significant portion of Indians (mostly Hindus) are strict vegetarians due to those religious dietary restrictions.
Character Error
The type of pike held by the guards at the palace dinner, is not Indian, it is a Chinese "Kwan Do".
Character Error
In the Indian village, in addition to everyone speaking Sinhala - the Sri Lankan language - the old man speaks English in a Sri Lankan accent, implying he is a Sri Lankan, not an Indian and that the scenes were probably shot in Sri Lanka using local actors.
Character Error
Nothing actually comes out of Willie's mouth when she spits in Indy's face. Indy then proceeds to wipe away non-existent saliva.
Character Error
Short Round supposedly was born and grew up in Shanghai, however he only spoke Cantonese (dialect of Canton) in the movie, not the Shanghainese dialect.
Continuity
Positions of the sailor and the girl in the rickshaw during the chase.
Continuity
In the scene where Indy, Shorty and Willie leave the village by elephant we can see Shorty sit on a small elephant. However in one of the next shots we can see Shorty sit in front of Indy on his elephant. In the next scene Shorty is back on his own small elephant.
Continuity
In the first Thuggee ceremony scene, the skull in the center is alternately lit and unlit.
Continuity
Positions of the Thuggees on the rope bridge.
Continuity
The river below the rope bridge appears to be nothing more then a rocky stream in some shots, but once we see people falling, the stream suddenly turns into a large river.
Continuity
After the Chinese pilots jump from the Ford Tri-motor 4AT, Indy and Willie watch the propellers shut down as the plane runs out of fuel. When the plane brushes the mountaintop, the non-operational props are clearly visible. Yet when Indy, Willie, and Shorty bail from the plane in the emergency raft, we can see that all three props are fully operational.
Continuity
As the main characters begin their journey to Pankot Palace, they all get on their own Elephants. In the following scene when Willie pours perfume onto hers, suddenly Short Round is riding with Indy. In the following scene when Willie's elephant hits her with water, Short Round is once again on his own elephant.
Continuity
In one shot of Short Round hopping up and down on the wooden bridge he is only a few steps ahead of Willie. In the very next shot, when he falls though, he is much further down the bridge.
Continuity
When Indy flees from the gang of Thugees after the swordfight, he is dragging his whip behind him. Yet in the next shot when he reaches the bridge, it is rolled up neatly even though he doesn't have a free hand or time to roll it up.
Continuity
Indy, whip in right hand, disarms the Thuggee swordsman and picks up the fallen blade with his left hand. In the very next shot the sword is in his right hand and the whip in his left.
Continuity
The height of the rope bridge that spans the gorge varies from about a hundred feet (as seen in a view of both sides and the riverbed) to much, much higher, as Mola Ram plummets to his death.
Continuity
During the climactic fight scene when Short Round tackles the Maharajah, the Indy doll and the hairpin clearly separate as the young prince falls to the ground - the pin, with its feathery handle, remains in his right hand and the doll in his left. Yet, when the Indy doll is next shown lying on the ground, the hairpin is still stuck into it.
Continuity
After falling from the airplane, while rafting down the river in the yellow inflatable boat, during each of the closeups, Indiana Jones is on Willie's right, but in some of the long shots, their positions are reversed.
Continuity
When Indy tells Short Round to "stop fooling around with that", Short Round doesn't have his hat on. Yet in the close-up he is wearing his cap.
Continuity
In the fight between Indiana and the two swordfighters, Indiana whips one of the fighters' swords down the mountain. In the next cut he picks up the same sword.
As the trio is about to jump out of the plane, Shorty says, "Lady, I can't breathe," but his mouth doesn't move.
Audio/Video Mismatch
When Dr. Jones and Willie first crash into Short-Round's car, he says, "Hold on to your potato!" but his mouth clearly does not match this.
Audio/Video Mismatch
When Willie is on the elephant yelling "I can't go to Pankot, I'm a singer!" her lips don't match the audio.
Audio/Video Mismatch
In the mine, when Shorty uses the ladder as a pole vault, he holds the bag with his mouth yet we hear him scream.
Audio/Video Mismatch
When the escaping Indian boy is leaning against a boulder to rest, the sounds of his breathing do not match the actual rise and fall of his chest.
Audio/Video Mismatch
When Indiana Jones and Short Round were caught in the room with the ceiling coming down at Pankot Palace, spikes come out of the ceiling and we see a wide shot of Indiana Jones and Short Round in the corner of the room. In the very next close-up, Indiana yells, "This is serious!" But in the wide shot, his mouth moves, mouthing, "This is s - !" but no audio is heard. He also slightly slouches while saying the line, the way he does in the closeup. All this indicates that the footage of Indiana Jones yelling, "This is serious!" was used twice... for some strange reason.
Audio/Video Mismatch
When Indy and Shorty exit the Village Elder's hut, Shorty asks if they made the plane crash to get him there. Indy replies, "No Shorty, it's just a ghost story, don't worry about it," but his lip movement does not match the speech.
Character Error
Although they might be consumed in some parts of Southeast Asia, snakes, insects, and monkey brains would never be served in India (and especially not in the palace of a Hindu king or "maharaja") due to very strict Hindu and Islamic dietary codes. In fact, a significant portion of Indians (mostly Hindus) are strict vegetarians due to those religious dietary restrictions.
Character Error
The type of pike held by the guards at the palace dinner, is not Indian, it is a Chinese "Kwan Do".
Character Error
In the Indian village, in addition to everyone speaking Sinhala - the Sri Lankan language - the old man speaks English in a Sri Lankan accent, implying he is a Sri Lankan, not an Indian and that the scenes were probably shot in Sri Lanka using local actors.
Character Error
Nothing actually comes out of Willie's mouth when she spits in Indy's face. Indy then proceeds to wipe away non-existent saliva.
Character Error
Short Round supposedly was born and grew up in Shanghai, however he only spoke Cantonese (dialect of Canton) in the movie, not the Shanghainese dialect.
Continuity
Positions of the sailor and the girl in the rickshaw during the chase.
Continuity
In the scene where Indy, Shorty and Willie leave the village by elephant we can see Shorty sit on a small elephant. However in one of the next shots we can see Shorty sit in front of Indy on his elephant. In the next scene Shorty is back on his own small elephant.
Continuity
In the first Thuggee ceremony scene, the skull in the center is alternately lit and unlit.
Continuity
Positions of the Thuggees on the rope bridge.
Continuity
The river below the rope bridge appears to be nothing more then a rocky stream in some shots, but once we see people falling, the stream suddenly turns into a large river.
Continuity
After the Chinese pilots jump from the Ford Tri-motor 4AT, Indy and Willie watch the propellers shut down as the plane runs out of fuel. When the plane brushes the mountaintop, the non-operational props are clearly visible. Yet when Indy, Willie, and Shorty bail from the plane in the emergency raft, we can see that all three props are fully operational.
Continuity
As the main characters begin their journey to Pankot Palace, they all get on their own Elephants. In the following scene when Willie pours perfume onto hers, suddenly Short Round is riding with Indy. In the following scene when Willie's elephant hits her with water, Short Round is once again on his own elephant.
Continuity
In one shot of Short Round hopping up and down on the wooden bridge he is only a few steps ahead of Willie. In the very next shot, when he falls though, he is much further down the bridge.
Continuity
When Indy flees from the gang of Thugees after the swordfight, he is dragging his whip behind him. Yet in the next shot when he reaches the bridge, it is rolled up neatly even though he doesn't have a free hand or time to roll it up.
Continuity
Indy, whip in right hand, disarms the Thuggee swordsman and picks up the fallen blade with his left hand. In the very next shot the sword is in his right hand and the whip in his left.
Continuity
The height of the rope bridge that spans the gorge varies from about a hundred feet (as seen in a view of both sides and the riverbed) to much, much higher, as Mola Ram plummets to his death.
Continuity
During the climactic fight scene when Short Round tackles the Maharajah, the Indy doll and the hairpin clearly separate as the young prince falls to the ground - the pin, with its feathery handle, remains in his right hand and the doll in his left. Yet, when the Indy doll is next shown lying on the ground, the hairpin is still stuck into it.
Continuity
After falling from the airplane, while rafting down the river in the yellow inflatable boat, during each of the closeups, Indiana Jones is on Willie's right, but in some of the long shots, their positions are reversed.
Continuity
When Indy tells Short Round to "stop fooling around with that", Short Round doesn't have his hat on. Yet in the close-up he is wearing his cap.
Continuity
In the fight between Indiana and the two swordfighters, Indiana whips one of the fighters' swords down the mountain. In the next cut he picks up the same sword.
Trivia:
Amrish Puri shaved his head for the role of Mola Ram, creating such an impression that he kept it shaved and became one of India's most popular film villains.
In the "Making Of" Documentary for this movie, George Lucas said that although he originally intended for Temple of Doom to have a darker tone compared to Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) (much like Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) was darker than Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)), he admitted that he made it much darker than he intended, part of the reason being that he was going through a divorce at the time and was "not in a good mood". Steven Spielberg also admitted that although he agreed with Lucas' idea for a darker-toned film, he felt uncomfortable with certain scenes while filming them and would attempt to inject some humorous elements into those scenes trying to lighten them up. The scene where Indy is fighting the Thuggee chief guard with a hammer, and the guard takes the hammer away and tosses it aside, only to have it land on a bystander's head, knocking him out with a comical thud, is a prime example of this scene "lightening up". 13 of 13 found this interesting | Share this Harrison Ford herniated his back in the scene where he is attacked in his bedroom by a Thuggee assassin. Production had to shut down for Ford to be flown to Los Angeles to have an operation. A huge majority of Ford's work in the fights and chases in the Temple of Doom are actually stuntman Vic Armstrong. 11 of 11 found this interesting | Share this All of the scenes involving the long rope bridge were filmed on three different continents. The entire bridge itself was built on location in Sri Lanka, and the scenes where Indy cuts the bridge were filmed there also. The scenes where the bridge is hanging along the side of the cliff with everyone hanging on were filmed at Elstree Studios in London. And finally, the alligators at the end were shot by Frank Marshall in Florida.
Steven Spielberg wanted Karen Allen to reprise her role as Marion Ravenwood but he and George Lucas had already decided that every movie should include a different woman for Indy. This would change however, when she eventually returned in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). Spielberg and Lucas felt that enough time had passed that an old flame was more appropriate for the fourth film.
Kate Capshaw was thrilled at the opportunity of singing and dancing in the opening musical number, but the reality was her dress was so tight, there was very little movement she could attempt without ripping it.
Kate Capshaw incurred a black eye in the runaway mine cart sequence. The next day when she reported to work, everybody else on the set was wearing a black smudge under their eye.
There was a scene involving Kate Capshaw and a rather large snake which had to be cut out as Capshaw was having panic attacks at the very prospect of it. Director Steven Spielberg jokingly says that the only reason Kate married him later was because he allowed the scene to be cut.
The only Indy movie to ever display its title on-screen using the famous Indiana Jones typeface; and perhaps the only movie to ever show its title largely obscured by an object (in this case, Kate Capshaw) in the foreground.
All the people in the Indian village speak "Sinhalese" the language of Sri Lankans, as oppose to Hindi the language of India. They are all Sri Lankans.
D.R. Nanayakkara, cast as the Indian village Shaman, did not speak a word of English. He delivered his lines phonetically by mimicking Steven Spielberg who was prompting him off camera. The pauses in his dialogue were therefore not for dramatic effect, but rather waiting for his next line.
Over 240 70mm prints of the film were made - the largest number ever for a single release.
An early draft of the script for Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) had Indy traveling to Shanghai to recover a piece of the Staff of Ra. During his escape from the museum where it was housed, he sheltered from machine gun fire behind a giant rolling gong. The same script also featured Indy and Marion fleeing destruction in a mine-cart chase. Both of these scenes were cut from that script, but resurface in this movie.
An open casting call was put out to all the elementary schools to find a young Asian actor to play Short Round. Jonathan Ke Quan arrived with his brother, not to audition, but merely to provide moral support. He caught the casting director's attention because he spent the entire time of his brother's audition telling him what to do and what not to do.
Kate Capshaw's dress in the Shanghai club was completely made of 1920's and 1930's original beads. This meant that there was only enough to make one dress. The opening dance number was actually the last scene to be shot, but the dress did feature in some earlier location shots in Sri Lanka, in particular, a night-time one with Harrison Ford and Kate Capshaw sitting by a campfire, with the dress drying on a nearby tree. Unfortunately an elephant had started to eat the entire back of the dress, which was saved just in time. Consequently, some emergency repair work had to be done with what remained of the original beads, and it was costume designer Anthony Powell who had to fill in the insurance forms. As to the reason for damage, he had no option but to put "dress eaten by elephant".
While filming the whipping scene, the crew played a practical joke on Harrison Ford. While he was chained to a large stone, Barbra Streisand appeared, dressed in a leather dominatrix outfit. She proceeded to whip him, saying "That's for Hanover Street (1979), the worst movie I ever saw." She continued whipping him for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), and making all of that money. Carrie Fisher then threw herself in front of Ford to protect him, and Irvin Kershner chided director Steven Spielberg. "Is this how you run your movies?" This entire sequence was filmed.
The rope bridge used during the final fight scene was actually suspended up a couple of hundred feet across a gorge on location in Sri Lanka. Acrophobic Steven Spielberg would never walk over it, and had to drive a mile and a half to reach the other side. Harrison Ford on the other hand had no such fear, and would run across it at full speed.
Most of the cavernous mine where the mine cart chase takes place is miniature, with the walls made of painted aluminium foil.
In the Obi Wan club sequence, the artifact Indiana Jones is told to hand over is the remains of Nurhaci. Nurhaci was in fact an actual emperor of China (1616-1626). He was the founder of the Manchu Qing dynasty; the last imperial dynasty of China (1616-1911).
Short Round's actual name is Su Wa Mu. Shorty reveals this during the scene when the Shaman first tells Indy about the "evil that started at Pankot", as he taps Indy on the shoulder and whispers "See? Bad news. You listen to Su Wa Mu, you live longer."
For the scene where Willie stirs up the soup and several eyeballs rise to the surface, Steven Spielberg said that this particular scene was notoriously difficult to shoot and it took many takes to get the result seen in the final film. The eyeballs were attached to the bottom of the soup bowl with stick-ups and Kate Capshaw was supposed to give the soup a good stir in order to release the eyes so they could rise to the surface, but the stick-ups held pretty tight and for many takes, only one or two of the eyes would release and rise to the surface.
The only Indiana Jones movie that does not show or make any references to the Ark of the Covenant. (It was the main object sought after in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), an ancient drawing of the Ark appears inside the catacombs in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), and the Ark makes a brief cameo appearance in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008).) The lack of appearance or mention of the Ark in this movie was very likely due to the fact that this movie takes place in 1935, while Raiders takes place in 1936, making this a prequel to Raiders, and thus being the case, Indy has yet to discovered the Ark.
This is Jonathan Ke Quan's film debut.
Sharon Stone was one of the top choices for the role of Willie Scott before Kate Capshaw auditioned.
Although it's never mentioned in the film, Willie's full name is Wilhelmina.
The "giant vampire bats" that are shown in the movie were actually fruit bats; vampire bats are a lot smaller.
During the sacrifice, Mola Ram chants in Hindi, imploring "Kali Ma Shakti de," asking for the "Spiritual power of Mother Kali."
During the human sacrifice sequence, the sacrificial victim repeatedly and rapidly chants the Shiva Mantra: "Aum Namah Shivaya."
The only installment of the Indiana Jones franchise in which Indy does not make physical contact with a snake. There is however a nod to his fear of them, and to a scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): After he retrieves the Sankara stones from the Kali shrine, he looks up at a statue of a cobra poised to strike (like the one he famously faced in the Well of Souls scene in "Raiders") and straightens his hat...
The village shaman refers to the Sankara stone as "Shiva linga". In traditional Hinduism, the linga is a tall, cylindrical stone representative of a phallus, often set inside a circle representing the yoni, or female organ. Together, the two symbols stand for the dualistic sexual energy of the god Shiva.
The rotating tabletop used to exchange items in the opening Club Obi Wan sequence is still common in Shanghai restaurants. It's normally used for easy access to the multiple dishes served at meals.
Short Round's car is a 1936 Auburn Boat-tail Speedster, a highly popular car in the 1930s.
The only film of the Indiana Jones series where George Lucas does not share story credit.
The film came under fire when it was released for being racist.
Shots of mining-car roller-coaster ride were done with models and a 35mm camera modified to hold extra film.
Originally the Amber Palace in Jaipur was going to be used for all the exterior shots of Pankot Palace when the movie was originally going to be filmed in India, but after negotiations between producer Robert Watts and the Indian Government for permission to film in India broke down and filming was moved to Sri Lanka, matte paintings were used for the exterior shots of the palace, with the interior shots filmed at Elstree Studios in London.
The first film to use THX's Theatre Alignment Program, which ensures that cinemas showing the film meet stringent technical and presentation standards.
In military parlance a "short round" is an artillery shell that falls short of the target.
Willie says she's from Missouri, native state of actress Kate Capshaw.
The name of villain Lao Che in the film's prologue is a nod to Lio Sha, leader of the evil title organization in Fritz Lang's silent-era films "The Spiders: The Golden Lake" and "The Spiders: The Diamond Ship," which inspired the Indiana Jones series to an extent.
Lawrence Kasdan was unavailable as he was working on The Big Chill (1983), so George Lucas drafted in Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz who had previously penned American Graffiti (1973) for him. Lucas deliberately wanted to go with something with a darker tone as this had served him well with Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
The plane belonging to "Lao Che Air Freight" that Indy, Short Round, and Willie use to escape from Shanghai is a Ford Trimotor 5-AT-B, first built in 1929. The Trimotors were Ford's first (and only) attempt at making airliners. Since the first mass-produced Ford car (the Model T) was known as the "Tin Lizzie", many pilots affectionately nicknamed the Trimotor the "Tin Goose".
The second (or rather first since Temple of Doom is a prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark) time Indy's getaway driver wears a New York baseball hat. Short Round dons a Giants cap and Jock (the pilot of the plane that Indy escapes in Raiders) wears a Yankee cap.
The sound effect we hear in the opening sequence on the plane is the same failing-engine sound effect used when Han Solo's Millennium Falcon fails to crank up in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
The main villain, Mola Ram, doesn't make his first appearance until after an hour into the movie.
This was Kate Capshaw's second theatrical film.
Young Maharaja's name was Zalim Singh, as mentioned by Chattar Lal. The word 'Zalim' means 'cruel' in subcontinental languages.
Short Round is also the character name of the Korean boy in The Steel Helmet (1951).
Victor Banerjee refused a role in this project
Dan Aykroyd: When Indy, Shortround and Willy get to the airfield just after being chased by Lau, the officer that leads them out of the car and takes them to the plane is none other then Dan Aykroyd. You cant make out his face but pay careful attention to the voice.
George Lucas: a missionary in the background in the airport scene at the beginning.
Frank Marshall: a tourist in the background in the airport scene at the beginning.
Director Steven Spielberg plays a small cameo as a missionary in the background in the airport scene at the beginning.
Steven Spielberg: [fathers] Short Round looks on Indiana Jones as a father-figure. Indiana seems reluctant at times to return the feeling.
Steven Spielberg: [stars] when Indy is talking to Short Round on the hill above the village.
The film has been the subject of controversy due to its portrayal of India and Hinduism.
Some of the film's cast and crew, including Spielberg, retrospectively view the film in an unfavorable light.
The film was released to financial success but mixed reviews, which criticized its violence, later contributing to the creation of the PG-13 rating.
After three rejected plot devices, Lucas wrote a film treatment that resembled the film's final storyline. Lawrence Kasdan, Lucas's collaborator on 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', turned down the offer to write the script, and Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz were hired as his replacement, with the resultant screenplay partly based upon the 1939 film 'Gunga Din'.
Producer and co-writer George Lucas decided to make the film a prequel as he did not want the Nazis to be the villains again.
In the opening scene of this movie, as Indiana Jones makes his escape, the name of the night club is “Club Obi Wan”.
In the "Making Of" Documentary for this movie, George Lucas said that although he originally intended for Temple of Doom to have a darker tone compared to Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) (much like Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) was darker than Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)), he admitted that he made it much darker than he intended, part of the reason being that he was going through a divorce at the time and was "not in a good mood". Steven Spielberg also admitted that although he agreed with Lucas' idea for a darker-toned film, he felt uncomfortable with certain scenes while filming them and would attempt to inject some humorous elements into those scenes trying to lighten them up. The scene where Indy is fighting the Thuggee chief guard with a hammer, and the guard takes the hammer away and tosses it aside, only to have it land on a bystander's head, knocking him out with a comical thud, is a prime example of this scene "lightening up". 13 of 13 found this interesting | Share this Harrison Ford herniated his back in the scene where he is attacked in his bedroom by a Thuggee assassin. Production had to shut down for Ford to be flown to Los Angeles to have an operation. A huge majority of Ford's work in the fights and chases in the Temple of Doom are actually stuntman Vic Armstrong. 11 of 11 found this interesting | Share this All of the scenes involving the long rope bridge were filmed on three different continents. The entire bridge itself was built on location in Sri Lanka, and the scenes where Indy cuts the bridge were filmed there also. The scenes where the bridge is hanging along the side of the cliff with everyone hanging on were filmed at Elstree Studios in London. And finally, the alligators at the end were shot by Frank Marshall in Florida.
Steven Spielberg wanted Karen Allen to reprise her role as Marion Ravenwood but he and George Lucas had already decided that every movie should include a different woman for Indy. This would change however, when she eventually returned in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). Spielberg and Lucas felt that enough time had passed that an old flame was more appropriate for the fourth film.
Kate Capshaw was thrilled at the opportunity of singing and dancing in the opening musical number, but the reality was her dress was so tight, there was very little movement she could attempt without ripping it.
Kate Capshaw incurred a black eye in the runaway mine cart sequence. The next day when she reported to work, everybody else on the set was wearing a black smudge under their eye.
There was a scene involving Kate Capshaw and a rather large snake which had to be cut out as Capshaw was having panic attacks at the very prospect of it. Director Steven Spielberg jokingly says that the only reason Kate married him later was because he allowed the scene to be cut.
The only Indy movie to ever display its title on-screen using the famous Indiana Jones typeface; and perhaps the only movie to ever show its title largely obscured by an object (in this case, Kate Capshaw) in the foreground.
All the people in the Indian village speak "Sinhalese" the language of Sri Lankans, as oppose to Hindi the language of India. They are all Sri Lankans.
D.R. Nanayakkara, cast as the Indian village Shaman, did not speak a word of English. He delivered his lines phonetically by mimicking Steven Spielberg who was prompting him off camera. The pauses in his dialogue were therefore not for dramatic effect, but rather waiting for his next line.
Over 240 70mm prints of the film were made - the largest number ever for a single release.
An early draft of the script for Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) had Indy traveling to Shanghai to recover a piece of the Staff of Ra. During his escape from the museum where it was housed, he sheltered from machine gun fire behind a giant rolling gong. The same script also featured Indy and Marion fleeing destruction in a mine-cart chase. Both of these scenes were cut from that script, but resurface in this movie.
An open casting call was put out to all the elementary schools to find a young Asian actor to play Short Round. Jonathan Ke Quan arrived with his brother, not to audition, but merely to provide moral support. He caught the casting director's attention because he spent the entire time of his brother's audition telling him what to do and what not to do.
Kate Capshaw's dress in the Shanghai club was completely made of 1920's and 1930's original beads. This meant that there was only enough to make one dress. The opening dance number was actually the last scene to be shot, but the dress did feature in some earlier location shots in Sri Lanka, in particular, a night-time one with Harrison Ford and Kate Capshaw sitting by a campfire, with the dress drying on a nearby tree. Unfortunately an elephant had started to eat the entire back of the dress, which was saved just in time. Consequently, some emergency repair work had to be done with what remained of the original beads, and it was costume designer Anthony Powell who had to fill in the insurance forms. As to the reason for damage, he had no option but to put "dress eaten by elephant".
While filming the whipping scene, the crew played a practical joke on Harrison Ford. While he was chained to a large stone, Barbra Streisand appeared, dressed in a leather dominatrix outfit. She proceeded to whip him, saying "That's for Hanover Street (1979), the worst movie I ever saw." She continued whipping him for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), and making all of that money. Carrie Fisher then threw herself in front of Ford to protect him, and Irvin Kershner chided director Steven Spielberg. "Is this how you run your movies?" This entire sequence was filmed.
The rope bridge used during the final fight scene was actually suspended up a couple of hundred feet across a gorge on location in Sri Lanka. Acrophobic Steven Spielberg would never walk over it, and had to drive a mile and a half to reach the other side. Harrison Ford on the other hand had no such fear, and would run across it at full speed.
Most of the cavernous mine where the mine cart chase takes place is miniature, with the walls made of painted aluminium foil.
In the Obi Wan club sequence, the artifact Indiana Jones is told to hand over is the remains of Nurhaci. Nurhaci was in fact an actual emperor of China (1616-1626). He was the founder of the Manchu Qing dynasty; the last imperial dynasty of China (1616-1911).
Short Round's actual name is Su Wa Mu. Shorty reveals this during the scene when the Shaman first tells Indy about the "evil that started at Pankot", as he taps Indy on the shoulder and whispers "See? Bad news. You listen to Su Wa Mu, you live longer."
For the scene where Willie stirs up the soup and several eyeballs rise to the surface, Steven Spielberg said that this particular scene was notoriously difficult to shoot and it took many takes to get the result seen in the final film. The eyeballs were attached to the bottom of the soup bowl with stick-ups and Kate Capshaw was supposed to give the soup a good stir in order to release the eyes so they could rise to the surface, but the stick-ups held pretty tight and for many takes, only one or two of the eyes would release and rise to the surface.
The only Indiana Jones movie that does not show or make any references to the Ark of the Covenant. (It was the main object sought after in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), an ancient drawing of the Ark appears inside the catacombs in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), and the Ark makes a brief cameo appearance in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008).) The lack of appearance or mention of the Ark in this movie was very likely due to the fact that this movie takes place in 1935, while Raiders takes place in 1936, making this a prequel to Raiders, and thus being the case, Indy has yet to discovered the Ark.
This is Jonathan Ke Quan's film debut.
Sharon Stone was one of the top choices for the role of Willie Scott before Kate Capshaw auditioned.
Although it's never mentioned in the film, Willie's full name is Wilhelmina.
The "giant vampire bats" that are shown in the movie were actually fruit bats; vampire bats are a lot smaller.
During the sacrifice, Mola Ram chants in Hindi, imploring "Kali Ma Shakti de," asking for the "Spiritual power of Mother Kali."
During the human sacrifice sequence, the sacrificial victim repeatedly and rapidly chants the Shiva Mantra: "Aum Namah Shivaya."
The only installment of the Indiana Jones franchise in which Indy does not make physical contact with a snake. There is however a nod to his fear of them, and to a scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): After he retrieves the Sankara stones from the Kali shrine, he looks up at a statue of a cobra poised to strike (like the one he famously faced in the Well of Souls scene in "Raiders") and straightens his hat...
The village shaman refers to the Sankara stone as "Shiva linga". In traditional Hinduism, the linga is a tall, cylindrical stone representative of a phallus, often set inside a circle representing the yoni, or female organ. Together, the two symbols stand for the dualistic sexual energy of the god Shiva.
The rotating tabletop used to exchange items in the opening Club Obi Wan sequence is still common in Shanghai restaurants. It's normally used for easy access to the multiple dishes served at meals.
Short Round's car is a 1936 Auburn Boat-tail Speedster, a highly popular car in the 1930s.
The only film of the Indiana Jones series where George Lucas does not share story credit.
The film came under fire when it was released for being racist.
Shots of mining-car roller-coaster ride were done with models and a 35mm camera modified to hold extra film.
Originally the Amber Palace in Jaipur was going to be used for all the exterior shots of Pankot Palace when the movie was originally going to be filmed in India, but after negotiations between producer Robert Watts and the Indian Government for permission to film in India broke down and filming was moved to Sri Lanka, matte paintings were used for the exterior shots of the palace, with the interior shots filmed at Elstree Studios in London.
The first film to use THX's Theatre Alignment Program, which ensures that cinemas showing the film meet stringent technical and presentation standards.
In military parlance a "short round" is an artillery shell that falls short of the target.
Willie says she's from Missouri, native state of actress Kate Capshaw.
The name of villain Lao Che in the film's prologue is a nod to Lio Sha, leader of the evil title organization in Fritz Lang's silent-era films "The Spiders: The Golden Lake" and "The Spiders: The Diamond Ship," which inspired the Indiana Jones series to an extent.
Lawrence Kasdan was unavailable as he was working on The Big Chill (1983), so George Lucas drafted in Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz who had previously penned American Graffiti (1973) for him. Lucas deliberately wanted to go with something with a darker tone as this had served him well with Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
The plane belonging to "Lao Che Air Freight" that Indy, Short Round, and Willie use to escape from Shanghai is a Ford Trimotor 5-AT-B, first built in 1929. The Trimotors were Ford's first (and only) attempt at making airliners. Since the first mass-produced Ford car (the Model T) was known as the "Tin Lizzie", many pilots affectionately nicknamed the Trimotor the "Tin Goose".
The second (or rather first since Temple of Doom is a prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark) time Indy's getaway driver wears a New York baseball hat. Short Round dons a Giants cap and Jock (the pilot of the plane that Indy escapes in Raiders) wears a Yankee cap.
The sound effect we hear in the opening sequence on the plane is the same failing-engine sound effect used when Han Solo's Millennium Falcon fails to crank up in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
The main villain, Mola Ram, doesn't make his first appearance until after an hour into the movie.
This was Kate Capshaw's second theatrical film.
Young Maharaja's name was Zalim Singh, as mentioned by Chattar Lal. The word 'Zalim' means 'cruel' in subcontinental languages.
Short Round is also the character name of the Korean boy in The Steel Helmet (1951).
Victor Banerjee refused a role in this project
Dan Aykroyd: When Indy, Shortround and Willy get to the airfield just after being chased by Lau, the officer that leads them out of the car and takes them to the plane is none other then Dan Aykroyd. You cant make out his face but pay careful attention to the voice.
George Lucas: a missionary in the background in the airport scene at the beginning.
Frank Marshall: a tourist in the background in the airport scene at the beginning.
Director Steven Spielberg plays a small cameo as a missionary in the background in the airport scene at the beginning.
Steven Spielberg: [fathers] Short Round looks on Indiana Jones as a father-figure. Indiana seems reluctant at times to return the feeling.
Steven Spielberg: [stars] when Indy is talking to Short Round on the hill above the village.
The film has been the subject of controversy due to its portrayal of India and Hinduism.
Some of the film's cast and crew, including Spielberg, retrospectively view the film in an unfavorable light.
The film was released to financial success but mixed reviews, which criticized its violence, later contributing to the creation of the PG-13 rating.
After three rejected plot devices, Lucas wrote a film treatment that resembled the film's final storyline. Lawrence Kasdan, Lucas's collaborator on 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', turned down the offer to write the script, and Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz were hired as his replacement, with the resultant screenplay partly based upon the 1939 film 'Gunga Din'.
Producer and co-writer George Lucas decided to make the film a prequel as he did not want the Nazis to be the villains again.
In the opening scene of this movie, as Indiana Jones makes his escape, the name of the night club is “Club Obi Wan”.
