by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring

“Indiana Jones. I always knew someday you'd come walking back through my door.” - Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), Raiders of the Lost Ark

While Indiana Jones is often joined by men on his adventures, the women of the series present a great study in contrast. In view of Dial of Destiny, I thought it would be a good time to look back at the series through the lens of its women, primarily the lead actress in each film so far (there are other women in the franchise, but they almost all fall into the wife/mother category, except Professor Jones’ most devoted students). 

In Raiders of the Lost Ark, while searching for his mentor Abner Ravenwood and the headpiece to the Staff of Ra, Indiana heads to Nepal where he is reunited with Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), his ex-lover. Marion’s introduction is one of the greatest in the history of the medium. We first meet her in a bar as she is poised to be victorious in a drinking game with one of the locals. In a great Spielberg “oner,” we watch the contest back and forth, as the two contestants duel over one last round. Marion here is shown to stand out in the crowded watering hole, because she’s an average-sized woman who isn't intimidated by any of the tough-looking men in the bar, and is victorious in this contest. We later learn the bar is hers, and that this alcohol tolerance is one of her many talents. After they file out, Indy’s silhouette appears on the wall. She greets him with some wistful words and a sock to the jaw. 

As Raiders progresses, Marion softens towards Indy, but their repartee continues throughout. While she is put in the position to be saved by Indy a few times, she is shown to be fearless and capable. This is actually best demonstrated by her time as Belloq’s (Paul Freeman) captive. He forces her into dressing more classically feminine (a dainty dress versus pants) and openly treats her as an object. Although she is unsuccessful, she does her best to use this to her advantage, using her sexuality and high alcohol tolerance on Belloq in an attempt to make her own escape. She is foiled only by the fact that his drink of choice is his family’s own spirit, so his resistance to it is even higher than hers. But she does land herself in his good graces, and he is just as captivated by her as Indy, making multiple attempts to keep her alive for himself rather than let the Nazis kill her.

Whatever Indy’s past indiscretions with her, present day Jones treats her with agency. When they finally share a bed together onboard the cargo ship, she transforms into his caretaker, kissing him places “it doesn’t hurt” before ultimately being disappointed that Jones falls asleep before they can have sex. Marion is a quintessential spitfire, a Hawksian-styled woman who speaks her mind and values her independence. She is Indy’s equal in all of these, whether trading verbal barbs or defending herself with a skillet. She’s not any more afraid than he is and looking back it makes sense that she was brought back as Indy’s “one true love” in Crystal Skull. She doesn’t get to do as much in that film, but she also isn’t entirely relegated to being a mom/wife either. Karen Allen remains as charming as ever and still manages to keep up with Ford. Along with Lois Lane, April O’Neil, and a few others, Marion is evidence that needing an occasional rescue doesn’t make you any less fearless or independent. 

Temple of Doom is a prequel, and Indy is shown to be a bit rougher around the edges here. By the end of the adventure, however, he proves himself an empathetic hero a few times over. His love interest here is Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw), who also gets an amazing introduction. George Lucas suggested the movie open with a Bugsy Berkeley-style musical number, and Spielberg doesn’t hold back, almost breaking the reality of the film as Capshaw sings a fun Hong Kong-influenced version of “Anything Goes.” Willie, despite her name, is the most conventionally femme of any of the series’ leads. She is used to glamor and nightlife and despite also being introduced in a bar (club, but just go with me), she is, intentionally, the opposite of Marion. But despite her screaming and protests, Willie survives the movie admirably. Capshaw is a gifted physical comedienne, and the camp sequence featuring her accidental encounters with local wildlife leading up to an incredible gag with a large snake is maybe the funniest sequence in the entire series. Most of the jokes are not actually at her expense–especially since Lucas and Speilberg put so much effort into grossing out the audience in this movie. The joke is on us, we imagine ourselves being as cool as Indy, but most of us would be just as repulsed as Willie. 

One of the things I learned from Willie’s interactions with Indy–aside from the idea that eating local food might be an important act of respect–is the importance of a bit of humility underneath any confidence. While spending the night in the Maharaja’s palace, the two wind each other up flirting about Indiana’s experience with “years of field work” observing “primitive sexual practices.” But Indy goes too far, assuming they’re going to spend the night together, and Willie resents him thinking she’s that easy. In a huff of pride, he storms back to his room, claiming she’s “too used to getting her own way.” Their pride gets in the way of their sexual tension, and then life threatening stakes put a permanent damper on the idea of romance for most of the rest of the movie. I think Capshaw is underrated in this performance, and definitely earns a “scream queen” crown here. While Willie is the most traditionally feminine of all the female leads in the series, she is depicted as brave and resilient underneath her screams and protests. 

Alison Doody’s Dr. Elsa Schneider, from The Last Crusade, is by far the most problematic and psychologically complex for me to unpack out of all three of these characters. Being raised in a partially Jewish family, I knew what Nazis were up to from an early age, and yet I found Dr. Schneider absolutely captivating. This character is probably directly responsible for my weakness for peek-a-boo blondes and my utter infatuation with Veronica Lake. Before we learn she’s allied herself with the “slime of humanity,” we meet her on a Venice pier, and Indy immediately flirts with her. “You have your father’s eyes,” she says. He replies, “And my mother’s ears. But the rest belongs to you.” They trade lines as Indy steals her a flower, much to the impatience of Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliot). Later, they are able to have a passionate encounter after Indy discovers their rooms have been searched, and they protest the speed their relationship is moving with while dropping to the floor to the romantic call of a Venetian gondolier. Ahh, Venice.

But alas, despite her quiet sadness at the book burning scene and eventual setting up of  Nazi stooge Donovan (Julian Glover) to drink from a false Grail, she is still a Nazi collaborator. I’m not even going to touch on the idea that both Dr. Joneses slept with Elsa other than acknowledge that it is both a hilarious and mildly uncomfortable joke brilliantly delivered by Sean Connery. Elsa was my first femme fatale, and this does make her stand apart from Marion and Willie, while also making her seem shrewd and capable. Indy should probably have abandoned Elsa as soon as her allegiance is revealed, but he would rather try and save her, even when she tries to take the Grail for herself. 

I mostly see Irina Spalko, Cate Blanchett’s character from Kingdom of the Crystal Skull as a way to replace the homoerotic undertones of the Indiana/Belloq relationship from Raiders with a woman antagonist. There’s a mutual respect between Spalko and Indy, as well as a contrast between the lengths they are willing to go for knowledge–a desire shown to be just as fatal as any search for “fortune and glory.” Most of the romantic focus is back on Marion again, and deservedly so.

One thing all of these women have in common is their intelligence, sharp tongue, and bravery. In his relationships, Indy treats women as equals, respecting their agency. Lucas and Spielberg are evoking 30s/40s gender dynamics, likely replicating women characters who were impactful to their own understanding of heterosexual relationships. Overall, what these movies are saying about romance is that everyone needs a partner who can keep up with them and is able to join them on their adventures. Fortune and glory is where you find it, but the search goes a lot better when you can trade sarcastic remarks when there’s no time to stop for sex.  In the wise words of Short Round (Ke Huy Quan), “Hey, Dr. Jones, no time for love!’