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The Adventures Of Young Indiana Jones Vol.1 (12 Disc Box Set) [1992]


RRP: £44.99
Our Price: £17.97 (subject to change)

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

DVD sets don’t come more generous or well-intended than The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Volume One. George Lucas’ 1990s television series, inspired by his feature film collaborations with Steven Spielberg and actor Harrison Ford, used a childhood version of Jones as a catalyst for involving young viewers in the dynamics of 20th century history and thought. As much a scamp as Ford’s swaggering hero-with-a-bullwhip, little Henry "Indy" Jones (Corey Carrier) gets into a great deal of mischief in his travels around the world with his disciplined father, Professor Henry Jones, Sr. (Lloyd Owen, doing a credible version of Sean Connery’s voice from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). Also accompanied by his mother (Ruth de Sosa) and imperious tutor, Miss Seymour (Margaret Tyzack), Indy ends up in various unanticipated adventures with some of the most noteworthy individuals of his age. A trip to Paris finds him cavorting with young Norman Rockwell and an ultra-arrogant Pablo Picasso (who is out to prove that the style of aging Impressionist Edgar Degas is easy to forge). A stay in India lands Indy in the company of the great guru, Krishnamurti. In Russia, he feuds with Tolstoy as if the two were in a buddy movie. In Italy, Puccini puts romantic moves on Mrs. Jones, while Indy listens carefully in Vienna to definitions of love by none other than Freud, Jung and Adler. The overall effect of these handsome, feature-length stories, all shot on glorious location, is of a certain audacity--Lucas having the nerve to name-drop all over the place and situate Jones with some of the greatest achievers in world culture. But each episode is nothing less than spectacularly educational as well as entertaining. Scripts are carefully written to reflect what these famous individuals actually contributed to mankind, and to give a sense of what their personalities were like. The last three shows in Volume One find Jones at age 20 (played by Sean Patrick Flanery), now more or less on his own as he gets into various scrapes in Mexico (where he rides with Pancho Villa) and Ireland (where he meets William Butler Yeats). There is so much to glean from these stories, but even more to bask in on the set’s many special features, which include multiple, exquisitely produced documentaries about the historical figures, political and artistic movements, and crucial events that play into this series. This is a great set for kids (probably beginning at the late primary school level) and adults as well, preferably to watch together. --Tom Keogh


At long last...
Review date: 2008-12-03 Rating: 10 out of 10

I had been waiting for the DVD set of this for years to replace my vastly incomplete recordings from the TV as well as fill in some gaps. I fought the temptation to fire off a review after watching one disc and have instead waded my through it all.

Initially I was a little dismayed by the composite nature of the episodes: the conjoining of two episodes to make one 'film'. Coupled with that is the removal of Old Indy, it did not bode well. Previously I had thought either a strict chronological ordering of the individual episodes would have worked best. However, I can see Mr Lucas' reasons - it does cut down on the volume of opening/closing credits. The other way might have been to simply order the episodes as they had been aired. This might have ironed out the `Curse of the Jackal' gripe that other reviewers have noticed. As to Old Indy, for this first volume, I haven't missed him. But, I'm not sure how volume two will pan out: I remember, for example, in 'Petrograd July 1917' Old Indy's part is exceptionally good and if not crucial, certainly adds some tremendous gravitas.

As to the production, I do not find the inconsistencies in the actors' ages in the intermediate spliced sections that connect the original pairs of episodes annoying. To my mind, there is a charming ingenuousness here that leaves me feeling "well, good for you for trying to do this". It also helps indentify which sections have been added.

Volume one was always going to be the weaker draw compared to the second. Let's face it, Indy the Youth is far more interesting than Indy the Kid, who I had always found annoying. But I retract that having watched these volumes. Corey Carrier and S.P. Flanery do a fair job of consistency in mannerism - they both have the same shrug and puzzled, doubtful air. I sometimes do find the whole Scottish thing for Indy's father bizarre, though marvel at how the choice of Sean Connery in one feature film has dictated the whole direction of the series. In 'London, May 1917' Indy and Elizabeth Hurley vie with each other in a linguistic competition which Hurley wins with Welsh, saying how can someone with the name of `Jones' not know Welsh. How indeed? And how many Scotsmen have the surname Jones? However, Lloyd Owen is fine in this role, and for me the most enjoyable episode is the Greek one, where we get to see more of Owen as well as indulging a picaresque adventure in the sultry Greek countryside. The acting is a bit hammy, but it doesn't detract; even the clothes-eating goats which look suspiciously like sheep are acceptable if one suspends one's disbelief.

With regards to the extras, these have been done fairly well; that was until I got to 'Black Jack Pershing' - selective history to say the least. I appreciate that time is short, but why not mention his role with leading Afro-American troops (the bowdlerized origin of his nickname) and his participation in two of the U.S. Army's less worthy 'victories' of Wounded Knee (1890) and the Moro Crater Massacre (1906)? A bit more balance is needed. Likewise with the Irish Rebellion: looking at the list of contributors we doubt that we are in for an impartial account of what was a fascinating and important historical incident. Watch the extras but keep a pinch of salt near at hand.

Overall, a delightful series whose weaknesses are far outweighed by the positive things. I look forward to showing these to my sons (when they're a little older). The value of the educational aspect is that it gives viewers enough information to go off and do their own research if they wish. It deserves to endure and finally get the recognition that has so far eluded it.


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Reviews


Not so good
Review date: 2008-05-16 Rating: 6 out of 10

Basically Young Indiana Jones meets every famous name from the first quarter of the 20th Century. However, there seem to have been a few very basic historical blunders made. For example in one scene of Episode One we see Indiana and parents crossing the Mediterranean in 1908 on what appears to be the Queen Mary. In another scene at Port Said, there appears to be a large aircraft carrier in the background. Thats just episode one, so I'm looking forward to other cockups in later episodes.
The remastered picture and sound are very good, but the acting is iffy, the scripts badly written, and the storyline plods along at snails pace. I remember watching the series in the 1990s, and some of the episodes were pretty good. Maybe time has dimmed the memory somewhat. As previously mentioned by another reviewer, George Lucas has edited these episodes to run either chronologically, or by theme. The editing on disc 1 is a mess. The first part of the episode segues into the second part with Young Indiana suddenly aging at least 3 years without any explanation. The scenes with "Old Indiana" have all been removed, and that is a crying shame. Fascinating though the accompanying documentaries may be, this box set is supposed to be about Young Indiana. If I want to see historical biographies & documentaries, I'll tune into the History Channel or the Biography Channel. Lucas obviously saw a good opportunity to pad these 3 sets out to make maximum bucks. He may be a lousy director and an even worse writer of dialogue, but he's a darn shrewd businessman. I think greedy may be the appropriate word. Still, at least the UK isn't getting shafted on the price this time. In the US these sets are double the price they are here. Good value then if you enjoy historical documentaries and undemanding juvenile entertainment, otherwise wait for the 4th movie to arrive on DVD and save your cash.

Excellent Boxset....But
Review date: 2008-05-14 Rating: 8 out of 10

I won't bother reviewing the series, as this has already been done. What I will say is that having spent so much time and effort on restoration and filming the 90 odd documentaries that accompany the series, it's a great pity they didn't include booklets with comprehensive disc contents, and cast/director commentaries etc. I'm also not terribly happy that George Lucas has tinkered with the episodes (god can't he leave anything alone!!!) and completely edited out all the wonderful scenes featuring George Hall as the 90 year old Indiana. George Hall's scenes were amongst the most poignant in each episode - so big mistake Mr Lucas, and I know I'm not alone in thinking that. However, £100 for 22 feature length adventures and 90+ documentaries spread over 31 discs is a real bargain.

The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones Vol 1 12 Disc Box Set
Review date: 2008-04-08 Rating: 10 out of 10

I thought each disc was great,the places that was visited made the film and the documentary was suburb,I thought a very good buy

Excellent package all round
Review date: 2008-03-11 Rating: 10 out of 10

Firstly I would like to post information that I initially found hard to find.

While watching the first episode ('My First Adventure') I found the end of the 'Curse of the Jackal' storyline very abrupt and did not have a resolution. I then read on the internet that this pilot initially aired with a 2nd part starring Sean Patrick Flanery and finished the story....but, everything I was reading was indicating that this part was not in this set.

They were wrong!

Yes, it's annoying that they cut the episode in 2; but the conclusion to the Curse of the Jackal is actually in 'Spring Break Adventure' (it's the second half of that episode).

Other than the strange decision to split this episode in two; which results in the young Indy (Corey Carrier) aging between episodes the rest of this box set has been exemplary.

I usually pick and choose what extras to watch on a DVD, but with this set I have been watching absolutely everything.
Unlike an earlier reviewer I watch the episode first and then the documentaries (mainly so that the liberties taken in the episode don't annoy me) and have found all the doc's to be very well done and packed full of information.

I can't wait for the 2nd release in this series - especially as we in the UK are getting this set so much cheaper than our friends in the USA.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Vanessa Redgrave
George Hall
Elizabeth Hurley
Corey Carrier
Lukas Haas

Creators:
Vanessa Redgrave (Primary Contributor)
Elizabeth Hurley (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Paramount Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Paramount Home Entertainment
EAN: 5014437952035
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 12
Format: Colour, PAL,
Release date: 2008-02-25
Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 650 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1992
Language: English (Original Language)

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