Indiana Jones 5: Will Marion Return?
Karen Allen left the door open for a Ravenwood return. Wide-open…
Growing up, it was — of course — Princess Leia, as played by Carrie Fisher, whom I counted highest among my favorite boyhood heroes, right there alongside Han Solo and Luke Skywalker.
But Leia wasn’t alone in terms of women who outshone many of the male characters I encountered in lesser films.
Marion Ravenwood, as played by Karen Allen, maintained her own illustrious place in my (Gen X, boomer-addled) mind, right next to Indiana Jones.
And, truth be told, it’s Marion who most reminds me of my wife, Andrea, lovingly called “The General” around these parts.
When I watched Raiders of the Lost Ark for the first time in the early 1980s, in the all-purpose room of St. Bernard’s Church in Enfield, Conn. (as a reward for selling enough candy during the annual fundraiser), it was clear that the movie was different.
That was even beyond bad guys’ face-melting, bare butted South Americans, and, well, the wrath of God.
Marion Was Important. Really, Important.
But there was more. Obviously, that flick is where my grandfather’s involvement in World War II hit my grade-school psyche (later to be summed up in Indy’s Last Crusade line, “Nazis. I hate these guys). Moreover, it was clear that Indiana Jones, as a hero, was flawed.
Namely, Henry Jones Jr. was a fool for letting his most precious treasure, Marion, slip out of his fingers.
Now, we hope the Indiana Jones franchise won’t make the same mistake.
Back in 2008, I was one of the few who really, really loved Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. But, even understanding that film’s tendency to go hyperbolic (even for an “Indiana Jones” movie), there was one line that I think was pretty important in terms of the franchise.
Marion, who admits to a love-life post-Indy assumes that Dr. Jones enjoyed a few affairs as well.
Indy answers:
There were a few, but they all had the same problem… they weren’t you, honey.”
Will We See Marion Return?
So, as we see in the clip below, Karen Allen, is right there, ready for a role. And Marion is certainly as important a facet of Indy’s story as Leia is to the Skywalker saga.
“I feel grateful to have been part of [Raiders of the Lost Ark],” said Allen to MovieWeb on YouTube. “[Grateful] for it to be now, 40-years, since the film was made and there are still people talking about it, and interested in the film; we’re here celebrating its 40th anniversary.”
As Allen said in the interview, Raiders of the Lost Ark (and to a lesser extent, its brethren Temple of Doom, Last Crusade, and Crystal Skull), are passed down from generation to generation.
Here’s hoping Marion Ravenwood is, too.
BTW: let’s take some hope from the final question of the interview: Are we going to see Marion again, anywhere?
“Oh, you might,” said Allen. “I don’t know. You’ll have to [shakes her head] – time will tell.”
Feature Image: Lucasfilm