Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
A father-son hunt for immortality with the Third Reich closing in.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade hit theaters in 1989 as the third chapter of this adventure saga. The story pivots from solo artifact hunting to a raw, personal conflict between Indiana and his estranged dad, Henry Jones Sr. Their journey becomes a frantic race against time: claim the Holy Grail before the Nazi Party grabs it to weaponize its legendary power for eternal life.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Steven Spielberg
- Screenplay
- Jeffrey Boam
- Story
- George Lucas; Menno Meyjes
- Based on
- Characters
- George Lucas
- Philip Kaufman
- Producer
- Robert Watts
- Starring
- Harrison Ford
- Denholm Elliott
- Alison Doody
- John Rhys-Davies
- Julian Glover
- Sean Connery
- Cinematography
- Douglas Slocombe
- Editing
- Michael Kahn
Reader's Guide
In nineteen thirty-eight, archaeology professor Henry Jones Junior receives an urgent message indicating his father has vanished while pursuing a legendary artifact known as the Holy Grail. The Nazis, helped by the American businessman Walter Donovan, who wants the Grail to achieve immortality, are also hunting the cup. The journey takes them from the canals of Venice to Brunwald Castle in Austria, to a book-burning rally in Berlin and a Zeppelin, from which they escape in a spare plane. In Hatay they reach a temple containing the Grail, where the Nazis are trying to overcome its traps, and Indy passes them with the help of his father's diary. Inside, an ancient knight guards a room of many cups, only one of which is the true Grail.
Did You Know?
- Henry Jones Jr. is the birth name of Indiana Jones, revealed during this film.
- Sean Connery was originally approached to play the role of Henry Jones Sr.
- The opening sequence is set in 1912, with River Phoenix as the 13-year-old Boy Scout Indiana Jones in Utah.
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