The classic American film that inspired ‘Indiana Jones’
Steven Spielberg has helmed multiple successful franchises over the course of his illustrious career, but Indiana Jones is definitely among the most beloved. Based on the concept created by Philip Kaufman and George Lucas, the series stars Harrison Ford as the titular archaeologist whose dangerous adventures take him all over the world.
Even though it has been more than 40 years since Raiders of the Lost Ark came out, Ford is currently gearing up for the fifth addition to the franchise, which is set to come out in 2023. Ford, who turned 80 this year, revealed that this was going to be his last outing as the iconic globetrotting archaeologist.
While Raiders of the Lost Ark had many sources of inspiration, such as Hiram Bingham III, costume designer Deborah Nadoolman pointed towards an American classic from the 1950s as an obvious influence. According to Nadoolman, Charlton Heston’s 1954 film Secret of the Incas is “almost a shot for shot Raiders of the Los Ark.”
In an interview, Nadoolman claimed that Lawrence Kasdan took the Secret of the Incas screenplay and updated it for Spielberg since both productions were under Paramount. Not just that, Heston’s attire in the film also contributed to the creation of Indiana Jones’ iconic outfit throughout the franchise.
Nadoolman thought it was bizarre that the filmmakers never credited the film as a source of inspiration in later interviews. The costume designer said: “We did watch this film together as a crew several times, and I always thought it strange that the filmmakers did not credit it later as the inspiration for the series.”
In addition to Secret of the Incas, Jones’ costume was also based on Humphrey Bogart’s character in John Huston’s seminal masterpiece The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. While talking about the difference between Heston’s role in Secret of the Incas and Indiana Jones, Nadoolman claimed that the latter was far more gentle.
She said: “I have just seen Secret of the Incas again at the Eastman House in Rochester, and it really helped refresh my memory. Harrison’s Indiana is really a kinder and gentler Harry Steele, Heston’s archaeologist/adventurer. Heston’s fedora is considerably bigger and more unwieldy – compared to the one I designed for Indiana, it looks practically like a picture hat!”
