Can Harrison Ford still portray the Indiana Jones personality?

From all the videos and photos I've seen, the character underneath the brown hat isn't the Indiana Jones I know and love, but it's Harrison Ford's other characters from later in his career. Instead of Dr. Jones, I'm seeing Jack Ryan, President James Marshall, Sgt Joe Gavilan, etc...

IMO, it seems the Indiana Jones charm and swagger is replaced with Harrison's latest trend of serious dramatic faces and a voice with unrelenting force... "GET OFF MY PLANE!!"

I wonder, will he still be Indiana Jones when we all go watch him on 5/22/08?

 

I'm not worried about his willingness to fill in the role, I'm worried because for the last several years, he's portrayed dramatic serious characters without swagger, charm... or a smile.

Harrison Ford's character's attitudes in Star Wars and Indiana Jones =
Harrison Ford's character's attitudes since then =

 

He's also got an energy to him in the stuff we've seen about Indy IV that he's not had in years. I'd bet that energy will show up on screen too.

 

You're exactly right, of course it will! He's more excited about this than anything he's done in a while. It'll be a return to form for the man in the hat.

 

Ok, here's a little visual evidence to support my concern...

Here's Harrison Ford during Star Wars & Indiana Jones, note his softer and livelier expression:
http://www.cnn.com/EVENTS/1997/star.wars.anniversary/where.are.they/hans.solo.lg.jpg
http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/050503/050503_starwars_hmed12p.hmedium.jpg http://img.search.com/thumb/b/b2/HanSolo5.jpg/290px-HanSolo5.jpg
http://www.solarnavigator.net/films_movies_actors/actors_films_images/indiana_jones_temple_of_doom.jpg http://images.eonline.com/eol_images/Articles/20070309/285.indiana.jones.030907.jpg http://www.vh1.com/shared/promoimages/news/c/connery_sean/news_060707/281x211.jpg
http://media.canada.com/5bd68867-954f-4ea6-b165-b4b7a6c4840a/071004indy.jpg

Now look at Harrison Ford in most of his roles since then, note his stern stone-face cold staring:
http://www.stomptokyo.com/reelopinions/images/harrison_ford13.jpg
http://www.dreamagic.com/vivianrose/airForceOne.gif
http://images.tvnz.co.nz/tvnz_images/tv2/movies/wl504_patriot_d.jpg
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/6971/k192jb3.jpg
(The movies are Firewall, Air Force One, Patriot Games, K-19: The Widowmaker respectively)

Now take a look at these stills from KOTCS and tell me which group they're similar with:
http://www.indianajones.com/site/media/photos/large/991130-photo-53.jpg http://www.indianajones.com/site/media/photos/large/991130-photo-168.jpg
http://www.indianajones.com/site/media/photos/large/991130-photo-169.jpg
http://a.abcnews.com/images/Entertainment/sp_indianaJones_071003_ms.jpg

I mean seriously, there's a big difference between Harrison Ford then and now...
[image=http://www.theraider.net/films/raiders/gallery/dvdscreenshots/123.jpg] [image=http://img.citypages.com/blogmedia/ctg/somethingaboutharry.jpg]

Interesting blog I stumbled upon while looking up my visual aides...
"The key to appreciating Harrison Ford is understanding first that he's a method actor, and second that his method is to project himself into character by imagining how constipated he ought to look in a given situation. (In this regard, he was at his jammed-up best in Frantic, though I really can't recommend the movie.) When the going gets tough, every look that crosses Ford's face screams 'straining at stool!' The only question is, how hard?"

 

Yeah here's the deal mate. I am not going to judge someone's performance based on a handful of still images. I keep an open mind and judge the performance based on... novel idea... the performance itself.

 

True, I was hoping people that have seen those movies that I referenced, like I have, and others and would get an idea of what I'm talking about.

 

Just wait until you see the trailer before you judge.

 

I think that this is a good observation, but I don't expect it to fundamentally change the character. For one thing, every time I see Harrison Ford interviewed (which, admittedly, hasn't been for years), he still has a quiet confidence and a sense of humor, not at all like some of the flat characters mentioned above.

The second reason I don't expect it will be a problem is because, well, Indy SHOULD have changed a bit: he's an old man now, and I think it would be silly if he were still, ya know, seducing beauties as if he's Don Juan and laughing wildly while outracing Nazi tanks on horseback. That's just not the way sixty-something men should be, and so a little bit of severity is necessary, in my opinion. (And Ford's never been a "cool" sort of guy the way that we view, for instance, George Clooney or John Travolta; he's always been a little bit stiff, and I think he might have just gotten stiffer as he aged.)

 

Yeah I have seen almost all of those films you mentioned. My point was you cannot judge Indy IV from a few stills. You have no idea what his performance will be like and should refrain from prejudging it until you see it.

 

Also, as has been said the 'serious face' is used when he's playing serious characters. It's called acting, and I would expect that when his role calls for it (ie. IJIV) then he can convincingly portray the character as the director wants.

If he comes across as dour in the IJ film, it'll be because Spielberg either wanted him that way or didn't have the balls to reshoot the scene and/or give Harrison better instructions.

I'm not worried in the slightest.

 

Anyway that look Harrison has in that submarine picture I've also seen on his face as Indy. It all depends on what the character is doing/saying/feeling at a given moment in a scene.

 

But it couldn't possibly be because Ford is no longer able to 'do' Indy?

I think we do have to be careful here. It has been a very very long time, and IMO it's silly to assume the worst, and silly to assume it'll all be fine.

 

It's silly to assume anything...watch the move, like it or loathe it, move on with your life!

 

Here here!

 

But the movie is really just a progression of 24 still images per second!
Although, that being said, all of that film is really more like an armload than a handful so I suppose I'll have to go ahead and shoot down my own argument in the same paragraph which I originally stated it.

I prefer to judge his performance that I haven't seen yet on the fact that Ford is starting to look like my grandpa as he gets older, in which case he'll definately pull off the character of Indy with no problem.

 

Look, the gang's back together and obviously they didn't really do it for the money, because they don't need it.

I'm sure Lucas, Spielberg, Ford and the others want the movie to be fun, and Indiana will look serious when it's called for (I agree with the point of his character being older now) but I'm sure there'll be some light-hearted moments.

 

Doubtless, Indy is now a dour crankshaft with a chip on his shoulder and an anger-management problem. He scowls through 100% of the movie. There isn't a joke, bit of irony or a light-hearted moment in the picture, and if there was, Jones sure as hell wouldn't crack a smile at it. As written, he's a somber, twisted old fart who does nothing but sneer and growl harshly at passersby. What's more, Harrison Ford himself is absolutely inacapable of turning in a performance to suit the material at hand. His facial muscles have atrophied into a permanent frown.

Also, the producers are renaming the character "Jack Ryan: President of the United States." There is nothing likeable about him, and he beats children with the butt of his pistol before bullwhipping them into utter submission. In the final scene of the movie, he melts the Ark of the Covenant into a slag heap, and sells the gold to the Russians. ROLL CREDITS.

 

See? At least someone is thinking along the same lines I am...

 

From the recent Vanity Fair article:

"It?s a very bizarre costume, when you think about it,? Ford says. ?It?s this guy sporting a whip, who?s off usually for someplace really hot in his leather jacket.? He says he got right back into the role once he suited up. ?There?s something about the character that I guess is a good fit for me, because the minute I put the costume on, I recognize the tone that we need, and I feel confident and clear about the character."

From vanityfair.com, the Q & A with Spielberg:

"I mean, we?re both older?and we both look a bit older, I think, certainly?but at the same time Harrison needed to recapture the caustic, laconic spirit of Dr. Jones, and certainly he was going to have to manage the action, and he did both of those things amazingly well, far beyond what I expected. And he just did it so brilliantly and so effortlessly. He was just a little more out of breath after every stunt, just a little more, and so was I."

I think we're in good hands.

 

To be fair, neither Spielberg or Ford are gonna be anything less than very enthusiastic about the film.

 

Spielberg & Lucas are experts at selling films. Yet, the article is compelling, and Steven's comments on Harrison are encouraging. I think these two men love this franchise too much to let it fall into the depths of mediocre films. Unlike the SW prequels, Steven keeps George in check. It is sort of a Madisonian system of checks and balances which should ensure a better final product. Two great and passionate creative minds enduring on this project...

-Seldon