Indiana Jones vs. Han Solo: What’s Harrison Ford’s Biggest Role?

A movie life

Harrison Ford began his acting career in 1966 with small supporting roles in film and television. He had to wait until 1973 and the trust of George Lucas that allowed him to distinguish himself American graffiti. In the cast of secret speech by Francis Ford Coppola the following year, it was finally in 1977 that he caught up huge popularity with his portrayal of sarcastic smuggler Han Solo in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. performance is exceptional : In this universe where all kinds of Force-sensitive creatures and humans are agitated, he is a “simple” human, more adept at laser gun and humor just swordsmanship and seriousness. He is 35 years old and this role brings him the consecration.

This role of Han Solo, Harrison Ford reprizes it for the two continuations of the first trilogy, and one last time in Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. Many actors would have given everything to be “just” the interpreter of such a character but, like Tom Cruise with “Maverick” and Ethan Hunt and Sylvester Stallone with Rocky and Rambo, Harrison Ford will also get another very important role , an iconic character of world pop culture: Indiana Jones.

As in 1977, George Lucas is behind the project, but this time he does not want to entrust the role to Harrison Ford, fearing that after Star Wars they will become too associated with public opinion. Co-creator of the adventure saga and character, Steven Spielberg campaigned for Harrison Ford, who then got the role after the departure of Tom Selleck, then contractually bound to the series magnums.

From laser pistol to whip

Indiana Jones consists of five films, with the first released in 1981. Raiders of the Lost Ark, directed by Steven Spielberg, brings to life a wonderful universe and character. Summit in the time of the action movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark Take archaeologist Henry Walton Jones Jr. around the world in search of sacred relics, in a race against time against the Nazis. With his whip and hat, his – again – sarcastic humor, his charm he’s not always aware of, and his hatred for the Nazis, Indiana Jones immediately establishes himself as a character adored by an audience of all generations.

Raiders of the Lost Ark is a hit, grossing at the global box office 390 million dollars with a budget of about $20 million. Already a movie star, Harrison Ford becomes a Super star.

Two suites occur in the 80s, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in 1984 and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989. For this, he teams up with his father in the quest for the Grail, himself a medieval archaeologist and played by Sean Connery. He you have to wait 19 years and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull for an upcoming sequel, with Steven Spielberg still at the helm. The fifth and final episode, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destinyhits theaters June 28, 2023, that is 42 years after the first Indiana Jones adventure.

A universe of characters and a universe of characters

Difficult, given the subjectivity of each of the millions of viewers who have seen the sagas Star Wars AND Indiana Jonesto determine precisely who it would be people’s favorite. With their qualities, their stories, their feats of arms, Han Solo like Indiana Jones have the legitimate right to establish themselves in the pantheon of the great heroes of cinema. But to look a little more on the subject, one of the two takes precedence over the other…

First of all, there is an obviousness in the development of the universes and of the two characters: Indiana Jones is a character-universe, which Han Solo is not. Sure, Chewbacca’s sidekick and Leia Organa’s lover has the world of him, so a spin-off has been dedicated to him, Solo: A Star Wars Story. But in the Star Wars saga, he is one character among others, equally or even more celebrated than him. There is of course Luke Skywalker, but also Princess Leia and of course the terrible Darth Vader, just to name a few. With 12 movies Star Wars products to date, Han Solo is only one of 4and is only a main character in 3 of them.

Finally, let’s add that Han Solo probably wouldn’t be so famous without the presence at his side of Chewbacca, with whom he forms a couple of inseparable heroes. Indiana Jones is a starring role for Harrison Ford, and the whole saga is based on this single character. He too has his allies, his loves, his enemies, but the Indiana Jones movies are “just” the story of Indiana Jones.

Indiana Jones advantage

Despite the saga Star Wars exceeds the Indiana Jones saga in scale, success and longevity, its quality of science fiction cinema can stand out an audience more fond of realism, inexperienced in intergalactic and fantastic intrigue. Conversely, Indiana Jones is therefore aimed at a more traditional fictional cinema audience – even if the saga still has its dose of fantasy -, which is set in a real world and well-known historical periods, and which therefore delights the whole family, from grandparents to grandchildren. This same unifying universe also corresponds a longer and more complex evolution of Indiana Jones. Unlike Han Solo, whose development remains more limited, with the fourth film we see Indiana Jones evolve, grow old and become a father.

The famous classification of The American Film Institute’s 100 Heroes and Villains, established in 2003, issues a final judgment on this matter. Indeed, after the film Atticus Finch’s lawyer Silence and shadowsat the top of the hero chart, it is Indiana Jones which holds second place. Han Solo settles down 14th placeright after Oskar Schindler and ahead of Norma Rae Webster.

What does Harrison Ford think?

Why is “Indy” ahead of Han Solo as a character? Maybe because, like Harrison Ford explained this himself in an interview with Entertainment Weekly in May 2014, Han Solo is an underdeveloped character.

Han Solo has a good heart, but I think he’s a lot less interesting as a character than Indiana Jones. The depth of his story has never been very great. It was like a reflection of the other more compelling elements of the films, between the wise old warrior and the young hero. There was no more of the character to explore than what was shown.

If obviously he likes his character of Han Solo, Harrison Ford doesn’t love him as much as the public, therefore finding limits. So much so that as soon as the construction of The empire strikes againdoes not wish to engage in several films, even asking George Lucas kill his character.

In a Questions and answers organized by Entertainment Weekly, he also explained that killing his Star Wars character had seemed like a good idea very early on:

I think it fit the character. I argued about it for 30 years, not because I got tired of it, but because his sacrifice, for the other characters, would bring gravity and emotion.

If the confrontation between the two characters tires him quickly, the actor has therefore never hidden his preference for the role which, if not the one that first made him famous, made him a superstar. hero of Hollywood for several decades, and above all to those who feel closest: Indiana Jones.

Source: Cine Serie

Ray

Ray Ortiz is a journalist at Gossipify, known for his coverage of trending news and current events. He is committed to providing readers with accurate and unbiased reporting, and is respected for his ability to keep readers informed on the latest news and issues.