Here we are at the sixth installment of my year-long look at The Kiss in historically-set movies.
Recap of movie kisses so far:
January Kiss – The Phantom of the Opera
February Kiss – The Princess Bride
March Kiss – The African Queen
April Kiss – Shakespeare in Love
May Kiss – Quigley Down Under
The June movie kiss is from Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
In Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I loved that Indy and Marion were reunited and were married after all their years apart. I also liked that they had a son. The ‘you may kiss the bride’ kiss was a fun kiss, but it’s not THE Kiss in the Indiana Jones franchise.
THE Kiss is at the end of the fifth movie, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
In Dial of Destiny, Indiana Jones is 80 years old and separated from Marion, due to a combination of his temperament and their deep grief. He is disillusioned with where his life has brought him. He is equal parts angry with life and himself. He is at loose ends with retirement and wondering what purpose there is in life at his age. There were moments I felt sorry for him. But he is still Indy at heart, despite his life since he and Marion first fell in love to when they finally married twenty-something years later and currently living alone with his heartache. Many references to the previous four movies pop up in Dial of Destiny, which is delightful.
There is one particular scene in Dial of Destiny that is absolutely soul-wrenching. It is in this scene that we see Indy at his most vulnerable. It is agonizing to share his deepest regrets, which is the grief of the death of his son and the subsequent disintegration of his marriage, both of which he feels completely helpless to deal with.
I needed Indy and Marion to reconcile before Dial of Destiny ended—desperately needed it.
I wasn't disappointed. The moments leading up to the reconciliation kiss are simply wonderful. Their dialogue takes us back to Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark scene when Marion and Indy are alone in a cabin on the ship and Marion, exasperated, says, “Well, where doesn’t it hurt?”
This is a touching scene, and we know in our heart of hearts that it’s going to be okay between Indy and Marion now. It’s a bittersweet, happy ever after feeling.
Theirs is a kiss of forgiveness. It’s a kiss that begins to heal their shared heartache. It is a kiss that reminds them of their love. It is THE Kiss.
This movie clip isn’t great quality, but it’s the only one available on YouTube.
Dial of Destiny honored Harrison Ford and Indiana Jones. It is a fitting story to end the series with.
See you next month for more kisses from the big screen.
Kaye Spencer
www.kayespencer.com
Great choice. An iconic character from an all-time classic series of movies at his most vulnerable and poignant. Love belongs to people of all ages.
ReplyDeleteI heartily agree. ;-)
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