Young Indiana Jones Confronts The War Years on DVD
THE ADVENTURES OF YOUNG INDIANA JONES continues on DVD with Volume Two, THE WAR YEARS ($69.99), from Lucasfilm Ltd., CBS Home Ent. and Paramount Home Ent., as the teenaged hero heads into World War I. From the Battle of the Somme to the fringes of the African jungle and the heart of revolutionary Russia, the DVD collection explores history with hours of all-new documentary programming to complement creator George Lucas' Emmy-award winning series.
THE ADVENTURES OF YOUNG INDIANA JONES: THE WAR YEARS is the second of three collections. The expansive nine-disc collection includes eight feature-length episodes, as well as a comprehensive assortment of exhaustively researched special features providing insights into the historical people and events that inspired the series.
"The series was a great way to spark interest in the events of the past, but I always felt that we had only scratched the surface of Young Indy's potential," said Lucas, creator of the series that that ran on network television from 1992 to 1994. "We had made the initial introduction to history, and I am thrilled that the DVD extras can provide the tools that allow audiences to dig even deeper."
The critically acclaimed combination of adventure, romance and history was shot in 35 countries and utilized some of the industry's most distinguished actors, directors and writers, earning 12 Emmy Awards and 27 nominations over the course of its run. In addition, THE ADVENTURES OF YOUNG INDIANA JONES was the first TV series to use digital production, pioneering processes that would pave the way for Lucas' own STAR WARS prequels.
"I think fans are in for a treat with THE WAR YEARS, which contains some of my favorite episodes," said producer Rick McCallum. "We wanted audiences to understand all aspects of war, from the horror of the front lines to the contrasting philosophies of those on the outskirts and in the crossfire. World War I offered so many settings, and I think our brilliant cast and crew brought them all to life -- from the savagery of the Battle of the Somme to the heroism of the Australian Lighthorsemen to the 'reverence for life' that was born in Albert Schweitzer's Africa."
The feature-length episodes star Sean Patrick Flanery (BOONDOCK SAINTS, THE DEAD ZONE) as teenaged Indy. The cast of guest stars in THE WAR YEARS volume includes Friedrich von Thun, Anthony Daniels, Christopher Lee, Timothy Spall, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Daniel Craig.
The series also features the work of such directors as Bille August (LES MISERABLES), Mike Newell (HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE), David Hare (STRAPLESS), Terry Jones (MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL and THE LIFE OF BRIAN), Deepa Mehta (WATER), Joe Johnston (THE ROCKETEER, JURASSIC PARK III), Nicolas Roeg (THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH, DON'T LOOK NOW) and Michael Schultz (CAR WASH, TV's EVERWOOD). Writers include Rosemary Anne Sisson (UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS), Frank Darabont (THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION) and Jonathan Hensleigh (DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE).
Disc One:
* THE TRENCHES OF HELL: As a young soldier in the Belgian Army, Indy learns first-hand the savagery of warfare while participating in the Battle of the Somme. Almost succumbing to despair, as his life becomes an endless round of artillery barrages, nerve gas attacks and decaying corpses, Indy fears that death will be his only way out. Then he is captured by the Germans and confined to a POW camp where he and fellow prisoner Charles de Gaulle hatch a daring scheme to win their freedom in true GREAT ESCAPE style.
* Companion Historical Documentaries:
Siegfried Sassoon: A War Poet's Journey
Robert Graves and the White Goddess
I Am France: The Myth of Charles de Gaulle
The Somme: A Storm of Steel
Disc Two:
* DEMONS OF DECEPTION: Indy addresses the moral ambiguities of leadership when confronted with win-at-any-cost military officials who have a callous disregard for the lives of the men they command. The gut-wrenching horror of trench warfare, vividly depicted in harrowing battles scenes, is contrasted when Indy goes on leave in Paris and engages in a torrid affair with infamous spy Mata Hari. She shows him that love, like war, can also be fraught with deception, disillusionment and heartbreak.
* Companion Historical Documentaries:
THE ADVENTURES OF YOUNG INDIANA JONES: THE WAR YEARS is the second of three collections. The expansive nine-disc collection includes eight feature-length episodes, as well as a comprehensive assortment of exhaustively researched special features providing insights into the historical people and events that inspired the series.
"The series was a great way to spark interest in the events of the past, but I always felt that we had only scratched the surface of Young Indy's potential," said Lucas, creator of the series that that ran on network television from 1992 to 1994. "We had made the initial introduction to history, and I am thrilled that the DVD extras can provide the tools that allow audiences to dig even deeper."
The critically acclaimed combination of adventure, romance and history was shot in 35 countries and utilized some of the industry's most distinguished actors, directors and writers, earning 12 Emmy Awards and 27 nominations over the course of its run. In addition, THE ADVENTURES OF YOUNG INDIANA JONES was the first TV series to use digital production, pioneering processes that would pave the way for Lucas' own STAR WARS prequels.
"I think fans are in for a treat with THE WAR YEARS, which contains some of my favorite episodes," said producer Rick McCallum. "We wanted audiences to understand all aspects of war, from the horror of the front lines to the contrasting philosophies of those on the outskirts and in the crossfire. World War I offered so many settings, and I think our brilliant cast and crew brought them all to life -- from the savagery of the Battle of the Somme to the heroism of the Australian Lighthorsemen to the 'reverence for life' that was born in Albert Schweitzer's Africa."
The feature-length episodes star Sean Patrick Flanery (BOONDOCK SAINTS, THE DEAD ZONE) as teenaged Indy. The cast of guest stars in THE WAR YEARS volume includes Friedrich von Thun, Anthony Daniels, Christopher Lee, Timothy Spall, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Daniel Craig.
The series also features the work of such directors as Bille August (LES MISERABLES), Mike Newell (HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE), David Hare (STRAPLESS), Terry Jones (MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL and THE LIFE OF BRIAN), Deepa Mehta (WATER), Joe Johnston (THE ROCKETEER, JURASSIC PARK III), Nicolas Roeg (THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH, DON'T LOOK NOW) and Michael Schultz (CAR WASH, TV's EVERWOOD). Writers include Rosemary Anne Sisson (UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS), Frank Darabont (THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION) and Jonathan Hensleigh (DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE).
Disc One:
* THE TRENCHES OF HELL: As a young soldier in the Belgian Army, Indy learns first-hand the savagery of warfare while participating in the Battle of the Somme. Almost succumbing to despair, as his life becomes an endless round of artillery barrages, nerve gas attacks and decaying corpses, Indy fears that death will be his only way out. Then he is captured by the Germans and confined to a POW camp where he and fellow prisoner Charles de Gaulle hatch a daring scheme to win their freedom in true GREAT ESCAPE style.
* Companion Historical Documentaries:
Siegfried Sassoon: A War Poet's Journey
Robert Graves and the White Goddess
I Am France: The Myth of Charles de Gaulle
The Somme: A Storm of Steel
Disc Two:
* DEMONS OF DECEPTION: Indy addresses the moral ambiguities of leadership when confronted with win-at-any-cost military officials who have a callous disregard for the lives of the men they command. The gut-wrenching horror of trench warfare, vividly depicted in harrowing battles scenes, is contrasted when Indy goes on leave in Paris and engages in a torrid affair with infamous spy Mata Hari. She shows him that love, like war, can also be fraught with deception, disillusionment and heartbreak.
* Companion Historical Documentaries:
Printer-friendly version
Post new comment