For many, Indiana Jones is the saga with which we establish our love for the seventh art. Cinema wouldn’t be the same without these movies by Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford. But, as it has happened throughout history, experts have been pointing out their flaws over the years. It’s the law of life.
You probably don’t care, but Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom contains a major error during one of its most iconic scenes.
The scene in question takes place when Indy, Short Round, and Willie Scott are being chased by Mola Ram and his henchmen, and they find themselves cornered on a rope bridge. At that moment, Indy says: “Mola Ram! Get ready to meet Kali… in hell!“, before cutting the rope bridge and sending many of the pursuers into the waters, where they are devoured by crocodiles.
In a video by Insider, crocodile and alligator expert Frank Robb explains the inaccuracy of the caimans that appear in the scene. The error is related to the fact that the scene takes place in India, which is the main setting of Temple of Doom.
It also has to do with the way alligators eat their prey and chew on the clothes of bullies after devouring them.
“This is supposed to be in India, and they are showing American alligators in India. It would be the Indian gharial or the saltwater crocodile that can also be found in some places in India. So they got the species wrong,” explains the expert.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the most controversial film of the saga
The Temple of Doom is the most controversial film in the Indiana Jones series, largely due to its problematic representation of India. Showing American alligators in India is just one part of the larger issue that arises with the portrayal of the country, its people, and its culture throughout the film.
All the Indian characters in the movie are one-dimensional caricatures. The villagers are helpless and can only be saved by Indy, which feeds into the white savior narrative.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Indian characters, including Mola Ram and the thugs, are nothing more than ruthless villains who literally drink blood and carry out human sacrifices.
The true story of the villains in The Temple of Doom is that the Thuggees were a real gang that committed robberies and murdered travelers, but operated on a much smaller scale than the influential cult in the movie.
The fact that the Thuggees drank the blood of Kali and worshiped the deity, who is a prominent goddess in Hinduism, perpetuated harmful and inaccurate stereotypes about the Hindu religion and also about Indian culture.
Along with its Indian characters, the film has been criticized for the infamous dinner scene at Pankot Palace, where Indy and the other diners are served chilled monkey brains and live snakes. There is no historical or cultural basis for such foods to be eaten in India. And we could go on, but we’re ruining the movie for you.
