Anchorhead said:
LUCAS: We wrote complete scripts on other MacGuffins [for the third film]. And finally I said, look, let's just try the Holy Grail. [Adopting another voice] ''Ohhh, it's too cerebral, we'll never make it work....'' So we turned it into a tangible magic cup with healing powers, instead of an intellectual thing. It wasn't until the idea of introducing the father came along that we kind of pulled [the third movie] out of the fire. Because it then shifted from being about the MacGuffin.
LUCAS: We wrote complete scripts on other MacGuffins [for the third film]. And finally I said, look, let's just try the Holy Grail. [Adopting another voice] ''Ohhh, it's too cerebral, we'll never make it work....'' So we turned it into a tangible magic cup with healing powers, instead of an intellectual thing. It wasn't until the idea of introducing the father came along that we kind of pulled [the third movie] out of the fire. Because it then shifted from being about the MacGuffin.
A lose deffinition of a MacGuffin from Wikipedia: "The MacGuffin is common in films, especially thrillers. Commonly, though not always, the MacGuffin is the central focus of the film in the first act, and later declines in importance as the struggles and motivations of characters play out. Sometimes the MacGuffin is all but forgotten by the end of the film."
By saying that the introduction of Indy's farther meant it was no longer about the MacGuffin (i.e. the holy grail) what he fails to realize is this means the holy grail is no longer the MacGuffin, Henry's Grail diary becomes the MacGuffin as Indy has no interest in the Grail itself but is interested in finding his Farther. Indy's rooms are broken into to find the diary, the diary leads him to Venice, his room is broken into again to find the diary, the diary is taken from him at the castle, and they go to Berlin to retrieve it, and once everyone knows where the grail is the diary is still important.
The same could be said about Raiders because the search for the headpiece of the staff is a lot more important in getting the story going and establishing the characters motives.
and in Crystal skull the letter that Mutt delivers to Indy at the beginning serves as the MacGuffin, the letter is sent to Mutt, Mutt takes it to Indy, the Russians follow the trail of the letter and the letter leads them to Peru, Indy is never even looking for the crystal skull.
Anchorhead said:
But ultimately, these are supernatural mysteries. They aren't action adventures. Everybody thinks they're action-adventure films, but that's just the genre we hang them on.
SPIELBERG: There's not one that hasn't been supernatural.
But ultimately, these are supernatural mysteries. They aren't action adventures. Everybody thinks they're action-adventure films, but that's just the genre we hang them on.
SPIELBERG: There's not one that hasn't been supernatural.
I just think this is rubbish, the original Indy films are clearly action-adventure films, in Raiders and Last Crusade nothing supernatural happens until the climax of the film, they may be searching for supernatural objects but that doesn't make them "supernatural mysteries", temple of Doom has a bit more supernatural stuff i.e. ripping out hearts and voodoo dolls, but it's no mystery!
I think this is just George's excuse for having so much supernatural in the latest film with so little explanation, therefore it is 'mysterious'