The Complete Making of Indiana Jones: The Definitive Story Behind All Four Films

by J.W. Rinzler, Laurent Bouzereau

From Raiders of the Lost Ark to The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

The man with the hat is back–in the definitive behind-the-scenes look at the Indiana Jones epic action saga.

When George Lucas and Steven Spielberg put their heads together to create a no-holds-barred action-adventure movie, bigger-than-life hero Indiana Jones was born. The rest is breathtaking, record-breaking box-office history. Now comes an all-new Indiana Jones feature Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull . Here’s your chance to go on location for an up-close, all-access tour of the year’s most eagerly anticipated blockbuster, as well as the classics. The Complete Making of Indiana Jones is a crash course in movie magic-making–showcasing the masters of the craft and served up by veteran entertainment chroniclers J. W. Rinzler and Laurent Bouzereau. Inside you’ll

• exclusive on-set interviews with the entire cast and crew of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull , including Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, Ray Winstone, and John Hurt–plus director Steven Spielberg, executive producer George Lucas, screenwriter David Koepp, and the incredible production team that built some of the most fantastic sets ever.

• hundreds of full-color images–from storyboards, concept paintings, and set design schematics to still photos from all four films with candid action shots of the productions in progress

• an in-depth chronicle of the making of the first three Indiana Jones movies– Raiders of the Lost Ark , Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom , and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade –including transcripts of the original concept meetings, cast and crew anecdotes, production photos, and information on scenes that were cut from the final films

• never-before-seen artwork and archival gems from the Lucasfilm Archives

• and much more!

Don’t miss the thrilling new movie or this definitive making-of opus. It’s as essential to fans as that trusty bullwhip is to Indy!

Genres: Nonfiction, Film, Media Tie In, Adventure, History, Art, Reference

300 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

J. W. Rinzler has authored over 20 books including two New York Times bestsellers and a #1 best-selling graphic novel. With more than 600,000 copies in print, his books have been translated into seven languages.

J. W. Rinzler grew up in Manhattan, New York City, and then in Berkeley, California. He fell in love with old monster films, such as Dracula and Frankenstein, as well as Robin Hood and other adventure movies. He was an avid comic-book and novel reader, an intrepid moviegoer, and had his mind blown by The Beatles, Star Trek, Bruce Lee, Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, Frank Frazetta, Michelangelo, and Mad Magazine.

Rinzler drew his own comic books (badly), then, in his 20s, moved onto figurative oil painting (okay-ly, but self-taught). He lived in France for almost 10 years, where he began writing. Back in the USA, he worked as executive editor at Lucasfilm for fifteen years, chronicling the work of George Lucas and his genial collaborators in a series of books about Star Wars and Indiana Jones.

During this time, Rinzler also directed and wrote an animated short Riddle of the Black Cat, based on an Edgar Allan Poe story, which was accepted into several festivals, including the Montreal World Film Festival.

His latest book is an epic historical fiction thriller called ALL UP, an epic about the first Space Age, published in July 2020. The sequel will be out in a year or two...

Meanwhile his book on Howard Kazanjian, producer, is due in May 2021; and on Kubrick's The Shining in fall 2021.

Rinzler is married and has two daughters and one grandson. He lives on the northern California coast.

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will start by saying that Raiders of the Lost Ark is up there a one of my top 3 films - it was the reason I become fascinated with film special effects and my love for Industrial Light and Magic and the collecting of film special effect and making of books.

This book is a labour of love for those films - now numbering 4 yes there is an entry in here for the crystal skull - and even the abortive film Monkey King. I think one of the things that struck me was that the different films take up different amounts of the book - the Raiders section for example took over half the book in one go. While the last crusade took very little. Now I will admit that what material there was - was amazing I was just surprised that the chapters were uneven.

This was a minor issue and to be honest one I didnt mind as like I say Raiders took the lion share. The book is more that a making of - or a behind the scenes it is more like a chronicle of what went on the films and the the filming that made them.

You have everything from publicity shots, to stage design shots and even candid behind the scenes shots. It all adds up to give you a feeling of what it was like on set - from exotic location to sound stage. This book is a true must for the fan of the franchise - I just wonder if it will be updated when the release the next instalment.

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

J. W. Rinzler appears to have had in depth access to the detailed minutia of the inner workings of creating the Indiana Jones movies and it shows in this book. Along with the numerous high quality photos, there are artists renderings, story boards, first drafts and memoranda showing an evolution of a movie from concept to fruition. As a long time Indy fan this was a treat and answered questions I did not know I had. As a note, don't be fooled by the number of illustrations, this book is heavy with text and detail and will not likely be perused in a single sitting. It will however take you on a fun journey and will help with your "Jones," for more Indiana.

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

The adventure behind the adventures!

[Tim Lapetino · Rating 4 out of 5]

JW Rinzler does a phenomenal job chronicling iconic films with oral histories, as he did in this book and the excellent Making of Star Wars series. This particular book details the creation and production of the Indiana Jones saga, including the latest entry, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

The book is heavily weighted towards the first film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, which is very appropriate considering it’s quality and prominence in the series. But it is also fun to unpack the making of the other trilogy films, both of which get their due. However, the coverage of the final film feels thinner, more PR-focused, and somewhat perfunctory. But maybe that’s not such a bad thing, as I feel like that final film itself doesn’t quite live up to the standards of the original three.

But, as always, Rinzler has chosen the right interview moments and descriptions to put readers deep into the action and creation. My only main complaint is that with all of the pages and artifacts shown visually, some of the photos are far too small. One star reduction for what could have been stronger book design.

[Bubba · Rating 3 out of 5]

I already knew a lot of the stuff in here from documentaries. Still it's fun to see production drawings, etc., even if a lot of the narrative gets bogged down in the shooting schedule details. the one thing that struck me most, is just how far, in terms of miles, film crews will go to put a movie together--particularly after principal photography wraps. For example, for Temple of Doom, not only did they go to Macau, Sri Lanka, sound stages in England, rivers and ski hills in California, but some second unit also went to Twin Falls, Id so that they could film a 30 second clip of a mini raft falling off of a canyon wall. The pick-ups, little stuff, after principal photography boggles me--going to Texas to film the end credit, riding off into the sunset bit for Last Crusade, b/c the terrain is "nice and flat"--nevermind that they had already been to England, Spain, Italy, Jordan, Colorado, Utah and California.

[Sean Boyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another enjoyable look behind the curtain from Rinzler. So far, I've only read this and The Making of Alien, and this one isn't nearly as in-depth as Rinzler's Alien book, but this book covers the 4 Indy films in a slightly shorter book.

That said, this book breezes by and, for Indy fans, is a fun look at the making of the series, from concepts through shooting schedules and post-production.

One thing that was particularly entertaining after reading the Alien book was to see the difference between Ridley Scott's gorgeous "Ridley-grams" and storyboards for Alien and Spielberg's sketches and diagrams. Although both directors create beautiful images onscreen, Ridley (as a trained illustrator) definitely takes the cake when it comes to putting images on paper.

The physical book itself is top quality. Thick, glossy paper stock for beautiful photograph presentation, and clear layout of text (with one exception, where the 2-column text breaks around a horizontal line of photos, and the text in the first column ends a paragraph right above the photos; my eyes first went to the top of the second column when it should've continued to the text below the photos--but it's a minor point to an otherwise wonderful presentation).

The thick paperstock and size of the book (a little over 300 pages at roughly 12 x 12 in.) makes for a hefty book to lug around with sharp corners that can dig into your thighs, but that's a minor inconvenience for the beauty of the book and photos.

All-in-all, another great Making Of book from Rinzler. Next up for me is his Making of Aliens.

[Doug Caldwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read for a very BIG/HEAVY coffee table book. Mostly due to many many photos of scenes before and in front of the camera. I didn't read every page but went for highlights. There is lots of background info in the photo captions; such as how a too tight dress prevented a dance number from appearing in the 2d movie. Or how Harrison Ford getting sent his costume from the prior movies convinced him to do the 4th. Each movie is preceded by first/second drafts of the movie concept and how it changed and evolved going into production. I was impressed with how much is filmed by the second/third units while principal photography was being done by Steve Spielberg. And sometimes he was also into pre or post production of other movies at same time. I have started watching all four movies this time know what scenes were actually filmed first even though they appear later in film. For example in first movie the scenes in jungle were filmed last while scenes in French harbor/submarine filmed first.

[Blake Coats · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and enjoyable summer read, very good as a coffee table book to read a few minutes at a time.

As a big fan of the Indiana Jones movie franchise, it was really interesting to see how all the behind the scenes details came together to make the first four films. As might be expected, there was more focus on the first movie, but there was a lot covered in the others as well. In particular, I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in old school film-making before everything went to CGI.

[Caz · Rating 5 out of 5]

For all the Indy fans: this is a treasure.
It contains not only beautiful photographs of all three movies (and the one we don't talk about...), but also costume designs, sketches, and even rare pictures of Tom Selleck who was supposed to play Indy, and so on and so forth.
Also a lot of interesting background information on the movies and the developing and filming process.
Definitely worth the money!

[Mr SN Walker-Smart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still the best behind the scenes tome for any Indy fan. The first third focuses solely on the origin of Indiana/Raiders, with tonnes of details on the shooting schedule.

Every film gets a lot of attention though, and is accompanied by fantastic archival photos. Even reading about the flawed ‘Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ proves interesting- there’s a lot of passion for the good and bad choices that went into the picture.

Highly recommend to filmmakers and trivia nerds.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lavishly illustrated and engaging enough to read, but since it packs four films into a single volume it lacks the neurotic attention to detail that makes Rinzler's other making-of volumes so weirdly immersive, while the complete absence of critical reflection grows increasingly off-putting.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and thorough history of how the Indiana Jones movies were made

[Collin Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a massive Indy fan and this was a book made for movie nerds like me. How could I not give the production recap of the world’s greatest franchise anything less than 5 ⭐️?

[tyRonE hArDing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very very interesting and entertaining.

[Druss · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read! Loads of details and some fab photos. I refused to read about the 4th film.

[Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can’t wait for the new movie

[Parka · Rating 5 out of 5]

(More pictures at parkablogs.com)

This is probably the best making-of-the-movie book I've read so far this year.

A lot of effort must have been put into research. Considering when the first Indiana Jones movie was shot, I'm very impressed by how they manage to document all this information.

The book is about the production process of the 4 Indy movies, up to the Crystal Skull. The narration explains in great detail all the events that happen behind the scenes. It's filled with lots of interviews. Read from how Spielberg came up with Indy's name to the last day of shooting Crystal Skull where Harrison Ford gave Shia LaBeouf a signed hat.

Reading the book is like working on the set itself. For that, it's worth the price alone.

There are hundreds of high resolution production photos. Several art illustrations were put in also, such as posters, storyboards and set designs. There are 300 pages in this 15-inch (screen measurement) book.

For fans of Indiana Jones, this will be an immensely satisfying book. For non-fans, this book will still impress. This book is that good.

This review was first published on parkablogs.com. There are more pictures and videos on my blog.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Subtitled “The Complete Making Of”, this does exactly what it promises, with the lions share of the book dedicated to “Raiders” itself (fitting, in my opinion, as the best film of the series). “Temple Of Doom” (which doesn’t seem to be much loved by the film-makers) comes off the worst, in terms of space, with far too much space dedicated to “Crystal Skull” which, without the benefit of time, seems full of “he/she was great” nonsense. Rinzler does a good job, making what could be quite dry material at times come to life, whilst Bouzereau’s interviews are thorough and wide-ranging (though a lot are verbatim from the interviews on the Indy Jones DVD box-set). The book is filled with pictures and artwork, covering just about every aspect of the productions and the reader gets a real sense that the crews (who remained fairly constant) were indeed having a great time bringing Dr Jones’ adventures to life. Well worth a read, winning the stars for the coverage of “Raiders” alone.

[Matthew Pavlichko · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read some of Rinzler's other books such as the Making of Star Wars and the Empire Strikes back. Both of those books were in one word, amazing. They were examples of the perfect behind the scene movie book. While this book is no exception, I found myself wishing I had one long book dedicated to one movie as opposed to 4 movies crammed into one book. If I had to guess, it's due to either a lack of material or a lack of an audience to have books solely dedicated to one movie. The book is well written, but due to a smaller amount of material about each individual movie, doesn't measure up to his other books. However, if you're ok with only about 80 pages or so per movie (versus hundreds in his other books) you'll still enjoy this one.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always like watching the special features of shows, or watching those pop-up versions that show random trivia about how it was made -- in any case, if you're like me, this is a perfect book for you. Indiana Jones has always been one of my favorite set of films, and this digs into everything you could want to know about it. At times, maybe more than you care to know, as it can go into excruciating detail on some things, but generally, the stories, the photos and extras were all really interesting and fun.
It's in depth, so it may take you a while, but this is a pretty fun read.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dream for a Spielberg / Indy fanboy. Sections of the descriptions of the first two movies show how incredible Spielberg could be on-set, especially when Harrison Ford falls ill during 'Temple of Doom' but production continues unhindered. The early, iterative collaboration with Lucas, slowly transforming the more philandering 'Indiana Smith' into the iconic archeologist with a gun.

It definitely weakens as he moves onto the second two movies, with less information and a more rushed feel. But it's a big, glossy treat nonetheless.

[Jacqueline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting a little more out of this book then I got. The print was horribly small and the book itself was so large I had to read it lying down if at all. The sidebars were the most interesting part of the book, giving us sneak peeks into early drafts of the movie scripts and looks at costume and set design. While I did not finish the book due to time issues I liked it and so would a die hard Indy fan.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for any Indiana Jones fans. Got it from the school library and read through the whole book. It have the details on the connection between Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, how every part was making in three domains of productions, and yet entertaining to know the candid sides of stars in each movie.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for Indy fans. Cool pics and production notes. Makes you realize how great Ford, Speilberg, Lucas, and their team were making these films. I now want to watch the movies again, even the not-so-great fourth one. I know Disney will reboot this series, but Harrison Ford will always be Indiana Jones to me.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book: it gives a great insight into the making of the four films like never seen before, including various unused ideas for some of the films that were interesting. Together with really good photographs this is a must read.

[Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book just because I like Indiana Jones so much. I read a lot of "making of" books but I enjoyed this one more than any other! Good reading, lots of detail and pictures. Just an all-around fun book if you like Dr. Jones. (So good I read it twice!)

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm almost done with the book, and it is now confirmed that it is completely George Lucas's fault that Indy IV was about aliens. Neither Spielberg nor Ford wanted anything to do with an alien storyline, but Lucas wore them down. Asshat.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can't get much better. This books shows the complete ins and outs of the series. Simply great.

[andy orin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fascinating stuff, if you're into it.

[Nels · Rating 3 out of 5]

It would be better if it stopped after the first 3 films. I still don't like to admit the fourth exists.