ADVENTURES OF YOUNG INDIANA JONES, THE: CHAPTER FIFTEEN: DAREDEVILS OF THE DESERT {PALESTINE, OCTOBER 1917} (TV)
Summary
This direct-to-video feature is an edited combination of episodes from "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles," the adventure series about a young American who travels the world and becomes involved with the historical figures and events of his time. This installment is an extended version of the episode "Palestine, October 1917." The program begins on the battlefield as British forces fight the Turks, with the Australian soldiers impatient to get involved. German attaché Schiller is sent to Beersheba, and elsewhere, the Brits plan to take Jerusalem by Christmas, though they will make the enemy think they are headed for Gaza. Major T.E. "Ned" Lawrence worries about the soldiers' long trip across the pitiless desert, and they decide to send Indiana Jones to guard the wells in Beersheba so that the men will be sure to have water upon arrival. Indiana meets covertly with his contact, who tells him of his new assignment and tells him to report to Colonel Meinertzhagen. He meets with the eccentric British intelligence officer and is also introduced to Australian officer Jack Anders, and the three of them are suddenly attacked by Turks. Meinertzhagen is shot and drops his haversack, but back at camp he reveals that he faked his injury and purposefully lost the bag, which contains letters with false information about their plans to attack Gaza.
Indiana happily reunites with Ned, who explains that Beersheba is the real target and tells Indiana about protecting the wells. Elsewhere, Colonel Ismet Bey is unconvinced by Meinertzhagen's "evidence" and tells Schiller to blow up the Beersheba wells just in case. Indiana meets Jack's friends and intervenes when the British and Australian soldiers begin fighting amongst themselves. He learns that the Australians are feeling left out, despite their fighting skills on horseback. He and Ned explore some nearby ruins, and Ned tells him about the legendary "well of Abraham" in Beersheba, adding that he dislikes his growing fame as "Lawrence of Arabia" and merely wants to help bring about peace. Later, after joking around with his new Australian friends about the wonders of their land, he is disguised as a "sleazy" merchant and paired up with a female spy, Maya, who is pretending to be a belly dancer. As they head off into the desert, she grows annoyed with his tight-lipped "need-to-know" attitude and refusal to explain their plan in detail. As the Brits prepare to trek through the desert as well, Indiana and Maya encounter a group of hostile men who accuse the duo of drinking from their well. Indiana tries to win them over with his merchant goods, but the men demand both a camel and Maya as payment, and Maya tells him to leave without her.
Maya soon catches up to Indiana in the desert, explaining that she escaped with the help of a sleeping potion. A sandstorm approaches, and as they attempt to cross a rickety bridge, they come under fire and Indiana nearly falls to his death as Maya deftly shoots back. In Beersheba, Bey's men set up dynamite at the wells, and in the desert, the Brits struggle through the heat, losing some horses along the way. Maya and Indiana finally make it to Beersheba and Indiana reunites with his "cousin," their contact Kazim, who tells them about the rigged wells. Maya performs a dance for the men and slips a secret message to Bey, unseen by Indiana, and Indiana and Kazim plan to defuse the wells before the soldiers arrive. Maya is annoyed when Indiana still refuses to divulge the full details of the attack, but things turn romantic between the two nonetheless. The next day, the British and Australian soldiers arrive, and Indiana panics when Kazim is arrested, realizing that the plan is failing. Schiller maintains that it is a diversion, and Maya is revealed to be a traitor working for Colonel Bey. Under pressure, Kazim confesses that Gaza is the real target, and Indiana stabs him in anger. Schiller smugly points out "the ploy behind the ploy" and denies Bey's demands for reinforcements, but elsewhere, the Brits are pleased that their plan is working. However, the attack is delayed, and Jack and his friends watch from afar, worried. Brigadier General Grant suggests that the Australian Lighthorsemen Regiment should charge the city, saying that the Turks will not expect such a maneuver.
Kazim, who is in fact alive, frees Indiana from jail, and though the city soldiers fire at the charging Australians, they evade most of the gunfire with their skillful riding and successfully make it into the city. At the same time, however, Bey realizes that Indiana faked Kazim's murder and that the entire thing was a trick, and he angrily confronts Schiller for his mistake. Kazim and Indiana hurry to defuse the well bombs, and when Bey orders them detonated, only one well is destroyed. Schiller attempts to reconnect the explosives and Indiana rushes to stop him, delayed by Maya's gunfire, and Schiller and Indiana engage in a fierce fight, ending when Indiana shoots him dead just in time. Indiana reunites with Jack and the others and remarks upon their very low casualty rate, and the Australians gratefully drink from the wells, pleased at their great success.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: November 30, 0198
- RUNNING TIME: 1:22:00
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:90172
- GENRE: Drama, action/adventure
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, action/adventure; History
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- George Lucas … Executive Producer
- Rick McCallum … Producer
- Simon Wincer … Director
- Frank Darabont … Writer
- Laurence Rosenthal … Music by
- Sean Patrick Flanery … Cast, Indiana Jones
- Catherine Zeta Jones (see also: Catherine Zeta-Jones) … Cast, Maya
- Julian Firth … Cast, Richard Meinertzhagen
- Cameron Daddo … Cast, Jack Anders
- Douglas Henshall … Cast, T.E. Lawrence
- Haluk Bilginer … Cast, Col. Ismet Bey
- Daniel Craig … Cast, Schiller
- Kerem Atabeyoglu … Cast, Rashid
- Colin Baker … Cast, Chauvel
- Tony Bonner … Cast, Boucher
- Terrence Hardiman … Cast, Fitzgerald
- Stuart Bennett … Cast, Kevin
- Todd Boyce … Cast, Dex
- Bernard Brown … Cast, General Hodgson
- Vincenzo Nicoli … Cast, Kazim
- Robert Swann … Cast, Grant
- Alan Talbot … Cast, Sergeant Porter
- John Vine … Cast, Allenby
- Ali Yalaz … Cast, Greasy man
- James Bowers … Cast, British artillery spotter
- Halil Dogan … Cast, Turkey sentry captain
- Okan Boyulgen … Cast, Turkish spotter
- James McMartin … Cast, British artilleryman
- Ozgur Erkekli … Cast, Turkish artilleryman
- Kanat Tibet … Cast, Turkish artilleryman #2
- Ben Miller … Cast, French officer
- Tolga Yalcinkaya … Cast, Turkish adjutant
- Simon Murray … Cast, German officer