Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) seems like an afternoon's adventure on the surface. But underneath it is a modern updating of the medieval Grail legends, without either making fun of them or being overly sappy.
The story is familiar: Indiana Jones, a middle-aged archaeology professor at a small American college during the 1930s, leads a double life as an ancient-grave robber. This shadow profession is quietly funded and sanctioned by the college authorities, in the person of Indy's dean, Dr. Marcus Brody. Indy frequently runs afoul of rivals like Dr. Rene Belloq (from the first film) and the series' recurring villains, the Nazis. Creators Stephen Spielberg and George Lucas based the series on 1930s adventure serials like Flash Gordon.
But these adventures are also based on a love of history. The Nazis really were running around the world during the 1930s looking for magical and holy artifacts from the Middle Ages and the Ancient World to satisfy Adolf Hitler's obsession with the occult. Archaeologists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries were frequently little more than grave robbers (though some would say that situation hasn't improved much with the international black market in antiquities).
In each film, Indy finds himself on a quest for some particular artifact that turns out to be real, really powerful and personally important. The first two films saw Indy searching for the biblical Lost Ark of the Covenant (which contained the original tablets of the Ten Commandments) and six stones sacred to Hindu god Shiva, respectively. The second film was less successful, mainly because Indy wasn't very personally involved in the quest. The first and third films, however, gain considerable power from Indy's being forced to conquer old demons on his search.
In The Last Crusade, Indy finds himself searching for the Holy Grail--the Cup that Christ used at the Last Supper (also possibly used to catch his blood while he was dying on the Cross). It's actually the lifelong obsession of his absent-minded father Henry Jones (Sean Connery). But when his father disappears in Venice while hunting down a Grail lead for a rich American businessman, Indy goes in search of him (much like the hero in this week's book review). Indy initially resents both the search and the Grail because his father has neglected his own family looking for it. The Grail means more to Henry Jones than his son does, as the rather dull beginning adventure from Indy's childhood establishes.
Here, the filmmakers combine the Grail legend with that of the Spear of Longinus. An artifact of great healing powers, the Spear was believed to be the one that a Roman soldier used to stab Christ on the Cross.
Another aspect of Grail quests comes up here--the search for the Grail is long and arduous, but it also must be selfless. In Wolfram von Eschenbach's "Parzival", for example, one can only find the Grail by accident, after being chosen as worthy. Indy marks himself early on as the one to discover the Grail because he is never looking for it himself. He loathes the thing, as he feels it stole his father and childhood, but is forced to look for it to save his father and friends. This makes his quest completely selfless, even though he himself is a cynical adventurer.
Elements of the Grail legend often involve the mastering of the medieval Seven Deadly Sins. By helping his father in his quest, Indy masters the sins of Anger (his resentment toward his father), Avarice (he doesn't want the Grail as a prize for himself the way everyone around him does) and Pride (he must swallow his pride to put up with his father's indifference). Another element from the original Grail quest is La Belle Dame sans Merci. The title comes from a 15th century French poem by Alain Chartier, but John Keats wrote the Arthurian version in 1817.
Keats' temptress represents the sin of Lust, a biggie for medieval knights. Here, La Belle Dame appears as Henry Jones' colleague Dr. Elsa Schneider, a German spy in Indy's camp. She seduces both Joneses before betraying them to the Nazis. Elsa is more than an allegorical manifestation of a deadly sin. She is a fellow adventurer balanced between good and evil for most of the film. But eventually her obsession with the Grail's allure as the ultimate prize leads her to her doom.
Another element of Grail legend appears in the Knights of the Cruciform Sword. This secret military order is obviously based on the Templars by way of the Templeisen of Wolfram von Eschenbach. In his 13th century Grail poem, Parzifal, Eschenbach created this Templar-like group to be guardians of the Spear of Longinus and the Grail.
The greatest success of the film is that Spielberg has hit on the central importance of the Grail. It is meant, not as a trophy of specialness for holy hypocrites, but as an artifact that heals the wounded and the troubled. In the end, it gives Indy his greatest wish--it heals his troubled relationship with his father.
