Hello there folks :D

for this journal I decided to do something I always wanted to talk about, a theory on some of the things in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
Its something you either like or despise. Its pretty flat compared to Raiders of the Lost Ark and Last Crusade, but is more memorable than Crystal Skull.
Its been slandered for being a bit...well racist to Indian people. In fact the Indian government didn't allow the film to be shot in India and demanded changes to the script. So the cast and crew went to Sri Lanka instead for the outside footage. Even to this day, the film is banned in India.

Are they true? The answer is yes! Racism when you get down to it is ignorance of a race or culture. This movie is focused on a Hindu cult called the Thuggee but overall treats Hinduism too simplistic--with Shiva being a good god and Kali being an evil goddess. It would take too long to go into detail, so I'll keep it simple--Kali is a demon slayer, which is awesome, but she drank the blood of a demon once and craved for more blood, so she created a group of people called the Thuggee cult and told them to give her more blood. While she was fierce during a time of bloodlust, she then calmed herself when Shiva told her to stop and is regarded as a protector goddess....even if she does wear a necklace of skulls and belt of human arms

So yeah, the simplifying of these two very important Hindu deities really got Indian people annoyed, as well as the infamous dinner scene:



Yummy!


But anyway, the one thing I want to talk about is the Thuggee. Lets talk about them.
The Thuggee were a supposed cult. They may have existed, they might not have. Did they do the whole heart ripping out and lava thing? No, that's silly

What they actually did was dress up as travellers and mingle with merchants. Then one night they would strangle the merchants with garrottes and then chop up their bodies and burry them. Also they would take the merchant's goods and sell them. So they were less an organised cult and more highwaymen.

Did they exist? Maybe...
There is some real debate as to the existence of the Thuggee. Some people believe it was just an excuse that the British Raj made to get rid of Kali worshippers.

But anyway, onto the movie's Thuggee cult, which is not accurate at all. The first theory I have is to do with this sacrifice scene:

WARNING! ITS GORY :O




Yeah......this was painful for some people
The theory is to do with the heart scene. The priest Mola Ram rips out the guy's heart, which means that guy should be dead. So how is he still alive?
Well some people say Mola Ram is using magic. I myself don't think so. I think Mola Ram uses an illusion, its all smoke and mirrors.
Later on he attempts to sacrifice the leading lady Willie, but doesn't tear out her heart but pulls back his hand after saying prayers and seems to be holding something in his hand--like he's holding a beating heart! So that's where my theory comes from.
But of course Mola Ram later tries tearing out Indy's heart at the bridge climax, so...who knows?

Second theory is about the "Blood of the Kali Ma". Its something Mola Ram forces people to drink to make them acolytes. What is it? My theory is that its a drug of some kind that dulls the mind and makes them easy to manipulate. I have no idea why fire clears it though its weird.

Anyway in the end Temple of Doom, a really odd film. Its probably to mean spirited for most people or too insensitive. I like bits of it, I think it does have some great atmosphere moments and some great sets of the temple and palace. They should have had it set in Mexico though, with Aztecs--they're human sacrifices were real and not possible. Though in the end if you're going to cover human sacrifice and a world religion, you need to do it in a thoughtful light.
Its not the worst film ever made, far from it, but.....ehhh.

Also Willie screams.....a lot