Marcus Brody
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Marcus Brody is a fictional character appearing in the Indiana Jones films Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). He is played by Denholm Elliott.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Raiders of the Lost Ark
In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Marcus is introduced as a colleague of Indiana Jones, having a business relationship that includes Jones obtaining antiquities for Marcus, who provides the funding. The opening sequence that shows Indy's unsuccessful attempt to acquire a golden fertility idol is one of these expeditions. Brody's role in this film is rather brief, but he appears to be a mentor/father figure to Indy. He introduces Indy to the government agents who explain the Nazi campaign to retrieve the Ark of the Covenant, and later informs him that the government wants him to beat the Nazis to it. He negotiates the agreement that the Ark, upon its delivery to the United States, will be placed in a museum—probably his own. He shares Indy's frustration when the agents confiscate the Ark, refusing to give it to the museum or even disclose its whereabouts.
[edit] Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Marcus's role is much larger, though played more for comic relief, in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. He enters the story after Indy obtains the Cross of Coronado, which Marcus accepts for the museum "no questions asked." It is also revealed that Marcus had known Indiana and his father, Henry Jones Sr., for many years. Rather than stay behind, he travels with Indy to Venice when they learn that Indy's father has been kidnapped.
After Indy learns his father's location, and sets out to rescue him, he dispatches Marcus to contact his friend Sallah. The Nazis capture Marcus, who was holding the map to the Holy Grail that Indy gave him for safekeeping. Near Iskenderun, Jones, his father, and Sallah battle the Nazis, rescuing Brody, but failing to prevent the Nazis from reaching the Grail temple. The foursome enter the temple where they are captured by the Nazis. Their American cohort and project leader, Walter Donovan, shoots Jones Sr. to force Indy to retrieve the Grail, using only his father's diary as a guide. He is ultimately successful, and uses water from the Grail to heal his father's bulletwound. The four of them are forced to leave the Grail itself behind when they leave the temple. As they ride away, Marcus clumsily loses control of his horse until Indy catches him.
[edit] Portrayal
In the first film, Brody is portrayed as a wise, intelligent colleague of Indy's. Though most of this remains in the sequel, he is less of a father figure now that Indy's real father becomes a central character, and more of a comical one. He is shown being unable to navigate in a foreign country when he doesn't speak the language, is comically kidnapped by Nazis, and at one point Indiana reveals that he "got lost in his own museum."
Brody was played by Denholm Elliott in both of the films that the character has appeared in. Elliott died of AIDS in 1992. Out of respect for Elliott, it is unlikely that the role would be recast in Indiana Jones 4. And the character of Brody will probably not appear.
| The Indiana Jones series | |
|---|---|
| Films | Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) | The Temple of Doom (1984) |The Last Crusade (1989) | Indiana Jones 4 (2008) |
| Television | The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992-1996) |
| Theme Park Attractions | Indiana Jones Adventure (Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Sea) | Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril (Disneyland Paris) |
| Characters | Indiana Jones | Willie Scott | Marion Ravenwood | Elsa Schneider Marcus Brody | Sallah | Short Round | Henry Jones, Sr. |
| Cast | Harrison Ford | Sean Connery | Corey Carrier | Sean Patrick Flanery | George Hall River Phoenix | John Rhys-Davies | Denholm Elliott |
| Crew | George Lucas | Steven Spielberg | Frank Marshall | John Williams |
