Forgotten 1960’s Adventure Gem That Inspired Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones Is Available on Prime

Summary:

• Jean-Paul Belmondo’s 1964 movie, following the man’s search for his abducted girlfriend in Brazil, had a great impact on Steven Spielberg.
• It’s a must-watch for all fans of the Indiana Jones and James Bond movies.

It’s no secret that the most famous character of Steven Spielberg movies is, undoubtedly, Dr. Henry Walton Jones, more known as Indiana Jones. The witty and inventive nature of the fictional professor of archaeology was well-demonstrated by Harrison Ford, who portrayed the iconic hero in all of the franchise's movies.

However, almost nobody knows that this character, written by the Star Wars father and Spielberg’s close friend, George Lucas, took a lot from a little-known action hero from the 1964 French-Italian movie, giving a lot of inspiration to filmmakers.

It starts by presenting the determined Adrien (played by Jean-Paul Belmondo), who embarks on a trip with his fiancée Agnès (Françoise Dorléac), the archaeologist’s daughter, who knows the location of the stolen Amazonian statuette of great value.

This knowledge becomes the reason why Agnès gets kidnapped, and it forces Adrien to do his best not only to save her, but to stay alive in Rio de Janeiro, where he ends up chasing the Indian abductors, who, in their turn, try to find the precious statuette.

The fans of the Indiana Jones movies can already see the obvious parallels between this movie and their favorite franchise: they both have the South American setting, the intervention of the native people and, of course, the search for an ancient artifact.

However, it seems to be even more reminiscent of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), the first installment of Spielberg’s adventure saga, as both Indiana and Adrien eventually confront the archaeologists, who turn their knowledge against the world’s peace.

What is even more surprising is that the movie we’re talking about is also similar to the very first film of the James Bond series, Dr. No (1962). The character of Agnès was obviously inspired by Honey Ryder, the original Bond girl, portrayed by Ursula Andress.

Titled That Man from Rio, it was indeed rumored to be Spielberg's main inspiration for the Indiana Jones movies. It was even reported that he wrote the French filmmaker Philippe de Broca that he’d seen this adventure movie the whole nine times.

Check out this movie to define the parallels between it and the Indiana Jones and the James Bond franchises, as That Man from Rio is available for streaming on Prime.

Source: The New York Times