Indiana Jones 5 Started Its Set Design Journey By Borrowing From Real WWII History
"Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" may have been a box office disappointment, but it wasn't for lack of trying to capture the spirit of a classic Indy outing. The movie focuses on the titular archeologist as he approaches retirement and embarks on one last adventure, making for a reflective film that was ultimately a safer, less exciting Indiana Jones entry — even while it tried to emulate much of what made the earlier movies so enchanting.
For starters, before we see a single shot of old Indy, director James Mangold made sure to kick things off with a chase scene set in 1944 that depicts a 37-year-old Indiana Jones doing battle with the franchise's go-to villains: Nazis. In the trailer, the de-aging shots used in this sequence looked particularly good. In the final film, however, the tech wasn't as consistently convincing as we'd all hoped, despite Harrison Ford's assurances that "Dial of Destiny" avoided the kind of awkward character movements showcased in "The Irishman," which struggled to match its de-aged Robert DeNiro with the stilted movements of the then 76-year-old actor.
Overall, though, the opening sequence in "Dial of Destiny" didn't struggle to capture the spirit of a good old fashioned Indy action sequence. All the near-miss thrills are there, even if the CGI hero has a tendency to look entirely dead behind the eyes. After the de-aged Dr. Jones jumps between multiple forms of transport in a quest to save his friend Basil Shaw (Toby Jones), he ultimately ends up on a moving train full of looted artifacts, acquiring the titular Macguffin in the process. And, as it happens, that train was far from just another form of transport for Indy to jump around on and look cool.
The Führersonderzug
In a scene somewhat reminiscent of the opening of the excellent "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," the adventure sequence at the start of "Dial of Destiny" sees Harrison Ford's protagonist fighting his way through train car after train car full of Nazis. He ends up confronted by Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), ultimately escaping with Basil by jumping into a river as the train derails.
Production Designer Adam Stockhausen spoke to the Motion Picture Association about designing the locomotive in question, revealing that he took inspiration from Hitler's personal train, the Führersonderzug. The Nazi leader used this train to travel Germany and Europe, and first ordered its construction in 1937 — the same year in which this Indy sequence is set. Each train car served a different purpose designed to fit the Führer's needs. There was even a marble bathroom onboard. As Stockhausen explained, "What Hitler had didn't look exactly like ours. We borrowed from all over the place, but the basic starting point came from the real thing."
And it wasn't just the overall look of the train that borrowed from history. Stockhausen had to design individual train car interiors, which were erected on a soundstage at the UK's Pinewood Studios. As the MPA reports, these individual cars included the commander's office, the carriage that held all the stolen goods, and a cafeteria car. Stockhausen said, "Martin Foley, our supervising art director, and the whole team did such an amazing job drawing, painting, building, and dressing each one. They were all jewel boxes."
While "Dial of Destiny" might not be the finest Indiana Jones film, using Hitler's train as the basis for a set on which to shoot a whole lot of Nazi punching was an inspired choice.