Academy Awards — 1 win, 2 nominationsAll 1 wins · 2 nominations on record
Academy Awards: Best Visual Effects
Scholarship
Named in the title of 3 peer-reviewed works
Examples
9. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: anything goes — Columbia University Press eBooks, 2007
Masculinidades en Indiana Jones and the temple of doom (Spielberg 1984) — Revista de Ciencias de la Comunicación e Información, 2007
The Adventures of Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark/Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom/Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade — Sight & sound/Sight and sound, 2004
Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex · Library of Congress. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom arrived from Lucasfilm and Paramount in the summer of 1984, the second entry in a series that had already redefined the adventure genre two years earlier. Directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by George Lucas, the film pushed the franchise into darker territory, prompting the eventual creation of the PG-13 rating. It remains a touchstone of 1980s blockbuster filmmaking, prized for its practical stunt work and relentless pacing.
This cell brings together Indiana Jones and Willie Scott, the two figures at the center of the film's uneasy, bickering partnership. Willie Scott, the nightclub singer swept into Indy's world of ancient temples and buried danger, gives the film its comic friction and its most memorable mismatch of personalities. A pairing cell like this one captures a defining relationship rather than a single stunt, which is exactly why collectors seek it out, as a piece of film history preserving character interplay straight from the release print.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, cleanly punched with no torn or deformed holes visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a dual-bilateral (two-track) variable-area stripe.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers, manufacturer text, or SAFETY FILM legend.
Base & colour
The base shows a warm yellow-amber tint typical of acetate safety stock; the dye image retains strong colour saturation with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks, or heavy scratching are visible; the surface appears consistent with a projected release print.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, consistent with a release print of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
Era check
The dual-bilateral variable-area optical soundtrack, warm acetate base, and Eastmancolor-type dye image are all consistent with a 1984 theatrical release print era.
Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.
This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
CROWN SERIAL 000063301
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
