Screw entropy!

I went to see the Indiana Jones movie and hate to admit that it was both very good and great fun. Karen Allen is back as Marian Ravenwood and damn, it was good to see her on screen again. She left the Biz and started her own biz making beautiful clothing out of cashmere. You can check her stuff out here http://www.karenallen-fiberarts.com/home.php


I was skeptical about the making of a fourth Indiana Jones movie. I mean, it's been 19 years since "Temple of Doom" and our hero was no spring chicken THEN! (Remember a past rant about "Geriatric Jones"? The one where I posted a recent picture of Harrison Ford? No? KEEP UP, PEOPLE!!! OK, here's the pic again).


"You're not the man you used to be" (sic) says Marian to Indy at one point in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" to which Indy replies "It's not the years, it's the mileage" ...and we all laughed. It was a funny line. And is was true, then. Now... honey, it's the years.

It is not kind what time and gravity do to our bodies. The older we get, the fewer traces there are of us as we see ourselves when there are no mirrors around. We are worn away by time, crushed by gravity. It's as if we desiccate and droop and then fade; our hair fades, the color leaves our eyes; our skin pales; and slowly we fade to black.

Paul Newman, at about 30. So beautiful! With youth he had fire and intensity; he had flesh and juice, smoothness and suppleness, and a sexuality that was primal, immediate, and devastating.




Paul Newman, at 82. You can see vestiges of his younger self still. but would hearts have swooned if he had come to the screen at 82 rather than 30? Being semi-geriatric myself, let me answer that. No. We are attracted to all the things that time and gravity take from us slowly throughout our short lives.


And I guess that is one of the things I enjoyed most about the new Indy film. Shia LaBeouf was on hand to provide the heart-throbs, but Harrison Ford and Karen Allen stole the film. Ford is not as fast or as resilient as he was 19 years ago. Who is? Karen Allen is carrying a tad more weight and a few more lines, but is still beautiful, still endearing. Despite the passage of time and the ravages of being mortal, the chemistry between Indy and Marian is still there, still strong, still believable. So much for "Geriatric " Jones. I came away from the movie feeling there is still time for one last adventure and one last love for all of us.

Throw away all mirrors.

What we are abides and can be seen if sought.

Paul Newman is still beautiful.