Due to a severe back injury, Harrison Ford was not even present for most of the conveyor belt scene. It was mostly done using his stunt double. Harrison was added in later with close ups and reactionary shots.
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When Indy is trying to save Willie from the lava pit you can see Mola Ram remove his skull but when Indy goes after him he has his skull on and has to remove it before escaping. See more...
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Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) - 24 trivia entries
Directed by Steven Spielberg, starring David Yip, Harrison Ford, Jonathan Ke Quan, Kate Capshaw (add more)
Due to a severe back injury, Harrison Ford was not even present for most of the conveyor belt scene. It was mostly done using his stunt double. Harrison was added in later with close ups and reactionary shots.
When Indiana Jones is confronted with the two swordsmen and goes to draw his gun to repeat his easy kill from the first Indy movie, listen to the music. It's the same music that was played in Raiders of the Lost Ark in the marketplace shortly before he pulled his gun on the big twirling swordsman.
The original dress for Willie in the opening "Anything goes" scene was destroyed by an elephant in the jungle scene when it ate the back of the dress.
When the life raft crashes into in the river you can see for a second that its bottom rips apart. So Willie has much more reasons to complain about being wet ...
The movie opens with a scene in a night club. After the fight is over, and Indie and Willie make their escape, the name of the club is seen as they drive away - Club Obi Wan - a reference to some other, rare bit of writing by George Lucas - Star Wars.
Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg met each other on the set of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. They are now married and have seven children together.
Something a lot of people don't necessarily pick up on. Temple of Doom is actually set before "Raiders".
Star Wars reference: When the lava pit is opening to sacrifice Willie, listen for the same sound as Darth Vader igniting his lightsaber.
There was only one red sequined dress for Kate Capshaw to wear during filming. This practice is literally unheard of today. There are typically multiple pieces of movie wardrobe produced in case of damage, staining or loss.
Roshan Seth and Amrish Puri who play Chatter Lal and Mola Ram also appeared together in Richard Attenborough's epic film Ghandi in 1982.
Just like Indiana was named after George Lucas' dog, Willie was named after Steven Spielberg's dog and Short Round was named after screenwriters Bill Hyuck and Gloria Hatz's dog.
According to the (excellent) novelization of the movie, when Indy is under the Thuggee spell, he believes that there is a black snake coiled in his chest. When he is given an order by Mola Ram, if he tries to resist, the snake squeezes his heart until he complies with the order.
Harrison Ford injured his back when he was fighting with the Thuggee inside his suite in Pankot Palace, who was trying to choke Harrison but Harrison flips to knock the guy off. It took two weeks for Harrison to come back from his herniated back injury (after surgery).
Kate Capshaw got a black eye when Ke Huy Quan (Short Round) hit a Thuggee, who was trying to capture Kate before she could get on the mine cart, with a stick (which was actually balsa wood) that broke in half and part of it hit her in the eye.
When the first sacrifice victim is being lowered into the lava pit, he is chanting "Om Nam Shiva" over and over. This translates very roughly as "Universe, Earth, Shiva," though the words themselves refer to complex concepts. This is a mantra from a Hindu practice called Shiva Yoga. Shiva Yoga also involves the use of Lingham stones, like the ones Indy is after in the movie.
Star Wars Reference: Indy charges after the guards with a sword just before going on the bridge, then has to make a quick retreat when they chase him. Remember Han Solo and the chase of the stormtroopers on board the Death Star? Harrison Ford is one brave man...
In the novelization of the movie, Short Round believes that the elephant he is riding on is actually the reincarnation of his dead brother.
The sacred stones that Mola Ram is searching for actually have some basis in fact. The real stones are called "lingham stones", and are symbols of Shiva. They occur naturally and are found in rivers throughout India.
The orginal title for this film was "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Death" which was changed because it sounded too foreboding.
Originally Kate Capshaw was to perform a much bigger part in the dance number for "Anything Goes". However when she tried on the dress, she couldn't perform the moves, so her dance was cut and she just did simple hand and leg movements throughout the song.
Some of the action scenes in in this film were actually written for 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', but were dropped and incorporated into this one.
Kate Capshaw was so afraid to do the scene with all the bugs, that she took drugs to calm her down. They made her a little "drunk". The slowed yet sometimes hysteric reactions to the bugs, were her own real phobias.
The Thuggee was a real cult in India until the early 1900s. They were more of a cross between gypsies and the mafia than the army of religious zealots seen in Temple of Doom. The word Thuggee is, after all, the origin of our word "thug." For a more realistic portrayal of them, check out the Pierce Brosnan movie "The Deceivers."
Not a mistake, just something that's not immediately obvious: When they arrive at the plane after the club scene, the man that walks them to the plane is Dan Aykroyd.
You may also like: Raiders of the Lost Ark | Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade | Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull | Star Wars | Back to the Future
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