Montreal Indiana Jones show highlights film props and rare historical finds

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An exhibit of props from the Indiana Jones films is shown in a handout photo. The 30th anniversary of Indiana Jones' big-screen debut is being marked with a new exhibit showcasing props from the beloved Harrison Ford movies as well as rare real-world artefacts that give patrons a glimpse into the world of archeology. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Lucasfilm

MONTREAL - Fact, fiction and fun are melded together in a new exhibit in Montreal's Old Port which celebrates intrepid archeologist Indiana Jones 30 years after he burst onto the big screen with feats of daring and the crack of a bullwhip.

Visitors to "Indiana Jones and the Adventure of Archeology" at the Montreal Science Centre are welcomed by a bilingual message from no less than Harrison Ford, who brought Indy to life in the movies beginning with "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in 1981.

Jones' fabled leather jacket, fedora and bullwhip are among the first things people see when they walk into the show which has enough props and real relics to tickle the most diehard fan.

"We're using the character of Indiana Jones as an invitation to discover what the world of archeology is today as well as what the world of archeology was in the past," said Genevieve Angio-Morneau, one of the show's creators.

The original "Raiders" remains one of the top-grossing films of all time and was followed by three sequels and a TV series, "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles." There have also been comic books and video games with the character.

Angio-Morneau, a designer and museologist with Montreal's X3 Productions, says the idea for the show came from Lucasfilm when it saw the success of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," which came out in 2008.

"Lucasfilm realized that there was a lot of attention and that he was still very famous, a well-loved character," she said.

"Lucasfilm has all these amazing objects in their archives so I guess they quickly put one and one together and said it's time to let these objects leave the archives and have them tour the world."

The Hollywood filmmakers found kindred spirits in X3 Productions for the show, which comes as the film franchise marks its 30th anniversary.

The exhibit pays lavish tribute to the movies, with a selection of iconic props including the Ark of the Covenant from the first movie, a life-sized sarcophagus from the Well of Souls, a crystal skeleton from Akator on its throne and the costumes of all four leading ladies in the movies.

But the show, which is spread over 10,000 square metres, takes visitors deeper into Jones' world than a peek at props. It examines the work of real archeologists and how they decipher some of the world's mysteries.

Angio-Morneau said the sections with the movie props give an insight into what went into the making of the Jones movies while the areas with real-world objects from places like Panama and Egypt explain how real archeologists worked.

"It's like a mirror effect," she said. "You have these two spaces in the exhibition and there's an ongoing dialogue between the two collections."

The show is divided into four zones — The Quest, The Discovery, The Investigation and The Interpretation — and allows visitors to follow in Jones' footsteps to 14 sites around the world he explored in his adventures.

While the Indiana Jones props will thrill people, the archaeological relics are nothing to sneeze at either.

They include several gold artifacts from the Royal Cemetery at Ur in ancient Mesopotamia, a series of decorated bowls and vessels from Peru, the world's oldest known map and the oldest known evidence of winemaking.

"For example, we have this papyrus from Egypt," Angio-Morneau said. "It's a fragment of the "Book of the Dead" and you've got the detail of the stories of who owned the papyrus and some ancient Egyptian stories that are similar to objects Indiana Jones could have discovered."

The artifacts are from the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology, National Geographic and the City of Montreal.

Visitors can also use a hand-held interactive video companion to explain what they're seeing through audio, text and video.

"The exhibition is an exciting journey into the real world of archeology," said Frederik Hiebert, National Geographic's archaeology Fellow.

"This is a perfect opportunity to introduce audiences of all ages to this fascinating scientific field through the inspiration of these highly popular films."

Rene Lemieux, a Montreal tour guide, was impressed with the show as he looked it over with an eye toward an Indiana Jones tour by his Guidatour company.

He liked how the exhibit made archeology fun and described the Ark as "something special."

"You see the relationship with archeology and when you go into the different rooms where you have real pieces of archeology, some of them are really amazing," he said.

The show, which is a collaboration between the Montreal Science Centre, Lucasfilm Ltd., and Montreal's X3 Productions, is presented by the National Geographic Society.

The Montreal exhibit is the show's premiere and after it wraps up on Sept. 18, it will tour in Europe and Asia. Montreal is the only Canadian stop.

"The Indiana Jones films have entertained generations of audiences and this exhibition provides a wonderful way to merge that on-screen excitement with the science of archaeology to help inspire learning in a fun, dynamic way," said Kyra Bowling, Lucasfilm's exhibition manager.

IF YOU GO:

Address: Montreal Science Centre, King Edward Pier, Old Port of Montreal, corner of de la Commune Street and St-Laurent Boulevard. Accessible by either the Place d'Armes or Champs de Mars metro stops.

Price: The Indiana Jones exhibit is pricier than the regular exhibits at the Science Centre and costs $23 for adults, $20 for teens and seniors. Children get in for $13.50 and there's a family rate of $63 for two adults and two children or one adult and three children.

Hours: The hours for exhibits are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

On the web: The Montreal Science Centre's Internet site can be found at http://www.montrealsciencecentre.com/home.html