The DVD set for The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones Vol. 2.
© Paramount & Lucasfilm

Mania Grade: A+
Title: The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones Vol. 2
Rated: Unrated
Cast: Sean Patrick Flannery, Ronny Coutteure
Writer: George Lucas & Other writers...
Director: Various
Distributor: Paramount Home Video
Original Year of Release: 1992-1993
Extras: Over two dozen historical documentaries
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The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones Vol. 2

The second in a three volume set of the Adventures of Young Indiana Jones has been released and Paramount is certainly wasting no time in getting these out in anticipation of the new Indiana Jones film. The second volume features 8 full length episodes over 9 discs, with the last disc being an interactive bonus disc. Once again the set is packed with historical documentaries, some two-dozen, that relate to the themes of the episodes.

Those who might be looking for an Indiana Jones lite may be surprised to know that there is little mention of archaeology or treasure hunting in these episodes. In fact, the set might me subtitled “The War Years” as these adventures are set against the backdrop of World War I. Each full length episode runs approximately 90 minutes. Some are two connected episodes from the TV show while others were shot as full length features. We follow Indy’s exploits first as a corporal in the Belgian army and later as an agent for the French Secret Service.

The opening movie, “Trenches of Hell” deals with the horrors of war as Indy is on the front lines, joined by his friend Remy (Ronny Coutteure). His unit is assigned to take a chateau occupied by the Germans. While not gory, the battle scenes are quite intense. Soldiers are shot, blown up, gassed, and burned alive with flame throwers. These are massive and very well-framed scenes, especially for a TV show. Indy is eventually captured and sent to a prison that is supposed to be escape-proof. There he meets Charles De Gaulle, then a captain, and they plot their escape.

In “Demons of Deception” Indy is now a runner for the French army. Several top generals argue over an attack which will be a disaster if it goes on as planned. Later, Indy is on leave in Paris and has an affair with exotic dancer and suspected spy, Mata Hari.

One of the best features is “Phantom Train of Doom.” Indy and Remy have been sent to Africa but get lost when they board the wrong train. They stumble upon an odd company of soldiers, all older men from different nations who have banded together under a British General. Indy is sort of shangheid into helping them locate a phantom train which the Germans are using to move a gigantic piece of artillery. He then helps them try to capture a genius Germany general who has evaded them for years.

Another terrific episode is “Attack of the Hawkman.” Here Indy is assigned a reconnaissance position as an aerial photographer. His assignment is to last only two weeks but he’s disheartened to learn that none of the previous photographers have lasted more than eight days before being killed. Indy will also encounter one of the most well-known figures of World War I, Baron Manfred von Richthofen, the infamous Red Baron.

In “Adventures in the Secret Service” Indy is escorting two brothers into Austria. Their sister is married to the Austrian Emperor and they want to negotiate peace terms to remove Germany’s biggest ally. Getting in was the easy part, getting out of Austria to neutral Switzerland will be the hard part. Christopher Lee Guest stars.

George Lucas and the writers did a fantastic job in shaping young Indy into the man we know from the films, and they did so often subtly. For example, in “Phantom Train of Doom”, one of the aged officers chastises Indy because young people always wants a plan and the officer explains he’s “making it up as he goes along.” This would become one of Harrison Ford’s more famous lines from the film. And of course, this set goes a long way to developing Indy’s hatred for Nazi’s and what they stood for. While he may not be tomb-robbing, Young Indy is still at his two-fisted, adventurous best. Sean Patrick Flannery is really underrated for his performance as Young Indy.

One of the great benefits of these sets is the historical documentaries. While I’m a bit of a World War II buff, I learned more about World War I through the documentaries and episodes than I ever learned in school. Below is a complete list of all the episodes and documentaries that come in the set:

• Trenches of Hell
  • Siegfried Sassoon – A War Poet's Journey
  • Robert Graves and the White Goddess
  • I Am France – The Myth of Charles de Gaulle
  • The Somme – A Storm of Steel
• Demons of Deception
  • Marshal Petain's Fall From Grace
  • Flirting With Danger – The Fantasy of Mata Hari
  • Into the Furnace – The Battle of Verdun
  • Reading the Enemy's Mind – Espionage in World War I
• Phantom Train of Doom
  • Chasing the Phantom – Paul von Lettow Vorbeck
  • Dreaming of Africa – The Life of Frederick Selous
  • At Home and Abroad – The Two Faces of Jan Smuts
• Oganga, the Giver and Taker of Life
  • Albert Schweitzer – Reverence for Life
  • Waging Peace – The Rise of Pacifism
  • Congo – A Curse of Riches
• Attack of the Hawkmen
  • Blood Red – The Life and Death of Manfred von Richthofen
  • Anthony Fokker – The Flying Dutchman
  • Flying High for France – The Lafayette Escadrille
  • War in the Third Dimension – Aerial Warfare in World War I
• Adventures in the Secret Service
  • Karl – The Last Habsburg Emperor
  • V.I. Lenin – History Will Not Forgive Us
  • The Russian Revolution – All Power to the Soviets!
• Espionage Escapades
  • Impresario – Sergei Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes
  • Franz Kafka's Dark Truth
  • Ballet – The Art of Dance
• Daredevils of the Desert
  • Col. Lawrence's War – T.E. Lawrence and Arabia
  • Lines in the Sand – The Middle East and the Great War