The premise behind the series was an educational show that not only filled in the famous archeologist's backstory, but also created an interesting venue for teaching kids about history and famous people throughout time. In the original version, the show was introduced and concluded by an elderly Indy (in his 90's) reminescing about his past adventures. The show went on for three seasons and skipped around history quite a bit. When the show went to VHS, episodes were edited together and the outer-frame of the shows were removed to form full-length movies instead of half-hour shows (yes, Lucas had a habit of "fixing" his films even back then). These DVDs are the cleaned up version of those VHS movies, well, the earliest seven movies anyway. I remember this show when it first came on (though somewhat vaguely), and I definitely remember the elderly Indy and had hoped to see the series in its original format, but alas that wasn't the case.
So where does the young adventurer go and who does he meet? In "My First Adventure," 10 year-old Henry "Indiana" Jones, Jr. sets off with his family and their first stop is Egypt where he helps Howard Carter unearth mummies and investigate a curse. The second half of that film follows the teenage Indy (played by Sean Patrick Flanery, currently playing Stillson in The Dead Zone TV series) in Arabia alongside T.E. Lawrence.
"Passion for Life" shows the family going on safari with Theodore Roosevelt and Indy teaches about the circle of life and how hunting even the simplest creature to extinction could cause great havoc in the habitat. This adventure is followed by a trip that will have Indy meet Degas, Picasso and a young Norman Rockwell as a new era in painting is born.
"Perils of Cupid" is two tales that revolve around love. In the first one, 10 year-old Indy falls in love with a German Princess whose life is in constant danger with revolt seemingly always around the corner. This is Indiana's first love and here he learns quite a lot about life, especially over a dinner with Freud and Jung. After that, the family goes to Italy and while Henry Sr. is off doing a lecture, Indy's mother becomes smitten with the opera writer, Puccini.
"Travels with Father" brings the group to Russia and Indy gets into an argument with his family and runs away to a peasant village. During his journey, he runs into novelist Leo Tolstoy as well as gypsies and Cossacks. This story is followed by one where Henry Sr. and Jr. end up trapped in a cage over a thousand-foot cliff. This adventure seals the rift between the two and the characters bond more than ever before.
The last movie, "Love's Sweet Song," takes Indy to Ireland during the Easter Rebellion and once again falls in love, this time with a resistance member named Colleen. This adventure is followed by one with another woman, this one teaching him about women's suffrage.
So how are seven movies spread across twelve discs, you ask? Because, along with each movie, there are several historical documentaries about the people and places talked about in that film, and these documentaries typically occur on a disc by themselves. While I can't claim to have watched each and every one of these shorts, I can say that they are very informative and even though I've been through quite a lot of schooling, I was still learning something new in practically every documentary I saw.
This is just a great collection whether you are a parent wanting to teach your child about history, or just a general Indiana Jones fan looking to see what made him the man he became.
