Sallah

Indiana Jones character


name=Sallah
occupation= Professional excavator
family = Wife, sister, nine children
actor=John Rhys-Davies
first="Raiders of the Lost Ark"

Sallah ( _ar. صلاح) is a fictional character, played by John Rhys-Davies in two of the four Indiana Jones movies: "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade". He also appears in the preshow video in the Disneyland attraction "Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye", and voices the safety advisory in the attraction, as well as the comics and novels.

Character

Sallah is a hefty, bearded Egyptian excavator. He lives in Cairo and is a friend of Indiana Jones. He is a dedicated family man with a wife named Fayah and nine children, who seem to have a fondness for Indiana (at one point they all surround him to save him from a group of Nazis who have their guns drawn on him). Sallah is depicted as being jovial, good natured, and occasionally cowardly (when seeing the numerous asps inside the Well of Souls, he suggests to Indiana, "You go first"). He seems to be extremely strong, although he is apparently unaware of his enormous strength (at one point, he gives Indiana a bear hug, causing him a great deal of discomfort). He has a strong baritone voice and he seems to have an affinity for Gilbert and Sullivan. He is often seen singing tunes from "The H.M.S. Pinafore" when he is in a good mood. In "Raiders of the Lost Ark" he is mostly seen wearing a turban (perhaps to blend in with the other diggers working for the Nazis), and in "The Last Crusade" he is seen wearing a fez.

Appearances

Sallah appears in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981), where he helps Jones decipher the inscription on the back of Marion Ravenwood's medallion by taking him to an old wise man. They learn that the Nazis are digging in the wrong location for the Ark of the Covenant–due to them only having access to one side of the medallion–so Sallah and Jones infiltrate the Nazi dig and they discover the real location of the Well of Souls, where the Ark is kept. He reluctantly joins Jones in the snake-infested tomb, and they move the Ark to the surface. However, the Nazis discover the secret dig and capture the Ark and Sallah. They also throw Marion into the tomb with Jones, and seal it shut. Jones and Marion escape, however, and he tells Sallah to secure some transportation back to England. He makes a deal with the captain of the "Bantu Wind", a tramp steamer, for bringing Jones, Marion, and the Ark back to the States, referring to the two of them as his family.

He reappeared in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (1989), where he fails in stopping Marcus Brody being captured by the Nazis at İskenderun. Sallah later takes Jones and his father, Henry to the Nazi convoy near the Holy Grail's location. He borrows his brother-in-law's car, which is destroyed in the ensuing battle between the Nazis and the Grail's guardians. He takes horses from the killed guardians for the return trip, as well as camels to compensate for his brother-in-law's loss. At the film's end, Sallah inquires what "Junior" means, and Henry Jones Sr. explains that it is his name: "Henry Jones, Jr." Indiana (who apparently does not like his given name) reveals that he nicknamed himself "Indiana" after his dog, leaving Sallah roaring with laughter.

Sallah appeared in Marvel Comics's "The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones", where he helps Indiana recover the Chachapoyan Fertility Idol in Marrakech (that Rene Belloq stole in the "Raiders" opening sequence). [Cite comic | Writer = David Michelinie | Penciller = Daniel Reed | Story = The Gold Goddess: Xomec's Raiders | Title = The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones | Issue = 9 | Date = September 1983 | Publisher = Marvel Comics] The 1990 novel "Young Indiana Jones and the Tomb of Terror" details his first encounter with Indiana in 1913, and his full name is given as Sallah Mohammed Faisel el-Kahir. [cite book|author=Les Martin|title=Young Indiana Jones and the Tomb of Terror|publisher=Random House|date=1990|isbn=0-679-80581-8] Sallah reappeared in the ninth and twelfth Bantam Books novels set before the films: in 1933 Sallah helped Indiana find the Philosopher's stone, [cite book|author=Max McCoy|title=Indiana Jones and the Philosopher's Stone|publisher=Bantam Books|date=1995|isbn=978-0-553-56196-8] and the following year he provides sanctuary for Jones on his way to the Great Sphinx of Giza. [cite book|author=Max McCoy|title=Indiana Jones and the Secret of the Sphinx|publisher=Bantam Books|date=1999|url=http://www.randomhouse.com/bantamdell/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780553561975|isbn=978-0-553-56197-5]

Concept and creation

The script specified Sallah as a thin 5'2" Bedouin, while Steven Spielberg envisioned him as "a small creature from the "Star Wars" cantina in an earthbound adventure film". He offered the role to Danny DeVito, who passed because of his commitment to "Taxi". Spielberg saw John Rhys-Davies in "Shōgun", and changed the role accordingly, advising the actor portray Sallah as a cross between his role in "Shōgun" and Falstaff. [cite news | title = Raiders of the Lost Ark: An Oral History | publisher = Empire Online | date = 2008-04-24 | url = http://www.empireonline.com/indy/day3/2.asp | accessdate=2008-04-24] Kevork Malikyan, who played Kazim in "Last Crusade", also expressed interest in the role, but a traffic jam meant he missed his audition. [cite web | title = Casting the Crusaders | publisher = TheRaider.net | url = http://www.theraider.net/films/crusade/making_2_casting.php | accessdate=2008-04-20]

When Davies reprised his role for "Last Crusade", he imagined Sallah had become richer since "Raiders", leaving excavation in favor of selling antiques. He wanted to convey Sallah "has gotten older and a little fatter. This time, we see him without the s of his wife and children. He's a little more resolute now, and he's more ready to have a physical go at the Germans himself. But other than that, he's still the same old Sallah." [cite news | author = Will Murray | title = John Rhys-Davies, Dangerous Actor | publisher = Starlog | date = August 1989 | pages = 45-48, 50]

There are two scenes deleted during filming of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" featuring Sallah. One is an extension of the scene where Sallah loses the rope into the map room, after two Nazi soldiers demand help from him in freeing their truck from the sand. The entire scene also involved several Nazi soldiers demanding to be served water, while Sallah panics and spills water on their uniforms. The scene was supposed to have smoke in the background, but tires used in the scene made it too dark. Spielberg cut the scene to avoid spending half a day reshooting. The other scene depicted Sallah's fate after Jones and Marion's entrapment in the Well of Souls. The Germans decide to execute Sallah, but a young soldier put in charge of the operation has second thoughts. [cite web | title = Deleted Scenes | publisher = TheRaider.net | url = http://www.theraider.net/films/raiders/deleted_scenes.php | accessdate=2008-04-20]

There were also two scenes featuring Sallah cut from the finished cut of "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade". During the scene where Sallah fends off the German kidnappers, he hits a camel which spits mucus over the Nazis, and another shot with Sallah fighting the Nazis. The other depicts Indy and his father meeting Sallah at the İskenderun train station. It was deleted because of showing a minor transitional plot element. [cite web | title = Deleted Scenes | publisher = TheRaider.net | url = http://www.theraider.net/films/crusade/deleted_scenes.php | accessdate=2008-04-20]

Reception

Sallah ranks at number 47 on "Entertainment Weekly"'s list of the best sidekicks. They recalled his line, "Asps, very dangerous – you go first", citing it as "not the words of a coward, but rather, of a faithful (and perfectly honest) companion". [cite news | title = Greatest Sidekicks: Nos. 26-50 | publisher = Entertainment Weekly | date = 2006-07-13 | url = http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1213384_5,00.html | accessdate=2008-03-15] "Empire" named him their thirtieth favorite element of the films, citing "his indomitable spirit", a "lovely singing voice" and "a roguish streak to match Indy’s own". [cite web | title = Top 30 Reasons Why We Love Indy - Part 1 | publisher = Empire Online | date = 2008-05-16 | url = http://www.empireonline.com/indy/day25/ | accessdate=2008-05-16]

Kenner released a 3.75" action figure in 1983. [cite web | title = Kenner - Series 2: Action Figures | publisher = TheRaider.net | url = http://www.theraider.net/information/collectibles/kenner_series2_figures.php | accessdate=2008-04-22] He was included in a TSR, Inc. collection of metal miniatures the following year. [cite web | title = TSR Unpainted Metal Miniatures | publisher = Cool Toy Review | url = http://www.cooltoyreview.com/Kenner_IJ_TSRminis.asp | accessdate=2008-04-22] In 2008, Hasbro released a 3 ¾" Sallah figure that included shovel and a torch accessories. [cite web | title = Hasbro - 3 ¾" Action Figures Wave 1: Basic Figures | publisher = TheRaider.net | url = http://www.theraider.net/information/collectibles/hasbro_wave1_figures.php | accessdate=2008-04-22] An Adventure Heroes figurine, which comes with a cobra and a mummy, was also released. [cite web | title = Hasbro - Adventure Heroes: Wave 1 | publisher = TheRaider.net | url = http://www.theraider.net/information/collectibles/hasbro_heroes_wave1.php | accessdate=2008-04-22]

Notes

External links

* [http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0001066/ Sallah] at the Internet Movie Database