It is known by most Gearheads that Indy has a three to four inch hem on his pants so that his speed laces on his Aldens do not get caught up in his hem, but whilst watching a programme on cable about snakebites, it gave me an idea.
What does Indy hate more than anything in the world (minus Nazi’s)? Snakes of course! I came by this theory as two Herpetologists were doing a test to see if a snake could bite through certain types of material. My idea was that maybe Indy not only had a hem a few inches, not just because of his speed laces getting caught, but because if he did ever come face to face with the fanged creatures, it would perhaps give him a lesser chance of being bitten.
I have the NH pants and they are pretty thick Cavalry wool, and doubling up could possibly help protect Indy from being bitten by a snake.
Don’t get me wrong. I like the original idea as it makes a lot of sense (and it works as a few times now I’ve been wearing pants which have a 1-2 inch hem and my speed laces have gotten caught).
Though I'd have to say no to this particular theory. While an extra layer of cav twills might be somewhat more protection against snakebite, the main reason for hemming a pair of pants high would still be durability. A thin hem would soon be frayed and come loose, much to the wearer's frustration.
As for snakes, best protection would still be a pair of high, sturdy boots.
hmmmm...this will be the second theory I disagree with...I should be careful 'fore the villagers come after me with torches and pitchforks!
The hem is due to speedlaces. When the film was in production, on a shoe-string budget, they didn't overthink the character or foresee the internet/vcr's/dvd's or anything else with 'screen capture' capabilities. They needed HF and stunt crew to run without getting tripped up. I doubt Spielberg put a moments thought into the hem, but the costumers would have just for this reason.
I agree with SJ, the leather upper of the Aldens would be better protection from bites than a piece of cloth, double-stitched or not.
well, circus trains and Egyptian tombs aside, Indy would probably only encounter snakes when they slither past along the ground of a rain forest. He may accidentally tread on one, that rears back and gives him an ankle nip, but that's what the boots are for. You'll even consider that in ToD and LC (opening aside) that he doesn't even see a snake, so they're probably not enuff to maintain a constant vigil for them.
Since the next film is in the 50's, I say he goes with Go-go boots or platform soles. These will not only offer extra protection, but it'll make him look taller!
I would have to say both make sense. HARRISON FORD would have the longer hem to keep them from hanging up in the eyelets; a practical real-world trick that might certainly prevent a lot of out takes INDIANA JONES might very well do something like that for better ankle coverage. I'm not saying it would work, but we have plenty of safety measures around that don't work very well If he was REALL that concerned, he would have worn taller boots and bloused his trousers; classic "adventurer" style.
Aldens are not tall enough to provide much protection from snake bites. A guy on my squad was walking his dog in the woods, and a poisonous snake bit him on his leg. The bite was on the shin, high up on the leg, a little closer to the knee than the ankle.
The venom in a snake bite is actually a part of the digestive process of the snake eating it's food. The moment that snake venom enters the body, it begins to disintegrate living tissue. This disintegration of the tissue progressively spreads throughout the body, and is very painful for the victim. The venom is immediately absorbed into the surrounding tissue the moment that it enters the body. This is why the old field procedure of cutting near the bite and sucking the venom out is faulty. It has been compared to spilling ink on a sponge and then trying to $uck the ink out. It just won't work.
Also, snake venom can make a wound fail to clot. Cutting the area near the snake bite can cause hemmoraging and the loss of blood could become life threatening.
Even though my friend that was bitten by the snake is a black guy, the area around the snake bite on his shin is very noticeable, and it is very black. It has been a couple of years and it really hasn't healed very much. It looks like the tissue in the area around the bite has died, and the skin almost looks petrified. It is pretty nasty.
A snake that is coiled and ready to strike is probably going to hit higher than the ankles where the Aldens stop. I wouldn't consider them to be any kind of protection against a snake bite.
I agree with Bufflehead. It depends what snake species too, as a rear fanged snake will not likely pierce the boots, while a rattler with those ten penny nail fangs will put them through most leather boots.
If you watch actual period documentaries, as well as the old B-movies, you'll notice that most of the adventurers/archaeologists wore knee high aviator type boots for this very reason....snakes and other vermon that could crawl up the old trousers.
Indy wore his Aldens as they were Ford's personal favorites...plain and simple.
Michaelson wrote:If you watch actual period documentaries, as well as the old B-movies, you'll notice that most of the adventurers/archaeologists wore knee high aviator type boots for this very reason....snakes and other vermon that could crawl up the old trousers.
Indy wore his Aldens as they were Ford's personal favorites...plain and simple.
Regards! Michaelson
Yup, I agree. Most snake bites occur above the anke, so a pair of Aldens wouldn't do much good. During the summer months, I wear a pair of 16" bull hide snake boots while hiking. I've walked past 5' rattlers and even stepped over copperheads with out knowing it. (until the person behind me starts making a lot of noise ) You can't hardly see the bloody things.
personally, I dig the idea with the stilts. 
