Club Obi Wan

I have to admit I don't understand why the placement of the strap above or below the jacket is such an incredibly big deal to so many. Personally, I always thought it more practical to wear the bag on the outside of the jacket, but I've never lost any sleep over it one way or the other. There are more important things for me to worry about. But I'd like to know which you would prefer and why. More importantly, I'm interested in the reasons why some of you are so passionate regarding the topic. Discuss! (In a civil manner, please. )

hmm, well I guess I'd prefer it under the jacket, because it just seems more like classic Indy. I don't really care all that much one way or the other. I have to admit that like you bink, I'm a bit perplexed by all the partisanship. :junior: -IJ

Although I feel it's more practical to wear the bag over a jacket, it looks far better with the strap underneath. The strap worn on top ruins the line of the jacket and restricts it's natural movement. I also think it's integral to the Indy look.

I guess it just boils down to which he removes more often, his jacket or the bag. I see him wearing the bag more often, and just throwing the jacket on over it out of practicality.

But I don't have a dog in this fight. Doesn't matter to me either way.

I'm not really "passionate" one way or the other. However, when I wear the bag on the outside, I feel a bit bound-up. I'm a big guy, and the strap leaves no room for me or my jacket to move. However, the thin leather strap is uncomfortable underneath the jacket. I say, under the jacket with a padded shoulder area. But it's all about comfort for me. It just so happens, neither choice is perfect.

I prefer to wear the strap underneath my jacket simply 'cause it looks better than wearing it on the outside.

For practicality, the strap over jacket is the most convenient. When you need to get the bag off, especially when you get trapped by a tank gun turret - you can simply take the bag off without disrobing your jacket. Indy IV does show that correct configuration. <controversial statement inserted for brevity>

In the new video where they discuss the hat and jacket, it appears that Harrison Ford is actually wearing the strap over his jacket 2:20 2:36 & 3:00 into the film. Don't know if that will also be the case in the film or not.

bigrex, if you check out the available stills, that does seem to be the case.

I must admit that I normally wear my bag outside my jacket, cause I´m often in a hurry, but if I have the time, I´ll wear it under my jacket

I prefer to wear mine UNDER the jacket as I can remove the jacket if I get hot and just drape it over the bag. I noticed if I wear it over. it tends to make the jacket bind up at the shoulders. With the NH strap I got it's longer and sits just about right as well.
Now yesterday I wore it on the outside as I was wearing a sweathirt and it doesn't bind as much. That and I planned to remove the bag when I got to the beach anywho so it was a matter of practicality.

I tend to wear it under my jacket, as it is more comfortable and I leave it on when the jacket is off. On the other hand, if I need to take the bag on and off or access it a lot when I'm wearing the jacket, I'll wear it out. Doesn't matter much either way.

Frig, if they'd just have done this in the first place a lot of us wouldn't have had to worry about the dye bleeding onto the shirts back in the early days of gear collecting.

This sort of thing's not my- WAITAMINUTE- this sort of thing IS my bag, baby!

My preference is over the jacket, unless I am planning to take my jacket off a lot. Actually one of my favorite bags is the Mark 6 which came with a removeable strap. use it all the time. Sometimes I will also hook other bags on to the strap so I don't have to carry them. I do find that all bag straps, if the bag is heavy, will cut into my shoulder and so wearing it over the jacket is more comfortable for that and the jacket takes any strap movement not my shoulder.
best
Canada

I guess I'm just a Raiders guy through and through. Under the jacket is the only way to fly for me. I find it more comfortable and more practical as the jacket is more likely to come off than the bag and it is VERY UNLIKELY that if it is under the jacket it could get caught up on a gun barrel (Matter through matter???)

Also, it would be a pain to zip up the jacket with the strap over it all the time.

My own feeling on it is that the strap looks better underneath.
I don't like the look of the strap over the jacket from the back.

It's layering, I guess. Indy is traditionally seen either with or without the jacket, but the bag strap is just about always there.

That being said, I'm not fussed really... it's a minor, minor thing in the scheme of Indy things to me.

Binkmeister, I totally share Your wondering over this subject

SA seems to take over all control of minds, and personly I dont give a d... if he wears his bag on his head. Indy is whatever the movie shows us. There is absolutely no movielogic reason why Indy should suddenly be SA compared to himself. If he decides to wear a yellow raincoat in Indy-IV, then THATS screenaccurate

As for the strap I will really have a big laugh if Indy has a line in the beginning of CS where he just casually tells Shia always to wear bags with straps on the outside of a jacket. When Shia asks why Indy answers: Just an incident I had with a tank some time ago. Long story...

Hate to be the one to spoil the fun here, but Indy is a moviecharacter... AHHHHH.... There it was, I said it out loud. Cat is out of the bag

...But to answer Your question in a civilized way: I prefer both, depending on where I am. It's easier to take of the bag and throw it in the bag of Your car if You dont have to take of the jacket. But if I'm in a place with many people I wear it underneath to hide it a bit. Then again, many hours with the strap on the shoulder without the jacket is a little painfull, so even though the bag is a practical thing in my everyday, the strap is not.

Cheers
Indy-K

Lucas will digitally move it under the jacket again in the KotCS SE.

Why does the bagstrap outside bother me?

IndyGear.

Having an artist's eye for detail, it jumped out at me first thing when I saw the photo, but if it wasn't for this place and our bias for a more Raiders "SA" (which I share, don't get me wrong), I probably wouldn't have given it a better thought.

I do think Under the jacket looks better visually, and often in real life, I'm taking my jacket off more than my bag, so it does seem more practical.

But I look at it as a new costume designer wanting to make his little mark on an iconic look that you can't tweak too much without it not being Indy.

I think we all need to just get used to a new "Screen Accuracy".

In the meantime, I'll try to just focus on that beauty of a hat.
Mike

To be honest, it doesn't a bit of difference to me one way or the other.

I've worn the strap over the jacket, and if the strap was cinched to short, the jacket rode up and bunched on top. If I wear it under the jacket, it's a pain to get on and off without taking the jacket off, so either way, it's a blessing and curse as to how one wears it. More often than not, I leave the bag at home.

SA or not, it's all in how I'm going to use the bag at any given time, and to heck with what a fictional movie character did on screen if it's going to give me problems.

Regards! Michaelson

I agree with Michaelson. Besides this issue makes it easier for everyone to be SA, because there is not one true Indy outfit. In fact, most of the time, it changes from scene to scene anyway.

Under the jacket makes it alot harder for a bag snatcher to snatch your bag. If they run by to grab it, they're taking you with them.

I have a feeling some sword weilding villianous will slice the bag strap, making Indy drop his bag. If it was worn under the jacket, it may not have worked as well on film. Like when the Grail Knight does this to Indy, you can barely notice.
'Blues

im all about underneath... anything that looks different that does'nt need to be in this new film i'm not happy about... even little things like when drew released his teaser poster of indy standing alone.. the INDIANA JONES text had been ulterated slightly.. you might say well why do you care if the difference is that small.. well i say why change it if the difference is that small. (THE CONTEXT OF MY RANT WAS NOT AN ANGRY ONE BTW)

Thanks for all the replies! From what I'm reading, it seems that there are those who don't care about the strap either way, those who prefer strap placement for practical reasons, and those who who look at the strap only from the screen accurate point of view.

Red Dust, your response (not taken as angry btw ) is the type of that got me asking the question in the first place. It makes me think that there are fans who are so taken with one particular movie (Raiders, or the whole original trilogy, even) that in order for IJ4 to be enjoyable for them, everything has to be exactly like it was in that film. Any slight change or deviation would cause the film to suffer and collapse. Sure, it may be an exaggerated point, but I think the idea is there.

Here's something to think about, within the entire history of the Star Trek franchise, uniforms and technology have changed drastically. But despite having seen Kirk wear entirely different sets of Star Fleet uniforms over time, it appears to me that fans are just happy to see the good captain in action regardless of what he's wearing. Sure, the uniform is part of the character, but it doesn't make the character. It comes down to the story and script, more than the attire. (Are there Trek fans who would think otherwise? I'm sure they have their mix, too.)

Yes, it can be argued that Indy's gear makes the character. The silhouette is something that they wanted to be instantly recognizeable, and it is. But we still see Indy in suits, tuxedos, "borrowed" uniforms, etc. Still, the placement of the bag strap doesn't affect the silhouette one bit. So this makes me think something else...

Some fans are scared for IndyIV. Why do I say this? Because we have a great love and respect for Indiana Jones. There is something about the original trilogy which has captured our imagination and still holds it. Whether we grew up with Indy, or came to know him later, there is a certain magic these films contain which we cherish. So now that we're finally getting to see Indy back in action... we want to see the exact same Indy we grew up with. We want to feel the same magic we felt back then. And to some of us, that means everything needs to be just as it was, even the bag strap. When our personal image of Indy is challenged by seeing something new and slightly different, it forces us to realize that this is not the same Indy we remember, he is now older, hopefully wiser, and he's in a different period in time. So accepting any change means taking a big step of (Last Crusade) faith and stepping into the possibility that even though things are different, it can still be good. But it can be difficult for some to grasp that until after the final credits roll. But Captain Kirk got older, retired, came out of retirement, was promoted, demoted, appointed King of the Universe, had a last hurrah, etc., etc... and fans still enjoyed him. They still got that Kirk never stopped developing as a character, while still retaining all that made him so enjoyable to fans from the very beginning.

This is first time we're seeing Indy in a completely new light, but I am looking forward to how Indy develops as a character I think it can be done well, and I'm willing to see how it all works out. The little changes in gear don't bother me (though I'm glad of the hat! ) because what really matters underneath it all is that Indy is back. We get another chance to see him on the big screen again. And back strap above, below, or sideways, I'll be looking at the man underneath that strap.

Amen

I wonder how the discussion would proceeded if the internet was being used as heavily today as it was when TofD came out.

Indy only had his jacket for a brief time at the beginning of the film, and at the end. It was gone for the vast majority of the movie. Folks would have had a heart attack!!!

Regards! Michaelson

Here's my reason for liking it on the outside.

When I wear it under the jacket as seen in the previous three films, I can't zip the jacket up without the bag protruding out of the bottom of the jacket, just under the sidestrap. It looks very gaudy and not very streamlined, as well as making the jacket tighter and possibly causing strain to the stitching holding the sidestraps in place. Also, if I am wearing the full costume at an event, and said event is hot, then I have to remove the jacket to remove the bag, when sometimes removing the bag is all I need to make my shoulder feel better.

There ya go.

My concerns probably stem from a film called.... The Godfather Part 3, a long time passes intill a character or film franchise is revisited... in a moved-on era from the originals, I'm not saying Crystal Skulls will suffer from this.. I'm just saying it's a pattern in film history to be wary of and one that makes me feel very uneasy when applying it to myne (and all of ours) indiana jones films, i honestly don't believe indy 4 will make this mistake though just a worry of myne.

just don't want INDY 4 being the next "STAR WARS I, II, III," (sorry to anyone who actually likes them films) but i had to learn how to cut out any acknowlegement of them films existing!!

+ sorry for any wondering from the topic.... i know bink "I step were you step, I touch nothing"

BAG STRAP... BAG STRAP... BAG STRAP!!!!!!!!

On the contrary, Red, you make your point quite well. And if current subtle changes in the costume cause you to wonder what else may have changed on a bigger scale, then I can see where you may be concerned that IJ4 doesn't fall into the same catergory for you as the films you mentioned. I find it fascinating, though, how the little things can provide such a big worry to some.

"the biggest revolutions start from the smallest seed"

I think my concerns are concerns that spielberg has probably notified to himself.... the fact that he's probably one of the best directors in history should be why i should relax on it more....... at the end of the day if you were to ask me.. would you want to see another IJ film or not? I would say yes.. but i'd have major trepidations about it, i only wish they made it 10 years ago so the film could be apart of the original trilogy more so.... rather than this older & wiser kind of theme they are going with and it getting this "well things are a little different these days" kind of feel with it. I don't want it tonally to stick out like a sore thumb against the others!

I know i'm going to have to vent my feelings in a more relivant thread!!!

LOL

Red Dust

I'm with you Red Dust - exactly and to the letter.

It's just interesting to see people get so passionate about something as small as a bag strap as though they them selves have a vested interest & involvment in the story & film.
I've said it in other threads trying to wrap my brain around this concept, & I don't think it matters a hiil of beans because Indy is and will be "The Man in the Hat", period. Not the man in the bag strap. The bag & strap completely disappear when in silhouette. What stands out is the hat, jacket & whip. And that is what will happen in KOTCS. Indy will show up in the shadows, the silhouette will appear and there will be legions in rapture.
This is goning to be a wonderful film and an enjoyable story. The minor details will disappear, & maybe folks will enjoy the new ruck sack enough to forget the bag. In any case the bag strap will take a back seat to the character & the story.
Simply... Sit back & enjoy the ride & forget the minutia of details.

Cheers!

Dan

Relax. Spielberg KNOWS Indiana Jones... Even if George no longer does.

exactly.. it seems speilberg rescued this film from george lucas messing it up with all his hi-tech aproach.. steven even sat his DoP down and told him to recreate Douglas slocombe's look of the film from the original 3 films, no advancement in look from the other ones.

I have said it before that once the film reel starts to move there will be 100 and 1 things to concentrate on rather than just what indys wearing..... but hey what is this site about??? ...... Indy gear.

.. it seems speilberg rescued this film from george lucas messing it up with all his hi-tech approach..

That's been my stance with everyone that is so nervous about IJIV - remember Spielberg is directing, not Lucas, and according to the Vanity Fair article he was very happy with the preliminary edit of the film. The way I see it, if Speilberg's happy with then it will probably be decent (intentional understatement...)
As others have said, there may be a plot reason for the strap on the outside - when we see the film we'll all go "OHH! THAT'S why the bag strap..."

And from what I hear the look of the film will be what we expect it to be. Some will poo poo it of course, but most I think, will be pleased with this new story. The Man in the Hat is back! We have nothing to worry about, not even a bag strap.

Cheers!

Dan