A real Indiana Jones brings a legal action against the movie makers of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
The best stories are usually based on true stories and this is one of the more exciting legal cases to hit Hollywood this week, where a real life Indiana Jones has brought a case against the film producers and distributor of the Indiana Jones Crystal Skull movie.
It is reported in the Hollywood Reporter that on Wednesday 5th December 2012, law firm Adam S Tracy lodged a claim in the Northern District of Illinois on behalf of the Plaintiff, Dr Jaime Awe the Director of the Institute of Archaeology of Belize.
The Hollywood Reporter’s article attaches the lawsuit. The claim is brought on behalf of the people of Belize and its central case is to seek the return of a National treasure and piece of ancient Maya cultural heritage.
The eleven count claim has been brought against the following Defendants: William Homann, the Estate of Mitchell-Hedges, the Estate of FA Mitchell-Hedges, Lucas Film Ltd, The Walt Disney Company and Paramount Pictures.
The claim alleges that a known adventurer called FA Mitchell- Hedges went to Belize with his family in the early 1920s. His adopted daughter Anna Mitchell-Hedges is said to have illegally taken the highly treasured ancient Mayan Crystal Skull 88 years ago from a temple in Lubaantun in Belize.
The skull is carved from clear or milky quartz, looks like a human skull and is 5 inches high, 7 inches long and 5 inches wide.
Crystal skulls, apart from being very rare are considered to be very spiritual, possessing certain mystical powers. To add to the allure of these ancient relics, is the fact that no one knows who made these skulls or how they were made. They are a source of great mystery.
The Crystal skull was taken to America, then went to England with the father and then returned to Indiana and was then kept by Anna Mitchell- Hedges and later passed to her husband.
The family then showed the skull in various exhibitions and is alleged to have gained income from showing this object.
The Action seeks the return of the treasured artefact from the Mitchell-Hedges Estate and for damages and interest for exploiting the object without the Belize’s government’s authority.
The Plaintiff relies on protective legislation, the Ancient Monuments and Relics Ordinance passed in 1928.
The claim against the Movie industry is that they have wrongfully used a similar artefact and made “illegal profits” from the unauthorised use of the Mitchell-Hedges skull and its likeness in the film.
The allegations include one of a civil conspiracy to develop a film that utilised the skull without the prior knowledge or authorisation of the Belize authorities.
The movie creators are alleged to have conspired to market and sell and to continue to profit without authorisation. They are also alleged to have tortuously interfered with the Belize authorities’ prospective economic advantage.
It is reported that the film made about $786 million gross profits worldwide. There is a claim for damages for the illegal profits from making the film.
There has been conflicting accounts about these skulls and it is not a new story, as there are three other known crystal skulls in the British Museum in London, in the Smithsonian in Washington and in the Musee du quai Branly in Paris.
Some accounts have suggested that some crystal skulls that have been discovered are fakes. Discovery’s Benjamin Radford has said that the story of the crystal skull is based on a famous hoax in any event.
There are also conflicting stories about how the skull was found by Anna Mitchell-Hedges.
One the one hand Ms Mitchell-Hedges said that she had found the skull under an altar whilst exploring Temple ruins (reportedly disclosed in a Sci Fi Channel documentary in 2008), she then said she discovered the treasure in the jungle as some trees were being felled and the skull was found gleaming under some rocks, she is also reported to have said that she found it whilst being lowered down into the temple on ropes (like the scene in the movie) but there is also an account that it was in fact bought from an antique collector by her father.
There is at this stage no response from the Defendants. However there has been considerable delay in taking this action, in the Indiana Jones story Dr Jones finds the object in Peru, not Belize and no specified Native American heritage is given, that there appears to be no evidence that the actual artefact was used in the film or that the film borrowed from the account of the Mitchell-Hedges’ skull discovery and of course there are the conflicting accounts given as to the find, that all makes the case seem rather tenuous.
We shall have to see how this trial develops, there may be a few more twists and turns to this plot yet.
Let’s hope the discovery was made whilst being lowered into the Temple, as Indy would say “If you want to be a good archaeologist, you gotta get out of the library.”
Jessica Franses