"Oganga, the Giver and Taker of Life" SPOILERS

Posted by ROB T. from 162.10.138.197 on December 27, 1999 at 22:47:59:

I watched the Young Indy video "Oganga, the Giver and Taker of Life" on Christmas Eve and thought I'd review it for any of you who are interested.
The movie takes place during Indy's time in Africa in the Belgian Army during World War One. It starts with Indy and Remmy in the midst of a gun battle between their regiment and some Germans. A retreat is ordered but Indy sees that the powerful machinegun that the Germans are using has jammed. He orders his men forward and Indy's recklessness turns a defeat into a victory. It does not endear him to his superior who had ordered the retreat but the higher ups are impressed and Indy gets a promotion.
His next assignment is to go with some men North and bring back a shipment of guns. He is accompanied by Remmy and the Officer who had ordered the retreat. The superiors put Indy and this other officer (whose name I can't remember) together hoping that Indy will learn some discipline and the other guy can learn to take more chances.
Wills clash when they come across a village that has been ravaged by smallpox. One lone child is found and the soldiers want to take him along. The officer in charge orders that the child be left behind and this nearly causes a mutiny. In the end the child comes along with some of the porters at the rear without the officers' knowledge.
Indy learns from one of the native soldiers that the Africans see little difference between the Germans and the Allies; that none of them are hear to rescue Africa, they're just interested in exploiting it in different ways.
In a letter to Lawrence of Arabia, Indy begins to question why he is fighting.
During a battle on the river, the tag-along child saves all the soldiers by taking the tiller and keeping it from running aground where they would be at the mercy of the Germans.
The detail ends up at the Hospital of Dr. Albert Schweitzer and all the men are either injured or sick. Remmy loses two toes to a chigger infection.
At first Indy sees Schweitzer as a German and therefore an enemy but over time learns from the doctor's compassion for the sick and the two become friends.
In the end the guns that Indy had come to pick up are given over to the French and Schweitzer and his wife are taken to a French POW camp.

I liked this one a little less than "Phantom Train of Doom" but all-in-all it was a solid episode. The gimmick of having Indy meet Dr. Schweitzer seemed natural and not too contrived.
I was a little disappointed with having Indy survive a gunshot wound by deflecting the bullet with his locket; we've seen this unlikely occurrence too many times in other movies.
I thought that letting Remmy lose two toes was a good thing; it's understandable that a main character would suffer some permanent injury during the war.
And I was glad to see that Indy saw some personal growth by the end of this adventure. I hope that this keeps going on in further episodes.
My favorite thing about "Oganga" was the repeat of a theme that runs through all the movies and looks to be there in the Young Indy adventures as well. At the end Indy loses the prize (this time it's the guns and Doctor Schweitzer). With as much disappointment as Indy suffers I'm surprised that he keeps going on but I guess that's what makes him a hero.

I bought another Young Indy video this week. I can't remember the title off-hand but it's the one with Catherine Zeta Jones. I hope to have a review of it sometime later in the week.

Follow Ups:

The one with her is Daredevils of the Desert. An average one to me.(NM) Short Round 07:20:48 12/28/99 (1)
- Re: The one with her is Daredevils of the Desert. An average one to me.(NM) Ultraman Tiga 20:13:41 12/28/99 (0)

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: I watched the Young Indy video "Oganga, the Giver and Taker of Life" on Christmas Eve and thought I'd review it for any of you who are interested.
: The movie takes place during Indy's time in Africa in the Belgian Army during World War One. It starts with Indy and Remmy in the midst of a gun battle between their regiment and some Germans. A retreat is ordered but Indy sees that the powerful machinegun that the Germans are using has jammed. He orders his men forward and Indy's recklessness turns a defeat into a victory. It does not endear him to his superior who had ordered the retreat but the higher ups are impressed and Indy gets a promotion.
: His next assignment is to go with some men North and bring back a shipment of guns. He is accompanied by Remmy and the Officer who had ordered the retreat. The superiors put Indy and this other officer (whose name I can't remember) together hoping that Indy will learn some discipline and the other guy can learn to take more chances.
: Wills clash when they come across a village that has been ravaged by smallpox. One lone child is found and the soldiers want to take him along. The officer in charge orders that the child be left behind and this nearly causes a mutiny. In the end the child comes along with some of the porters at the rear without the officers' knowledge.
: Indy learns from one of the native soldiers that the Africans see little difference between the Germans and the Allies; that none of them are hear to rescue Africa, they're just interested in exploiting it in different ways.
: In a letter to Lawrence of Arabia, Indy begins to question why he is fighting.
: During a battle on the river, the tag-along child saves all the soldiers by taking the tiller and keeping it from running aground where they would be at the mercy of the Germans.
: The detail ends up at the Hospital of Dr. Albert Schweitzer and all the men are either injured or sick. Remmy loses two toes to a chigger infection.
: At first Indy sees Schweitzer as a German and therefore an enemy but over time learns from the doctor's compassion for the sick and the two become friends.
: In the end the guns that Indy had come to pick up are given over to the French and Schweitzer and his wife are taken to a French POW camp.

: I liked this one a little less than "Phantom Train of Doom" but all-in-all it was a solid episode. The gimmick of having Indy meet Dr. Schweitzer seemed natural and not too contrived.
: I was a little disappointed with having Indy survive a gunshot wound by deflecting the bullet with his locket; we've seen this unlikely occurrence too many times in other movies.
: I thought that letting Remmy lose two toes was a good thing; it's understandable that a main character would suffer some permanent injury during the war.
: And I was glad to see that Indy saw some personal growth by the end of this adventure. I hope that this keeps going on in further episodes.
: My favorite thing about "Oganga" was the repeat of a theme that runs through all the movies and looks to be there in the Young Indy adventures as well. At the end Indy loses the prize (this time it's the guns and Doctor Schweitzer). With as much disappointment as Indy suffers I'm surprised that he keeps going on but I guess that's what makes him a hero.

: I bought another Young Indy video this week. I can't remember the title off-hand but it's the one with Catherine Zeta Jones. I hope to have a review of it sometime later in the week.

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