Today’s episode of Sounds of Cinema featured guest co-hosts Andy Wardinski and Ben Wardinski in a look back at the career of actor Harrison Ford. He’s known for his roles in Star Wars, the Indiana Jones series, and the Jack Ryan films of the 1990s, but Ford has had a long and varied career and this conversation focused on some of Ford’s non-franchise films such as Witness, The Mosquito Coast, Presumed Innocent, and 42. Here is some of the commentary from the show:
Ford in the 1970s
Harrison Ford got his start in television in the 1970s but it was his collaborations with George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola that gave him entry to the silver screen and set Ford on a track to stardom.
Ford in the 1980s
Following the success of the original Star Wars trilogy and Raiders of the Lost Ark, Harrison Ford became one of Hollywood’s biggest stars and he alternated action pictures with interesting character-driven dramas such as Witness and The Mosquito Coast.
Presumed Innocent
One of Ford’s notable films of the 1990s was Presumed Innocent in which he plays a prosecutor who must investigate the rape and murder of his colleague and mistress.
The Fugitive
Harrison Ford’s dramatic roles and his action movie persona dovetailed in one of the best films of his career, 1993’s The Fugitive. Adapted from the 1960s television series, Ford plays a doctor wrongly convicted of his wife’s murder and he goes on the run to prove his innocence.
Ford in the 1990s
Ford continued to be one of Hollywood biggest stars throughout the 1990s and and he alternated action pictures such as Air Force One with lighter fare like Sabrina and Six Days, Seven Nights.
Ford in the 2000s
Harrison Ford’s career slowed down throughout the first decade of the twenty-first century and the films he made during this period were generally unremarkable but he made a few pictures of note such as What Lies Beneath and K19: The Widowmaker.
Ford in the 2010s
Harrison Ford’s career picked up a bit in the 2010s as he started doing supporting roles that allowed him to indulge the kind of character work that may have been elusive to an A-list Hollywood movie star.
Harrison Ford and Retro Sequels
In the twilight phase of his career, Harrison Ford took a victory lap and revisited some of the films that had made him a star including Rick Deckard from Blade Runner, Han Solo from Star Wars, and Indiana Jones.
Final Thoughts on Harrison Ford
In the last piece of the conversation, we discuss Harrison Ford’s best performances and essential films and his lack of an Academy Award.