Indiana Jones has always had a great group of friends around the world. Characters like Sallah (John Rhys-Davies) not only make his cinematic adventures more lively and entertaining, but also point us to the fact that Dr. Jones’ work has already earned him the friendship and admiration of many good people around the world, so he must doing something well. Antonio, a Vatican priest, helps Indy on his latest adventure and immediately catches the eye, which can be said to the authors of the book The Great Circle put some real thought and care into development. This is not some stiff or stereotypical character. Antonio is a three-dimensional person who delights. A moral figure, but not a moralizing one. This is a man who looks at the changing political situation in the world with fear, but still wants to be able to enjoy the good things in life, like this humming American album that Indy brings him as a gift.
Wonderfully played by Enrico Colantoni, an actor with an impressive biography, whom I know best from his work in Expedition to the Galaxy as Mathesar, the leader of the Thermians, Antonio is thoughtful and believable, which is a key part The Great Circlea wonderful journey around the world, a pseudo-historical texture. And so while playing as I gazed at the Pyramids of Giza, archaic Buddha statues, and other magnificent monuments and cultural wonders, perhaps what I will remember most is the sight of Antonio, this incredibly wise, kind, wonderful priest wearing hearing aids, dancing with delight to the rhythmic sounds of New York’s latest hit. —Caroline Petit
