Movies

CANNES, France – Indiana Jones doesn't give up his secrets lightly, and neither does the man pulling his strings.

Director Steven Spielberg has tried to keep chapter four of the archaeologist's big-screen adventures, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, under wraps as tight as an ancient mummy's.

The stealth approach has whipped up a frenzy of expectation (and doubts about the movie's quality) as he prepares to unveil it in front of the world's toughest audience, critics at the Cannes Film Festival. The film premieres Sunday, just four days before it opens in theaters worldwide.

In an era of Internet hype, Indy returns with the old-fashioned covertness Mr. Spielberg always has favored.

"He is the only one in the world who keeps his cards face down on the table until the 11th hour, 59th minute, 59th second, and nothing deters him from doing that," said Jeffrey Katzenberg, Mr. Spielberg's partner at DreamWorks.

Revealing their cards at Cannes, with its notoriously snooty press corps, is a risk for Mr. Spielberg, executive producer George Lucas and star Harrison Ford. Variety quipped that Indiana Jones was entering the "Kingdom of the Critical Knives."

Two years ago, the press screening of The Da Vinci Code drew laughter from Cannes critics, whose harsh reviews spoiled the film's premiere a day later and set the stage for a worldwide critical drubbing. Possibly to shield Crystal Skull from a similar critical backlash, Paramount is not letting critics see the movie until hours before its premiere.

Mr. Spielberg was incensed last year when an extra leaked plot details, and the filmmakers have scrambled to maintain the mystery. "It's been insane," said Frank Marshall, producer on the Indiana Jones movies. "I've spent a great deal of time on this movie just trying to keep things off the Internet. That's totally new for us."

The Associated Press

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