Indiana Jones's Silver Cigarette Case (and Cigarette)

Indiana Jones's silver cigarette case, from which he retrieves a cigarette during his aristocratic disguise at Lao Che's ballroom. He lights the cigarette with a match from the cigarette girl, smokes it amid tense negotiations over Nurhachi's ashes, and deliberately grinds the cigarette out in Chen's caviar pile. This act draws sharp reactions from Willie Scott, Wu Han, and Chen, accelerating the shift from talk to gunfire. The case and cigarette are integral to Indy's disguise and the escalation of conflict.

2 appearances

Purpose

Stores cigarettes; enables Indiana Jones to light one during high-stakes bargaining at Lao Che's table

Significance

Underscores Indy's unflappable style in deadly parleys; produces the cigarette he stubs in caviar to insult Chen, detonating the negotiation into betrayal, poison revelation, and brawl

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S1E2 · INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM

The Ballroom Gambit: Poison, Betrayal, and Willie’s Unwitting Sabotage

Indy’s Silver Cigarette Case is a prop of his aristocratic disguise, used to light a cigarette during the tense negotiation. The act of grinding the cigarette into Chen’s caviar is a deliberate insult, escalating the conflict and sealing his fate. The case’s polished surface reflects Indy’s duality—elegant on the outside, dangerous within—a foreshadowing of the violence to come.

Before: Used to light a cigarette, then abandoned on the table after the insult.

After: Left behind as Indy shifts to survival mode, forgotten in the chaos.

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S1E2 · INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM

The Poisoned Gambit: A Dance of Betrayal and Desperation

Indy’s silver cigarette case is used as a prop during the negotiation, symbolizing his disguise as a wealthy aristocrat. He removes a cigarette from the case and lights it with a match from the cigarette girl, adding to the ballroom’s opulence and the negotiation’s formalities. The case’s role is minor but contributes to the event’s atmosphere, highlighting the contrast between the ballroom’s refinement and the underlying violence and betrayal that follow.

Before: Held by Indy as part of his disguise, symbolizing his role as a wealthy aristocrat and the negotiation’s formalities.

After: Abandoned as Indy shifts to more desperate actions, marking the collapse of the negotiation and the shift to violence.

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