by alanake Thu Jan 1 2015 11:01:20
IMDb member since January 2007
OK visualise the scene. Henry Jones snr and Elsa are lying in bed, having done the dirty thing. Elsa is exhausted because she has been taken to heights of ecstasy that no woman has previously experienced, so she falls asleep. Old Man Jones stays awake, pondering the meaning of life.
The phenomena is called "somniloquy", and you can reveal aspects of yourself or others when you're in this state.
It's used in psychiatric circles, as well as law enforcement in conjunction with psychiatrists, and often induced by drugs, notably anti-depressants.
As for interpreting what she's saying, well, that's when you have to have your BS detector on if you're Sean Connery's character.

retard

I read the novels to all three movies. Those novels were written after the original scripts and they contain a LOT of dialoges and scenes that were cut out or even unfilmed.
In the book, Indy asks his father "What did she say in her sleep?" and he answers "Mein Fhrer" ("my fuehrer").

You would be amazed how much people can say in their sleep, and not remember any of it. It's almost like you get into a hypnotic state, and will even answer questions with full honestly, then wake up the next morning with no memory of anything you said.
My theory, Henry was suspicious of her from the start, but she was also seducing him, which clouded his judgement. Then one night, she started saying something that indicated she was a Nazi, possibly "Mein Fuhrur". Then maybe he asked her point blank while she was talking in her sleep, and she confirmed, or maybe he used this knowledge to look for other proof, and found it. Realizing the danger he was in, he sent his Grail diary to Indy, but before he could get himself out of there, she had him abducted.

The point isn't what Elsa said, the point is Henry KNOWS she is a Nazi.
Beyond that, the TRUE point is that Henry knows Elsa is a Nazi, and tried to tell Indy, who doesn't listen to him and it almost costs both of them their lives.
It's not remotely about Elsa and Henry, it's entirely about Henry and Indy.
Never defend crap with 'It's just a movie'
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she might've said "heil hitler" or other incriminating things

Also, nobody here seems to be putting into consideration the fact that she's Austrian, and this was during WWII, when people were probably extremely distrusting of anyone who was German or Austrian. If someone said "comrade" during their sleep during the Cold War, I bet you anything a paranoid American would have flipped over it.
Except this was
before
the war. At the time of the events in the film, sometime mid-1938, Austria had only just been incorporated by Germany, but Hitler had not yet annexed the Sudetenland nor moved into Czechoslovakia. This was a time when many still hoped and believed there would be "peace for our time", to quote Neville Chamberlain. Also remember that Time Magazine made Hitler "Man of the Year" for 1938. There was still a great deal of admiration for Hitler abroad at this time, and although there was also great suspicion, there was precious little anti-German sentiment at this time.

Also, nobody here seems to be putting into consideration the fact that she's Austrian, and this was during WWII, when people were probably extremely distrusting of anyone who was German or Austrian. If someone said "comrade" during their sleep during the Cold War, I bet you anything a paranoid American would have flipped over it.

According to the Wiki (and no I don't know what they are basing it off of) she said "mein fuhrer" in her sleep
Aaahhhh, Wikipedia, the most reliable source of written by anyone and their grandma information available. And no, Henry Jones Senior doesn't say that she said that in the film.

According to the Wiki (and no I don't know what they are basing it off of) she said "mein fuhrer" in her sleep

Okay, maybe you're right, but thanks for the laugh anyway.

I always assumed it was a euphemism for her slipping up during/after sex.
How could her political/ideological affiliations possibly come up during or after sex?
"Yes! Spank my nazi ass!"
Or
"Mmmmm, you are much better than Colonel Vogel. Oh, schnap, did I say that out loud?"
Sorry, I just don't see it.

She was probably talking about a sleepover with Donovan. If he got the grail I'm sure he would trade his wife for a younger model.

It makes perfectly sense since we don't exactly what she said or what Henry heard.
My guess is that she said something in German which made Henry convinced that she was a Nazi.

I always assumed it was a euphemism for her slipping up during/after sex.

You are correct.
This.

You are correct.

I just watched this again today and this part made more sense to me than before.
The context of what is said is:
Jones Sr.: "I knew she wasn't to be trusted."
Jones Jr.: "How's that?"
Jones Sr.: "She talks in her sleep."
So it was more of Jones Sr. saying that he suspected Elsa as untrustworthy because of the mere fact of her talking in her sleep and coming across as shifty and mischievous
Except that's not the dialogue. The actual dialogue was as follows:
Indy: "How did you know she was a nazi?"
Henry: "She talks in her sleep."
[Exchange of glances]
Henry: "I didn't trust her. Why did you?"
So, in other words, it wasn't that Henry deemed Elsa as
untrustworthy
because she talked in her sleep he never trusted her to begin with. But because of whatever she said in her sleep, he knew she was a nazi.

erh OK? So, talking while sleeping = shifty and mischievous?
MAN! I'm in trouble;-)

I just watched this again today and this part made more sense to me than before.
The context of what is said is:
Jones Sr.: "I knew she wasn't to be trusted."
Jones Jr.: "How's that?"
Jones Sr.: "She talks in her sleep."
So it was more of Jones Sr. saying that he suspected Elsa as untrustworthy because of the mere fact of her talking in her sleep and coming across as shifty and mischievous

We do not know what Elsa said in her sleep to give her away.
For what it's worth, in the novelization, it was, "Mein Fhrer."
I mean, really, how many times will you look under Jabba's manboobs?

We do not know what Elsa said in her sleep to give her away
Exactly, so there's no argument for either side.
The line is meant to be informative and funny at the same time.
And everyone who "talks in there sleep" does it differently. Some people reflect on conversations they had earlier that day, others say things on their minds, and others just speak in word salad.
You're obsessing too much over a minor detail. Henry heard her say something that made him deduce her duplicity. Henry is ultra intelligent and made a proper deduction.
She could've gone over a conversation with Donovon or the Nazi Commander in German while she was asleep.
Either way, it's hilarious and not meant to be disected.

You are making idiotic assumptions and using them as a defence.
We do not know what Elsa said in her sleep to give her away. Even so, you are also assuming Henry heard her and instantly KNEW she was a Nazi.
Where as he could have heard her say "something", and this was a simple first clue that lead him into discovering she was a Nazi later.
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Well? How did Henry know that she was talking in her sleep? I mean where they sleeping together?
obviously the inference is they had sex. and that's the joke
Henry: "I'm just as human as the next man"
Indy: "I WAS the next man!"
Gimli: Youll find more cheer in a graveyard.