Who would expect that Indie, the iconic role played by Harrison Ford for 42 years, would be teary at the work premiere at Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, thefifth installment that began in 1981.

The time finally came for the Cannes Film Festival to host an old friend, the swashbuckling archaeologist named Indiana Jones — courtesy of the world premiere of James Mangold’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Held Thursday evening at the Palais, the screening saw the filmmaker joined by beloved franchise star Harrison Ford alongside co-stars Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Boyd Holbrook, Ethann Isidore and Mads Mikkelsen.

After the last credit rolled for the Lucasfilm and Disney blockbuster, the black-tie audience responded by dialing up a rousing standing ovation to five minutes, a strong showing for the out of competition title on an emotional night for its franchise star.

“They say when you’re about to die you see your life flash before your eyes, and I just saw my life flash before my eyes, a great part of my life but not all of my life. My life has been enabled by my lovely wife who has supported my passion and my dreams and I’m grateful,” said Ford, then turning his attention to the audience. “I love you, too. Thank you. You’ve given my life purpose and meaning and I’m grateful for that. So grateful to have the opportunity to work with artists like Jim, Phoebe, even Mads.”

The Mikkelsen quip landed to laughter as Ford was eager to get on with the show. “Now, but I got a movie you gotta see. It’s right behind me so let me get out of the way.”

Surprise ahead of the premiere as Thierry presents Harrison Ford a golden Palm of honor. Ford says he’s “deeply moved” and humbled as he’s visibly emotional (and nearly in tears.)

While the ovations are almost always noteworthy here in Cannes, the news out of tonight’s screening was also about all kinds of emotional reunions.

The Dial of Destiny premiere brought 80-year-old Ford and the Lucasfilm team back to Cannes where they also debuted the most recent installment, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008 (which is considered by hardcore as the least exciting of the series)

Steven Spielberg directed that entry and attended the Palais premiere with Ford, George Lucas and stars Cate Blanchett, Shia LaBeouf and Karen Allen.

Huge ovation following a surprise clips reel featuring Ford’s length career, spanning five decades (so far)

For Mangold, 59, the showing marked his own festival reunion as he came back to Cannes 28 years after the Directors Fortnight debut of his first film, 1995’s indie drama Heavy, which starred Liv Tyler, Shelley Winters, Debbie Harry and Pruitt Taylor Vince. When the news was announced about Dial of Destiny coming to Cannes, Mangold commented, “I am proud to return with a slightly larger spectacle.”

He doubled down on that during his post premiere comments during which he was also teary-eyed.

“Twenty five years ago I came here with a small film named Heavy that played in Directors Fortnight, and it’s kind of amazing to be back here again with a slightly larger film. But one thing was true then and is true now, this film was made by friends. It’s hard for me to even say because it’s hard probably for you to believe that a movie this big can be made by friends, but it was,” he said getting choked up. “It was made out of love. It was made out of devotion to what came before it. It was made with tremendous trust from all these people on both sides of me that let us play and let us make something strange, and hopefully something that you felt was wonderful that you could enjoy that would carry on the legacy of these great movies that preceded us.”

Per the film’s official production notes, Dial of Destiny picks up in 1969 when Jones is ready to call it quits after having spent more than a decade teaching at New York’s Hunter College. As he prepares to retire in a modest apartment where he lives alone, he receives a surprise visit from estranged goddaughter Helena Shaw (Waller-Bridge). Her intentions are to track down a rare artifact that her father entrusted to Indy years earlier — the infamous Archimedes Dial, a device that purportedly holds the power to locate fissures in time.

Harrison Ford looks teary during the standing ovation after the world premiere of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

A sneaky con artist, Helena steals the Dial and makes a break for it to sell the artifact to the highest bidder. Left with no choice but to go after her, “Indy dusts off his fedora and leather jacket for one final ride” while an old nemesis, Jürgen Voller, a former Nazi played by Mikkelsen, is hot on their trail and has his own plans for the Dial, a scheme that could change history.

The cast also includes John Rhys-Davies, Toby Jones, Shaunette Renee Wilson, Thomas Kretschmann and Olivier Richters round out the cast. The film was written by Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, David Koepp and Mangold, based on characters created by Lucas and Philip Kaufman. It was produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Simon Emanuel with Spielberg and Lucas serving as executive producers. John Williams, who has scored every Indiana Jones adventure since the original Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981, has once again composed the score

The Cannes premiere is a signal in Lucasfilm and Disney’s belief in the commercial appeal of the blockbuster.

Among other things, the movie is receiving high-profile promotion on the ground here with an oversized video display in front of the newly remodeled Carlton Hotel, one of the major social centers in town.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will open in theaters in France on June 28 followed by a U.S. bow June 30.