CrankyÕs
Flickershow Reviews
By Neil Richter
7 Years in Mississippi
TodayÕs is
a very special column. Those of you who were lucky enough to stop by for the
second of three events at this yearÕs Black Earth film festival had the rare
pleasure of witnessing Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation. Yes, it is a re-make of Steven SpielbergÕs classic
adventure. No, it was not done by professionals. Instead, it is the realization
of a seven year-long odyssey started by two 12-year-old boys with a dream and a
Betamax¨ camera. Chris Strompolos and Eric Zala (both of whom were in
attendance at the screening) were just two kids in Mississippi when they first
saw Raiders. Soon afterwards, they
came up with the silly idea of remaking it, shot for shot. In the mind of a
12-year-old, this doesnÕt seem nearly as difficult a proposition as it actually
is. Reality set in soon afterwards however, when the boys began building a
paper mache replica of the famous boulder in ChrisÕ room—failing to
realize that the finished results wouldnÕt be able to fit out the door. The
scattered production that took place over the following years is, in and of
itself, the stuff of movies. In fact, Spielberg himself has announced that he
will be making a film about the boysÕ efforts.
As for the
film, it is a surprisingly faithful remake, considering that the boys filmed it
from memory, these being the days before dvds, video stores and Netflix. The
competence and production values grow as the filmmakers get older and more
confident. The epic length of the production also leads to some amusing
instances in which the lead actor goes in and out of puberty within scenes.
Beyond that though, the results are astonishingly skilled, considering the fact
that it was made by a bunch of kids. Eric and Chris do an amazing job of
recreating all of the filmÕs major action sequences using a variety of
improvised (and exceedingly dangerous) special effects. For fire, they simply
outfitted themselves in homemade ÔprotectiveÕ suits, doused themselves with
alcohol (or gasoline if there was nothing else around), and lit it up. Apart
from almost burning EricÕs house
down, knowledge of these makeshift methods lends the famed bar-shootout a sense
of queasy immediacy and danger. Another example would be the classic truck
chase, which the two boys choreographed using real vehicles. The monkey? Credit
here goes to ChrisÕ dog, Snickers. The ghosts inside the ark? Cloth in a fish
tank superimposed over shot footage. That darn boulder? A fiberglass
contraption finally put together
with the aid of a local craftsman. If nothing else, this film is a testament to
the mindblowing creativity and potential of youth. Eric and Chris began this
film at an age when anything and everything is possible. To a 12-year-old boy,
there is nothing you canÕt do. That they were able to keep this attitude as
well as the perseverance to back it up through seven years of difficulties and
challenges is nothing short of amazing.
Which
brings me to my main point. This is the sort of film that defies any sort of
criticism. In the end, it is about far more than simply retelling a Spielberg
classic. Watching this film, I felt as if I was given a window into somebodyÕs
childhood. Its all up there on the screen: Chris getting his very first kiss
while in character, the fruits of the over 600 hand-drawn storyboards put
together by Eric, an entire neighborhood of kids joining together to make one
dream come true. There is something both nostalgic and slightly surreal about
it all.
This was
increased tenfold when Eric and Chris shared many of their behind-the-scenes
stories with the audience once the screening had ended. Many of them are almost
too much to believe: Eric, his entire head encased in industrial plaster (they
wanted to make a mask) being rushed to the hospital, lest his eyelids be ripped
off by his unsuspecting friends. A hurricane washing away their makeshift
boulder years after production wrapped, only to find it bobbing in a swamp
three neighborhoods over. Or the final capper on the story, a personalized
letter from Steven Spielberg himself, long after the boys had parted ways and
moved on to their adult lives. Apparently the filmmaker was given a VHS copy of
the re-make by horror director Eli Roth (Hostel, Cabin Fever), who had himself
gotten a hold of it through a series of instances too complicated to repeat
here.
When it all boils down, Raiders of the Lost Ark:
The Adaptation is actually about the
insatiable desire to create that lies within any artist. Some people are
willing to do anything to make their vision a reality. Eric and Chris are two
such people. What a wonderful movie to show at a festival like this, where
young, mostly amateur filmmakers from all over come to show their work in front
of an audience. Here it is, untapped and raw. Its not always pretty. Its not
always perfect, but its real. People like Eric and Chris are the reason we have
movies. TheyÕre the reason I write this column. I just wish I had thanked them
for that while they were in town.
09/27/07