Raiders! - Books Babb.no

306 pages

English language

Published Dec. 20, 2012 by Thomas Dunne Books.

ISBN:: 978-1-250-00147-4
OCLC Number:: 778422181

"In 1982, in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, Chris Strompolos, eleven, asked Eric Zala, twelve, a question: "Would you like to help me do a remake Raiders of the Lost Ark? I'm playing Indiana Jones." And they did it. Every shot, every line of dialogue, every stunt. They borrowed and collected costumes, convinced neighborhood kids to wear grass skirts and play natives, cast a fifteen-year-old as Indy's love interest, rounded up seven thousand snakes (sort of), built the Ark, the Idol, the huge boulder, found a desert in Mississippi, and melted the bad guys' faces off. It took seven years. Along the way, Chris had his first kiss (on camera), they nearly burned down the house and incinerated Eric, lived through parents getting divorced and remarried, and watched their friendship disintegrate. Alan Eisenstock's Raiders! is the incredible true story of Eric Zala and Chris Strompolos, how they realized their impossible dream of …

"In 1982, in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, Chris Strompolos, eleven, asked Eric Zala, twelve, a question: "Would you like to help me do a remake Raiders of the Lost Ark? I'm playing Indiana Jones." And they did it. Every shot, every line of dialogue, every stunt. They borrowed and collected costumes, convinced neighborhood kids to wear grass skirts and play natives, cast a fifteen-year-old as Indy's love interest, rounded up seven thousand snakes (sort of), built the Ark, the Idol, the huge boulder, found a desert in Mississippi, and melted the bad guys' faces off. It took seven years. Along the way, Chris had his first kiss (on camera), they nearly burned down the house and incinerated Eric, lived through parents getting divorced and remarried, and watched their friendship disintegrate. Alan Eisenstock's Raiders! is the incredible true story of Eric Zala and Chris Strompolos, how they realized their impossible dream of remaking Raiders of the Lost Ark, and how their friendship survived all challenges, from the building of a six-foot round fiberglass boulder to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. "--

2 editions

Rudi reviewed Raiders! by Alan Eisenstock

Review of 'Raiders!' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I've been a huge fan of the (fan)movie for a long time, but I did not learn about this book before last year's kickstarter to finish the movie. The story of how they made their fanmovie is super interesting, and it's the reason why I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. The people involved must have been really honest, as the author does not seem compelled to only show them at their best.

I do, however, disagree with how the story is told. By writing the book as a novel, it feels like the author allows himself to fill in missing parts by making stuff up, and making the story more interesting by adding some dramatic flair. The same things can be said about someone's memoirs - memories are just as untrustworthy. But adding this extra "level of seperation" from the actual story lessens the story itself. To …

I've been a huge fan of the (fan)movie for a long time, but I did not learn about this book before last year's kickstarter to finish the movie. The story of how they made their fanmovie is super interesting, and it's the reason why I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. The people involved must have been really honest, as the author does not seem compelled to only show them at their best.

I do, however, disagree with how the story is told. By writing the book as a novel, it feels like the author allows himself to fill in missing parts by making stuff up, and making the story more interesting by adding some dramatic flair. The same things can be said about someone's memoirs - memories are just as untrustworthy. But adding this extra "level of seperation" from the actual story lessens the story itself. To me, at least.

I haven't seen the documentary (yet!), but I'm sure this story is better told in that format.

Subjects

Miscellanea
Fan films
Indiana Jones films
Raiders of the lost ark (Motion picture)