Indiana Jones: The kids who remade a blockbuster
In 1982 Mississippi two boys recreated a $22m film, shot-for-shot, on their pocket money. It would take them seven years and swallow them whole.
In 1982, in Mississippi, two boys Chris Strompolos and Eric Zala, aged 10 and 11, embarked on a crazy mission: to remake Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark, shot-for-shot, in their back garden.
One of Hollywood鈥檚 biggest franchises, a 22-million-dollar blockbuster that had umpteen foreign locations, more than 500 extras 鈥� completely remade by kids on just their pocket money. Truck chase? They鈥檇 do it. Indy fights Nazis aboard a World War II submarine? They鈥檇 hunt a real sub down. The project would take them more than seven years to complete 鈥� in the final film you can see them age, hear their voices deepen. There鈥檇 be fires, visits to the emergency ward, production shut down by angry parents and many fallouts. It would swallow them whole.
But decades later a lost tape would be unearthed, bringing Eric and Chris back together for their final scene and face-to-face with one of their heroes.
Presenter: India Rakusen
Producer: Edgar Maddicott
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com
(Image: Eric Zala (top left), Chris Strompolos (centre) Credit: Design by Rob Grom. Illustration by Victor Gadino/St Martin鈥檚 Press)
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