Raiders of the Lost Ark is a truly great movie, one that blends brilliant filmmaking acumen with a thrilling adventure that was a throwback to the swashbuckling serials of the past. Steven Spielberg‘s film captured the imagination of the public, as evidenced by the character’s enduring legacy, and inspired a new generation of filmmakers. For all the people who picked up a camera after watching Raiders of the Lost Ark, none were quite as daring and audacious in attempting to step into the shoes of Harrison Ford‘s iconic character of Indiana Jones like the three young men who embarked on a shot-for-shot remake of the film in their own backyard.
Their ambitious fan film became the stuff of legend. Articles and news reports were dedicated to the fan film, and now a feature-length documentary is ready to hit theaters and VOD providers. Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made will explore the making of and enduring legacy of the childhood friends who were able to step into their favorite roles in lovingly recreating Spielberg’s classic adventure, which will be released by the good people at Drafthouse Films on June 17th.
Here’s the trailer for the movie about the making of a movie that was remaking a movie:
For those, like myself, who’ve never seen the infamous fan film — commonly referred to as The Adaptation — two of the filmmakers, Chris Strompolos and Eric Zala, will be doing a cross-country tour of the documentary and their interpretation. It’s a rare chance to see a truly unique double feature that captures just to what extent the movies can capture our imaginations.
Tour Dates (visit either the Drafthouse Films or Raiders! websites for updated tour info):
June 2 – Seattle (Northwest Film Forum)
June 3 – Portland (Hollywood Theatre)
June 9 – San Francisco (Alamo Drafthouse Mission)
June 10 – Austin (Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar)
June 11 – Houston (Alamo Drafthouse Vintage Park)
June 12 – Los Angeles (Cinefamily)
June 14 – Dallas (Alamo Drafthouse Downtown Dallas)
June 17 – New York (IFC Film Center)
June 18 or 19 – Chicago (Music Box Theatre)
June 20 – Boston (The Brattle Theatre)
June 30 – Kansas City (Alamo Drafthouse Main Street)
July 1 – Denver (Alamo Drafthouse Littleton)
July 2 – Denver (Sie FilmCenter)
The official synopsis for Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made:
After Steven Spielberg’s classic Raiders of the Lost Ark was released 35 years ago, three 11-year-old boys from Mississippi set out on what would become a 7-year-long labor of love and tribute to their favorite film: a faithful, shot-for-shot adaptation of the action adventure film. They finished every scene…except one; the film’s explosive airplane set piece. Over two decades later, the trio reunited with the original cast members from their childhood in order to complete their masterpiece. Featuring interviews with John Rhys Davies, Eli Roth and more, Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made is just that: the story of this long-gestating project’s culmination, chronicling the friends’ dedication to their artistic vision-mixed in with some movie magic-to create a personal, epic love letter to a true modern classic.
