Special Review
Usually I review movies (or try to) here on LJ, but I have decided to take a small plunge and review a television series as a first. The series I am reviewing is actually a miniseries based on a best-selling book by Stephen King...
STEPHEN KING'S THE STAND (1994)
Director: Mick Garris (Sleepwalkers, The Shining miniseries, Psycho IV)
It's a truth universally acknowledged that despite the unquestionably deep substance of Stephen King's work, very rarely is a feature picture up to scratch. Sure, we've had The Mist, Dolores Claiborne, 1408 and perhaps the most best beloved The Shawshank Redemption, but most adaptions of King's works are met with a hefty amount of wariness and perhaps contempt. When King collaborator Garris decided to launch an ambitious retelling of The Stand in 1994 after the commercial success of IT, I bet many of the lovers of the book started to speculate for better or worse. Garris himself can be a competent director (and he seems to be a nice guy in audio commentaries, but I digress...), but given the standards and practices at the time and the very notion of bringing to life a story about the end of the world onto national television... that's a huge kettle of fish to sort through.
I remember when I was in primary school when I was aware of a show called The Stand that would air for four nights, though I didn't put too much stock into it. I also recalling seeing the demonic shadowy face of Randall Flagg with his glowing eyes and being a little freaked out by it. In retrospect, I suppose it was good that my parents didn't let me watch it because I was an impressionable child back then, and seeing a story concerning the apocalypse at the hand of a deadly plague may have messed up my brain further than it already is. One again, I digress.
When I became 'legal', I had completed reading the book and was thoroughly blown away (as anybody who knows my appreciation of King, they'll know I mean that as a compliment). After reading the novel, I was browsing around the video store one day looking for something to kill some time when I came across the VHS (REMEMBER THOSE?!) of The Stand, split up between two video cassettes, the case big enough to act as a paperweight. My mind kicked back to that demonic face and I decided what the hell.
I'm not going to compare the book with the series, but quite frankly, I still prefer the book.
Please don't misunderstand me, when I watched the show in it's entirety for the most part I found it quite respectable. If The Stand were made for network these days, say for HBO, obviously a lot more of the book's contents would have been added and the impact of the world going up in flames would have been a tonne more frightening, but as it is, twenty years on, it's actually one of the better transitions from page to screen as far as King work goes.
One of the things that I loved the most was some of the casting. As King readers will know, King isn't just about the monster in the closet, but also the people who live in the house where the closet is. Here, we get an ensemble (for the time) cast such as Gary Sinise as every-man Stu Redman, Ray Walston as Glenn Bateman, Miguel Ferrer as Lloyd Henreid and a personal favourite, Rob Lowe as the deaf-mute Nick Andros. All of these actors have a great handle on their characters, Lowe especially (I wonder if he was ever nominated for his work because it's quite beautiful to watch).
As for the rest of the principal cast, it's not exactly a case of 'the less said the better', but while some choices were wrong (Molly Ringwald as Frannie Goldsmith? Nah thanks), some were a little too left of center, good actors, but not right for the role. Such is the case of Laura San Giacomo as Nadine Cross- San Giacomo is a great actress and she has an impressive range, but physically and perhaps psychologically, she wasn't the best choice- Nadine in the story is this tall, dark and beautiful woman who is a mystery. Those who have read the book may pull me up saying that Ferrer is hardly a physical match for Henried, but San Giacomo didn't look very at home in such a demanding role. The same may be said for Jamey Sheridan as Flagg himself. The guy obviously has a ball on screen and he's fun to watch, but he never sold me as a character that is essentially the embodiment of all that is wrong in the world and in humanity. He's charming, he has a sense of humor and perhaps some ladies in the audience may find him attractive, but Sheridan isn't able to truly convey Flagg as a whole, and his replications of Flagg's epic temper tanties are unintentionally fun, all of which is a shame.
While Garris was in the right for casting a relative unknown for the ultimate bad guy (after rejecting the star-fucker draw card that may have involved Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum and Willem Dafoe), it wouldn't have hurt to have given Sheridan to take place in more dastardly deeds.
Further credit must be given to Garris camera and skilled photography crew. Given The Stand is a tale that takes place all over a brave yet dangerous new world like a contemporary Lord of the Rings, Garris wisely added well-framed shots of the natural wonders of Americana, some of the landscapes look as if they have jumped right out of a Rockwell painting.
In terms of overall production, Garris and his team managed to do the best they could considering the limited fiances given for the production of a TV series. Nothing looks completely shoddy (and Flagg's demonic make up is actually quite beautiful on the rare occasion it surfaces), but I felt they could have added a little more phlegm into the proceedings. Yes, this was 1994 television, but by then, many audiences had already gotten an eyeful of some pretty horrid stuff in movies, so I'm thinking it wouldn't have hurt to have some choice money shots when the Superflu is wreaking all Hell on humanity, I mean honestly, some nice weeping sores wouldn't have gone astray either. The only really bad instance of primitive CGI was the Hand of God that appears towards the end of the show, it didn't have to be so literal, did it? Another example of a major missed opportunity is the famous Lincoln Tunnel sequence- that is one of the most scariest yet simple parts of the book, but not once did I get a chill up my spine watching the television equivalent- but that's just me having flashbacks to the words I read on the page.
There are actually a few other quibbles I had with the show, but I won't go into them for fear of putting you as a potential viewer off, because all these things considered, this is a reasonable adaptation that is just as much about it's characters than it is about its circumstances. Mick Garris treated the material with respect and reverence and that translates quite well, considering the fact King himself wrote the teleplay.
While The Stand has nothing on the book if the two are compared, I say there is no harm in checking this one out, even if you haven't read the book. Actually, if you haven't read those pages, I feel you may enjoy it better than those who have because you have no preconceived expectations- lucky bastard. But I can say as a King fan, it was still worth the eight hours of my life that I gave to watch it.
Speaking of which, has anybody started to read the Marvel adaptation? Now THAT'S the way to do a graphic novel!
STEPHEN KING'S THE STAND (1994)
Director: Mick Garris (Sleepwalkers, The Shining miniseries, Psycho IV)
It's a truth universally acknowledged that despite the unquestionably deep substance of Stephen King's work, very rarely is a feature picture up to scratch. Sure, we've had The Mist, Dolores Claiborne, 1408 and perhaps the most best beloved The Shawshank Redemption, but most adaptions of King's works are met with a hefty amount of wariness and perhaps contempt. When King collaborator Garris decided to launch an ambitious retelling of The Stand in 1994 after the commercial success of IT, I bet many of the lovers of the book started to speculate for better or worse. Garris himself can be a competent director (and he seems to be a nice guy in audio commentaries, but I digress...), but given the standards and practices at the time and the very notion of bringing to life a story about the end of the world onto national television... that's a huge kettle of fish to sort through.
I remember when I was in primary school when I was aware of a show called The Stand that would air for four nights, though I didn't put too much stock into it. I also recalling seeing the demonic shadowy face of Randall Flagg with his glowing eyes and being a little freaked out by it. In retrospect, I suppose it was good that my parents didn't let me watch it because I was an impressionable child back then, and seeing a story concerning the apocalypse at the hand of a deadly plague may have messed up my brain further than it already is. One again, I digress.
When I became 'legal', I had completed reading the book and was thoroughly blown away (as anybody who knows my appreciation of King, they'll know I mean that as a compliment). After reading the novel, I was browsing around the video store one day looking for something to kill some time when I came across the VHS (REMEMBER THOSE?!) of The Stand, split up between two video cassettes, the case big enough to act as a paperweight. My mind kicked back to that demonic face and I decided what the hell.
I'm not going to compare the book with the series, but quite frankly, I still prefer the book.
Please don't misunderstand me, when I watched the show in it's entirety for the most part I found it quite respectable. If The Stand were made for network these days, say for HBO, obviously a lot more of the book's contents would have been added and the impact of the world going up in flames would have been a tonne more frightening, but as it is, twenty years on, it's actually one of the better transitions from page to screen as far as King work goes.
One of the things that I loved the most was some of the casting. As King readers will know, King isn't just about the monster in the closet, but also the people who live in the house where the closet is. Here, we get an ensemble (for the time) cast such as Gary Sinise as every-man Stu Redman, Ray Walston as Glenn Bateman, Miguel Ferrer as Lloyd Henreid and a personal favourite, Rob Lowe as the deaf-mute Nick Andros. All of these actors have a great handle on their characters, Lowe especially (I wonder if he was ever nominated for his work because it's quite beautiful to watch).
As for the rest of the principal cast, it's not exactly a case of 'the less said the better', but while some choices were wrong (Molly Ringwald as Frannie Goldsmith? Nah thanks), some were a little too left of center, good actors, but not right for the role. Such is the case of Laura San Giacomo as Nadine Cross- San Giacomo is a great actress and she has an impressive range, but physically and perhaps psychologically, she wasn't the best choice- Nadine in the story is this tall, dark and beautiful woman who is a mystery. Those who have read the book may pull me up saying that Ferrer is hardly a physical match for Henried, but San Giacomo didn't look very at home in such a demanding role. The same may be said for Jamey Sheridan as Flagg himself. The guy obviously has a ball on screen and he's fun to watch, but he never sold me as a character that is essentially the embodiment of all that is wrong in the world and in humanity. He's charming, he has a sense of humor and perhaps some ladies in the audience may find him attractive, but Sheridan isn't able to truly convey Flagg as a whole, and his replications of Flagg's epic temper tanties are unintentionally fun, all of which is a shame.
While Garris was in the right for casting a relative unknown for the ultimate bad guy (after rejecting the star-fucker draw card that may have involved Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum and Willem Dafoe), it wouldn't have hurt to have given Sheridan to take place in more dastardly deeds.
Further credit must be given to Garris camera and skilled photography crew. Given The Stand is a tale that takes place all over a brave yet dangerous new world like a contemporary Lord of the Rings, Garris wisely added well-framed shots of the natural wonders of Americana, some of the landscapes look as if they have jumped right out of a Rockwell painting.
In terms of overall production, Garris and his team managed to do the best they could considering the limited fiances given for the production of a TV series. Nothing looks completely shoddy (and Flagg's demonic make up is actually quite beautiful on the rare occasion it surfaces), but I felt they could have added a little more phlegm into the proceedings. Yes, this was 1994 television, but by then, many audiences had already gotten an eyeful of some pretty horrid stuff in movies, so I'm thinking it wouldn't have hurt to have some choice money shots when the Superflu is wreaking all Hell on humanity, I mean honestly, some nice weeping sores wouldn't have gone astray either. The only really bad instance of primitive CGI was the Hand of God that appears towards the end of the show, it didn't have to be so literal, did it? Another example of a major missed opportunity is the famous Lincoln Tunnel sequence- that is one of the most scariest yet simple parts of the book, but not once did I get a chill up my spine watching the television equivalent- but that's just me having flashbacks to the words I read on the page.
There are actually a few other quibbles I had with the show, but I won't go into them for fear of putting you as a potential viewer off, because all these things considered, this is a reasonable adaptation that is just as much about it's characters than it is about its circumstances. Mick Garris treated the material with respect and reverence and that translates quite well, considering the fact King himself wrote the teleplay.
While The Stand has nothing on the book if the two are compared, I say there is no harm in checking this one out, even if you haven't read the book. Actually, if you haven't read those pages, I feel you may enjoy it better than those who have because you have no preconceived expectations- lucky bastard. But I can say as a King fan, it was still worth the eight hours of my life that I gave to watch it.
Speaking of which, has anybody started to read the Marvel adaptation? Now THAT'S the way to do a graphic novel!