Jeff at 2010-06-05 07:23:26:

I can answer that for ya' Jabber... it was made in the early 90's as a made for TV (ABC, I believe) miniseries. As such, all the problems with something like that will out... it's exceedingly "made-for-TV"-ish.

That being said, it's got some pretty stark moments (I think they nailed the outset of Captain Tripps pretty well), some nice performances (Gary Senise, Molly Ringwald stick out in my mind) and, overall, it's certainly a relatively slavish translation of the book.

The sad fact is that THE STAND is one of those cursed novels that's probably, ultimately, un-film-able. Oh everyone froths at the mouth at the possibilities but the conundrum is this... if you did a feature, you'd have to cut and condense so much that the purists would be enraged and if you put it on TV, it winds up being too "small."

I recall in the mid to late 80's George Romero was flirting with, and I think even in pre-production with, a STAND feature. Additionally, and I don't recall where it is, but I've seen the screenplay they were using somewhere here on the internet and it was a pretty good read.

I hear they're tossing about a possible DARK TOWER film or mini-series. Rumor had it that JJ Abrams was doing it and these days I think Brian Grazer and Ron Howard own the film rights. I believe their attack is going to be an HBO miniseries, which, I guess, if done right, could work.

But, again, you n' I both know that there's nothing that can equal the experience of reading a King novel. As has been proven time and time again, he just doesn't translate to film very well.

JD Walters at 2010-06-05 21:28:30:

Jeff, I'll have to disagree. I absolutely LOVED the Stand miniseries. Exceptionally well cast, well plotted, and for a TV series the FX were outstanding (how about that Vegas scene at the end). Most of all, the soundtrack is incredibly haunting. Given that King wrote the teleplay himself, I'm not surprised that it comes across as a 'slavish' adaptation.

And King doesn't translate well on the big screen? What about The Green Mile and Shawshank Redemption? Firestarter, The Shining (original with Jack Nicholson) and Stand by Me were also excellent.

Jeff at 2010-06-05 22:17:50:

Ha! Well, I was waiting for someone to chime in and tell me I was full of shit! :D

Naw, look, it's all a matter of personal taste, of course. I have a problem with the way Mick Garris directs things, so it's my own personal prejudices at work here. The only King miniseries that really ever did it for me was "IT," which I felt really nailed it, despite Garris and his drab techniques.

The examples you mention, JD, are of course exemplary bits of great moviemaking, to be sure. But notice one thing... in the examples you gave, are any of them HORROR? This is my point... King's horror books seem to NEVER survive the translation process. And let's not lose sight of the fact that King himself *disowns* Kubrick's version of The Shining (which is, to me, preposterous because that film is sheer terror in its purest form).

But, again, as I said, it's certainly all in the eye of the beholder.

For me? I wish DESPERATION had been given proper treatment on film. I think that could have been one hell of a feature film, if done right. (book scared me shitless) Instead, another half-baked, yawn-inducing Garris TV adaptation.