The Stand
This review is not for a film recently released in cinemas, but instead is a well-known television mini-series released in 1994. It is based on a mammoth book written by Stephen King and boasts quiet a strong cast besides being a made for television mini-series. I’m talking about “The Stand”.
For those who haven’t seen it, and even if you’re not a fan of Stephen King's work, rent it out and give it a try. I think you’ll be quite surprised at how good it is. Originally released on television over four nights, “The Stand” is based on the idea of a world wide plague wiping out practically the entire population of the planet in about a week. However, there seem to be a small group of loners, outcasts and unique individuals who are totally immune to the disease. These people are as different as they come, and scattered in states all over America. The one thing they do share in common however, is that they are all having the same dream.
In this dream, they find themselves walking through a cornfield. In the distance they can hear the sweet sound of a guitar and the voice of a woman singing. They come to an old, weather-board house and sitting on the porch, with guitar in had, is an elderly, black woman. She introduces herself as Mother Abigail and she tells the dreamers to come and see her. But they’ve got to hurry, because the Dark Man is coming. In this cornfield, our heroes also encounter this Dark Man, and he isn’t very pleasant.
Soon enough, only the immune ones are alive, and they all make their way to the old woman. Their base of operations is Boulder, Colorado where they gather, commute and commence to make a new society. Besides all these good people, who are free from disease, there are also some not so good people who have survived. However, they don't dream off the old woman. They are called upon to serve or get to personally meet, a strange but charismatic man named Randall Flag. Charming, humourous and intelligent, he walks the lonely roads in cowboy boots and a denim jacket. Randall Flag is the Dark Man. His followers don’t know that, and see him as their new leader. The base of operations for Randall Flag and his legion of followers (who include criminals, murders and the mentally unstable) becomes Sin City itself, Las Vegas.
That’s all I’ll say about the plot. I’ve given you the set up, now you owe it to yourself to find six hours wherever you can and watch how it all comes together. This outstanding mini series deserves to be commended for its huge cast, massive use of American locations and the high quality of which it is made at. The screenplay was adapted from the novel by King himself and, in my opinion only, he successfully converges it from his novel to the screen without leaving any of the good stuff out, or putting too much in. True, it is a long mini series but with so many diverse characters that all interact with each other in some form or anther, as well as several plot twists, it all goes by surprisingly quickly.
For those who haven’t seen it, and even if you’re not a fan of Stephen King's work, rent it out and give it a try. I think you’ll be quite surprised at how good it is. Originally released on television over four nights, “The Stand” is based on the idea of a world wide plague wiping out practically the entire population of the planet in about a week. However, there seem to be a small group of loners, outcasts and unique individuals who are totally immune to the disease. These people are as different as they come, and scattered in states all over America. The one thing they do share in common however, is that they are all having the same dream.
In this dream, they find themselves walking through a cornfield. In the distance they can hear the sweet sound of a guitar and the voice of a woman singing. They come to an old, weather-board house and sitting on the porch, with guitar in had, is an elderly, black woman. She introduces herself as Mother Abigail and she tells the dreamers to come and see her. But they’ve got to hurry, because the Dark Man is coming. In this cornfield, our heroes also encounter this Dark Man, and he isn’t very pleasant.
Soon enough, only the immune ones are alive, and they all make their way to the old woman. Their base of operations is Boulder, Colorado where they gather, commute and commence to make a new society. Besides all these good people, who are free from disease, there are also some not so good people who have survived. However, they don't dream off the old woman. They are called upon to serve or get to personally meet, a strange but charismatic man named Randall Flag. Charming, humourous and intelligent, he walks the lonely roads in cowboy boots and a denim jacket. Randall Flag is the Dark Man. His followers don’t know that, and see him as their new leader. The base of operations for Randall Flag and his legion of followers (who include criminals, murders and the mentally unstable) becomes Sin City itself, Las Vegas.
That’s all I’ll say about the plot. I’ve given you the set up, now you owe it to yourself to find six hours wherever you can and watch how it all comes together. This outstanding mini series deserves to be commended for its huge cast, massive use of American locations and the high quality of which it is made at. The screenplay was adapted from the novel by King himself and, in my opinion only, he successfully converges it from his novel to the screen without leaving any of the good stuff out, or putting too much in. True, it is a long mini series but with so many diverse characters that all interact with each other in some form or anther, as well as several plot twists, it all goes by surprisingly quickly.
Take a whole day if you can, or stretch it out over two or three. Either way, any keen movie buff should watch “The Stand” and enjoy it for its rich storytelling techniques, dense with themes and issues and containing a really positive message “The human race will always find a way to go on, separating the good from the bad, to ensure the freedom and peace of the world and its people”
Return to "Favourite Genre Films"
Return to "Favourite Genre Films"
No comments:
Post a Comment