I'm not going to lie and say that I have been a long-term fan of director Rob Reiner's adaptation of Stephen King's MISERY. Truth be told, I only watched the movie all the way through earlier this year.
Not that I was against the adaptation. It was just that MISERY wasn't my favorite King novel and I felt I'd seen the good scenes played out here and there in countdowns and retrospectives, etc. over the years.
Anyhow, I finally watched it top to bottom earlier this year and, duh, enjoyed it quite a bit. I enjoyed the novel more than the movie but who doesn't say that about (just about) every novel to screen adaptation?
Speaking of MISERY, director Rob Reiner recently talked a bit about the film on the new Blu-ray release and had some interesting things to say about how the flick came together.
Rob Reiner on MISERY:
This was a very personal book to Stephen King. It was a book in which he dealt with wrestling with this difficulty that all creative people have, which is being trapped by your own success. Here he was, a writer of horror books, books with supernatural elements to it, and he also wanted to express himself as a writer.
So, he had this character, Paul Sheldon, who had become famous writing these Misery novels but wanted to break away and do something special, and Annie Wilkes represented the fanbase that didn’t want that to happen, would be very angry if he went in a different direction. It was a personal book, oddly enough to him.
He didn’t want to option it to anybody unless he felt it was in good hands. And because he loved Stand By Me — and he had told me it was the best adaptation of anything that he had ever written — he said, ‘I’ll give it to you guys if Rob will either produce or direct it.’ So, he felt comfortable that I would do it.
Do you think Reiner's STAND BY ME is the best King adaptation? Remember this was before Shawshank. Let us know where MISERY lands on your list of King flicks below or on social media!
MISERY synopsis:
Novelist Paul Sheldon doesn't remember the blinding blizzard that sent his car spinning off the road. He doesn't remember being nursed back from unconsciousness. But he will never forget Annie Wilkes.
James Caan and Academy Award® winner Kathy Bates star in the bone-shattering thriller Misery, adapted from the novel by Stephen King. As Paul (Caan) recuperates from his injuries in the secluded cabin of his benefactor Annie (Bates), he begins to discover that beneath the seemingly kind and naive exterior of his self-described "number one fan" lurks a mind that is cunning, unhinged, and bent on keeping her favorite writer as her personal prisoner for the rest of his "cock-a-doodie" life … and Sheldon must engage his savior-turned-captor in a battle of wills that will push them both to the brink.
Adapted by two-time Oscar®-winning screenwriter William Goldman and directed by Rob Reiner (Stand By Me, The Princess Bride), Misery is considered by critics and fans (number ones and others) to be among the greatest horror-thrillers of all-time. Revisit this classic tonight with your friends … after all, Misery loves company.
MISERY was directed by Rob Reiner from a screenplay by William Goldman, based on the novel by Stephen King. The film stars Kathy Bates and James Caan.
You can buy MISERY on Blu-ray right HERE.