The Film

Rob Reiner’s seminal adaptation of the Stephen King novel pits an injured literary star Paul Sheldon (James Caan) against the psychopathic small town ex nurse who rescues him (Kathy Bates).

The Sight & Sound

The picture quality is a little dated but the transfer stays faithful to the original print. The music could be clearer (being such an important part of the proceedings), but the movie is just over ten years old.

The Extras

Everything about the movie — the music, camerawork and design — set new benchmarks for the film as a conduit in the action and a tool to implicate the audience in the action. As such, a lot of the extras (including commentaries by screenwriter William Goldman and director Rob Reiner) take you on a very informative journey through them.

The main documentary (which is what makes this the special edition) features the major players — including then-DOP Barry Sonnenfeld before he became a director — and how it impacted on them at the time and has since. There’s a bit too much arse kissing as usual, but it explains how Reiner and Sonnenfeld understood King’s intentions.

Also of particular interest is the extended interview with the composer and how the music underpins the action.

The Worth

Huge backstory material to the movie will take you right back and make you appreciate it all over again.

4 out of 5

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 1st, 2003 at 12:00 am and is filed under DVD Reviews, Film, Filmink. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.