The Stand

The Stand

1994

Director- Mick Garris

Cast- Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald, Adam Storke, Jamey Sheridan, Rob Lowe, Laura San Giacomo, Ray Walston, Miguel Ferrer, Ruby Dee, Bill Fagerbakke, Corin Nemec, Matt Frewer, Ossie Davis, Shawnee Smith, Max Wright, Ed Harris, Peter Van Norden

            
   Originally premiering as a four part television mini-series, The Stand is the most ambitious adaptation of King’s most ambitious single work. After It, The Stand is Stephen King’s best known work, so probably you know the story, but if not here goes. A biological weapon, a super flue, escapes from its government creators. In the span of a few months it has spread across the world and wiped out most of the population. The few survivors that are immune are visited by dreams of two people. Mother Abagail, a kindly old woman in Nebraska, and Randall Flag, a dark menacing figure stalking the American highways. People choose sides and begin their journeys across America toward one camp or the other. Eventually, the battle between good and evil culminates in a final confrontation.

           
   

I think it’s fair to say that, among other things, The Stand is a religious allegory. Mother Abigail is a Moses like figure and Flagg is the Devil. He appears in nightmares, shape changes into a raven and possesses some degree of magic. He also recruits his lieutenants in a rather Mephistophelean manner, giving them power in exchange for their loyalty.

            
    Now those familiar with Flagg know that he is much more than the Devil. Appearing in several Stephen King novels, under various names, his evil is too broad to be described in purely Christian terms. However, none of that was evident in the novel and certainly not evident in the mini-series.

            
    So many of King’s works have been adapted to the screen, it would be difficult to list them all. The Stand is one of the better adaptations (maybe the best) owing, I think, to its 6 hour length. There are many greats characters in the novel and most of them appear in the film and they progress in much the same way. Over all it’s a fairly loyal adaptation, probably due to the fact that King himself did the teleplay.

            

    Besides its fidelity to the source material, it has a great cast. Today it is the norm to see actors on both the big screen and the small, but in 1994, it was fairly rare to see movie stars on TV. The impressive line-up included 1980s Brat Pack icons Molly Ringwald and Rob Lowe, veteran actors Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis and Ray Walston and Gary Sinise, who was on the verge of hitting it big with Forrest Gump and that’s not to mention the fine performances from the rest of the cast as well.