The Stephen Book to Screen series continues forward! Last time we covered his famous novel It. There are two novels that Melch published after It which have not yet received adaptations and are skipped in this series.
The first is King’s medieval fantasy novel The eyes of the dragon, which is another one that deviates from the path of horror. It has some direct ties to the Dark Tower series, but the public was outraged that King was doing anything other than horror, despite the book’s horror elements. (The negative feedback helped with today’s value topic!) The eyes of the dragon might make a good movie, and several attempts have been made, though none have really hit the ground running. The second book we’re skipping is the second Dark Tower novel. As of the date this article was published, there are still no plans for an Apple Tower movie, but a TV version of the series may still happen.
Today we cover a movie about the boxer in one genre. Ironically, unhappiness became one of King’s most enduring adaptations.
As detailed in the introduction, one of the initial inspirations for unhappiness There was a reaction from the fans The eyes of the dragon. Fans resented King’s attempt to spin the fantasy, leaving King chained in horror. He then invented author Paul Sheldon, who feels trapped in his popular Misery Chastain books. Another metaphor is that of Annie Wilkes, who was partly inspired by King’s drug addiction. Sheldon becomes addicted to painkillers in the novel, and speaks lines that probably come straight from King’s mind on the subject.
Another inspiration came from a dream King had while flying. This dream helped him further solidify the character of Annie Wilkes. The first pages were drafted in London, with King writing at the same desk where Rudyard Kipling once wrote. King commented that the novel would later change from his initial idea, as he found Paul growing resourceful and somewhat escaped from his original bleak fate.
After killing off his popular hero in the upcoming finale of the Misery Chastain series, Sheldon is preparing to publish a new novel of a different kind. While driving with the manuscript, a drunken Sheldon crashes his car and is rescued by Annie Wilkes. At first she seems a kind and devoted fan, nursing Sheldon back to health. However, it soon becomes clear that she is not quite sane, and when she learns of the death of the fictional wretch, it sends her over the edge.
unhappiness It is a tense and brutal novel. While not quite as dark as King’s most bleak works, the title is fitting. Many pages and words are devoted to describing the sad misery of our hero. From the physical pain to the psychological torture of his condition, we dive deep into the mindset of a hurt person. This allows the antagonist, Annie, to be built into the monster that she is.
Like Paul, we underestimate her at first. Living in his perspective, we think he can get the better of her. But as he learns more about Annie, we learn her true monstrous nature. This perspective drives the tension of the novel as we hope and pray that Paul can escape.
The novel gets quite dark towards the end. It’s a credit to King that it remains intriguing and doesn’t become a total shutdown. The character’s inner thoughts and Paul’s mental struggle to survive are excellent. For a story that plays out largely through the inner monologue of a man lying in bed, this is likely to be one of the most tense stories you’ll read.
While not quite as grand as King’s true masterpieces, unhappiness He is still one of the best. It’s a testament to King’s ability to adapt his thriller and horror sensibilities to all sorts of different situations. Even without his usual supernatural features, King still excels.
Critics and fans alike were equally appreciative when the novel was released, even though it bribes the fans to some extent. It won the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel in 1987 and was placed fourth on the bestseller list that year. Then we made a movie, which we will now review.
The genesis of the film adaptation began when Rob Reiner’s producing partner at Castle Rock Entertainment read the novel on a plane and recommended it to Reiner. Rainer then recruited William Goldman, a writer of the princess bride and All the president’s people, to write the script. An impressive array of actors were considered for the lead role before James Caan, including Harrison Ford, Robert De Niro, William Hurt, Robert Redford and Gene Hackman, just to name a few. Warren Beatty wanted the role, but scheduling conflicts led to Kahn being cast. Two high-profile actresses were also offered the role of Annie Wilkes, Bette Midler and Anjelica Huston, who both turned it down. Midler later regretted the decision. It was Goldman’s suggestion to cast Kathy Bates, who at the time was unknown.
Rainer’s second adaptation of King is quite good, if not as strong as his first stand by me. He does a pretty good job of conveying King’s tone. In a film largely limited to two performances, Caan and Bates make a great dynamic pair. It was the role that catapulted Bates to stardom and earned her an Oscar, and for good reason. She feels like such a perfect incarnation of the Annie Wilkes character from the text that you can’t help but imagine Bates reading the book afterwards. Bates perfectly transitions between dutiful banality and cool, detached insanity, capturing the terrifying nature of the character. Wilkes is a really crazy character who combines sweetness with cruelty, and Bates’ performance makes it work wonderfully.
Kahn is also strong in a role a little different from his usual tough act. He has power, but much of the film makes Paul weak and reactive to his “handler”. Richard Farnsworth and Lauren Bacall are good in supporting roles, although the film slightly expands their parts beyond what they are in the novel. That’s one of the criticisms of the film, as if he couldn’t fully rely on the bottle situation of the book or Schreiner was worried the audience would get bored. Their additional presence unfortunately reduces the tension in the novel, which focused solely on Paul’s situation and his unawareness of whether anyone is looking for him.
Reiner also doesn’t quite grasp horror as well as other genres he’s played with. The gentle touches of it in the face stand by me Effective enough, however linked to a childhood version of fear. B unhappiness, Reiner’s inability to lean into horror does hold the film back somewhat. The direction feels flat relative to the scary nature of what’s happening on screen. A fairly generic “scary” score is used, and the camera angles don’t feel as purposeful as they could. It is mainly on the back of the performances of Caan and Bates that the film still feels creepy.
Other than that, Reiner does a great job of taking the book down to a fast paced movie. unhappiness It has no over the top scenes, progresses at a reasonable clip, and is as lean as most horror films should be. The decision to have Wilkes smash Paul’s ankles with a hammer, instead of chopping off a leg with an ax like in the book, almost makes this scene feel more brutal. Ironically, this scene was changed at Reiner’s insistence even though writer Goldman originally objected to it. Goldman later changed his mind, as he felt the change allowed the audience to retain some sympathy with Wilkes. Which version is more brutal is an interesting question to ponder.
Misery debuted on November 30, 1990 and was a box office hit. It grossed $61.3 million from its $20 million budget, and finished in 33rd place the following year Goodplus. Critics pretty much loved it as well, with big names like Roger Ebert giving it praise, and King himself calling it one of his favorite adaptations of his work. Kathy Bates won the Academy Award for Best Actress, and her star was born. This spectacular success made the film one of King’s most significant adaptations.
While the adjustment of unhappiness It’s not quite perfect, it’s pretty close. Bates’ performance is arguably its strongest feature, and a complete take on Annie Wilkes. A remake might better capture the horror of the novel, especially if it has a more horror-inclined director, but no actress will ever top Bates. There have been several stage adaptations, including one in the 1990s and another in the master. Goldman himself rewrote it as a play, which premiered in 2015 starring Bruce Willis and Laurie Metcalf, earning Metcalf a Tony nomination. There are no new film adaptations on the way, but the roles are rich enough that it might be fun to see a new actress try for the Bates crown. Until then, King fans and movie fans alike can enjoy this great movie.
- Ranked 785th in the world
- 17,839 users rated it
- Wins 49% of games
- 9 people have it in first place
- 5/94 on Stephen King’s filter
These are my personal ratings for every King adaptation I’ve written for this series. In the end, we’ll see where my taste of Stephen King coincides with the global consensus.
- The walls of hope (1994)
- stand by me (1986)
- curry (1976)
- the salt area (1983)
- unhappiness (1990)
- the fog (2007)
- Creep show (1982)
- It (2017)
- the stand (1994)
- Stephen King’s (1990)
- Stephen King’s The Shining (1994)
- cat eyes (1985)
- Christine (1983)
- The man ran (1987)
- Kojo (1983)
- Sunrise (1980)
- Pet Symmetry (1989)
- silver bullet (1985)
- This is part two (2019)
- A suitable student (1998)
- thinner (1996)
- Sometimes they come back (1991)
- Salem lot (2004)
- children of the corn (2009)
- Salem lot (1979)
- Creates controversy (1984)
- Creepshow 2 (1987)
- Pet Symmetry (2019)
- the dark tower (2017)
- curry (2013)
- children of the corn (1984)
- the mangler (1995)
- Cemetery shift (1990)
- Maximum overdrive (1986)
- curry (2002)
- The lawnmower man (1992)
- trucks (1997)
