Fiction vs. Fiction: The Shawshank Redemption

 Stephen King is practically a money factory when it comes to Hollywood.

As such, many many Books and Short Stories have been written for the Screen.

Let's take a look at how a 106-page novella into one of his most beloved adaptations.

***VS***

What's the Same?

The Plot is 100% the same here.
Two Prisoners form a bond, time passes and one of them makes a famous escape.

So...

What's Different?

This is a good example of how you take a Novella and tweak things to a more normal, Film narrative.

For starters, the Casting is a bit different.  Andy is short and wears glasses in the Story.  Red is Irish, so presumably a Ginger.

In the Film, Andy gets in with the main Guard to get the 'Sisters' off of his back (and to break theirs).  In the Book, he takes care of that himself and helps out the current Warden.

The Guards change out quite a bit in the Story, as Andy is imprisoned for 27 years.

He's only in it for 19 in the Film, but I'm not sure why they changed that.

There's also more than one Warden in the Book, which would make sense with the timespan here.  The Film makes it one Warden the whole time for maximum drama.
It is a logical change.

Andy's famous moment of protest with playing the record is NOT in the Book.  He's punished by the Warden just for wanting to get proof of his innocence.

On that note, the Warden has the guy who get Andy acquitted killed off, as opposed to getting them sent to a Minimum-Security Prison in the Book.

Speaking of death, Brooks (the old Librarian) just dies of old age in the Book (stating that they took everything from him), while he actually kills himself in the Film (as he's too used to Prison).

In the Book, Andy explains that he had a friend make a fake identity for him to invest his money in before he was sent to Prison.  Said friend is now dead, making Andy wait to figure out how to pull off the scheme.

In the Film, he uses money made in Prison to set it up.

Andy's escape plays out the same way, though he's got a Linda Ronstadt Poster in the Book.  The Warden retires in shame in the Book, but the Film has him commit suicide to avoid justice.

Lastly, Red complains about normal life and being around women for the first time in 4 Decades on the outside (complaining about being 'half hard all day'), while that part was wisely excised.
The Book is also more ambiguous about the duo meeting, which is what Frank Darabondt wanted too.

Thoughts

The Film makes many obvious changes, focusing the tale more on certain people and consolidating them into one or more people from a dozen.

I do like the original Story and its structure.  It features Red as the sole Narrator and leaves the blanks of Andy's life open until the end.

Either way, it is a good Story.  The Film has great people behind it- including Roger Deakins as Cinematographer- so it is hard to complain much.

Which Is Better?

The Film

Not a knock on the original Story at all, but with a tighter narrative and great production, it really delivers on the potential that the Story promises.

(FYI, I have 'Different Seasons,' so I can easily get at least 2 more King Comparisons out of it)

Bonus Doc: Terror in the Aisles- The TV Cut

 What happens when a Film that once existed solely as a Special Feature gets its own?

Well, for some backstory, the 1984 Documentary I covered recently was first rediscovered and put on the Blu-Ray release of Halloween II.

It's also the version that cut Mustapha Akkad's credit, so nothing is perfect.

In 2020, Terror got its own release and that came with Special Features of its own.

Besides the usual- Interviews with people involved- they also included the TV Cut of the Film.

How different is it?
Let's find out...

For starters, they didn't go through this version of the Film and restore it.

So, I put this shot from the previous Review in for comparison.
Do you miss the crisp HD look at Pleasence talking directly at you through the screen?

The main difference here is that they use a whole bunch of DIFFERENT Films for Clips and references.

It is not a full replace, but you get to see stuff that features less (or no) blood and no Nudity.

As such, let's put a Film in that was super recent at the time- Firestarter.

Remember in that last bit I talked about how they used different Films due to content.

Well, I should also point out that they include THE ENTIRE Dream Sequence from An American Werewolf in London.

The shooting, the stabbing and all of the nightmare fuel of it!

Credit to the Editors in some regards though.

The part where they talk about Nudity is obviously different for the TV Cut.

That involves selective cutting, like going right to the lady diving into the Ocean in Jaws, rather than letting you see the back of her for a few seconds.

This Version also features A TON of Universal content here too.

We get the Metalluna Mutant, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, the giant Mantis and the Film that inspired the fear of all cat owners.

The Incredible Shrinking Man.

The TV Cut also features footage from a Film I somehow haven't seen (or completely forgot that I have)- The Funhouse.

Remember, this was put in there to make it safe to run on TV in the '80s.

What even were the standards.

Lastly, I should mention that stuff you wouldn't even think of for a Film called Terror in the Aisles is in this Cut.

For example, the Book Collecting/Burning Scene from Fahrenheit 451.

At least they accidentally included something that has inspired real fright in the last couple of years.

All in all, the TV Cut is fine...but maybe bother restoring that one too, folks?
Just a suggestion.

King Me: Stephen King's The Stand (1994) *Part 4*

 A big finale is upon us!

To see what happened in Part 1, go here.
For Part 2, here.
For Part 3, here.

Now, let's get to Standing!

Right off the bat, Flagg makes Harold crash his bike.  Nadine lives him.

He offs himself the next day and that wraps up that Arc!

Flagg can identify two of the Spies, but not the third.
Tom 'M-O-O-N spells MOON' Cullen is apparently immune because...um...let's not go there.

So, he needs his men to capture the ones he knows and get the information.

His men accidentally kill The Judge (thanks for nothing, Ossie Davis) and he pops up to kill...Sam Raimi?!?

For all my complaints about Flagg's absence in the last 3 parts, he more than makes up for it here.

This is The Randal Flagg Show, co-starring everyone else.

He tries to interrogate the other Spy (Dayna- who helped restore power, but now just wears lingerie).
She tries to kill him, but he morphs and laughs it off.

She offs herself (a weird theme here) and he gets no information.

Things go better in the Desert where he finally meets Nadine in person (or, in creature, to be more accurate).  

He has his way with her, the woman realizing too late that he's a Monster.

Things go worse when he takes her back to Vegas, she freaks out and, you guessed it, offs herself- denying him his demon baby.

As random luck would have it, the mean lady from Part 2 (aka Shawnee Smith) is now in Vegas and spots Tom Cullen leaving.

He sends folks out to get him in the Desert, including...John Landis?!?

Our Heroes, meanwhile, are wandering through the Desert- like in the Bible, you see- and Sinise breaks his leg.

He asks them to leave him behind, which works out well in the end.

The other three are captured near the border and Ray Walston is killed.

The other two are tied in a cross-like manner- again, like the Bible, you see- and given a 'show trial' for a bombing done by Trashcan Man.

Speaking of him, he did find one of the Nukes and drives it into the City towed behind an ATV.
Google says that the missiles can weigh anywhere between 600 lbs. and 79,000 lbs., so...is that even possible?

Regardless, the Hand of God appears- since every King Mini-Series needs usually dodgy CGI in Act 3- and sets off the bomb, killing everyone.

I guess it is a happy ending for our Heroes...is it?

Sinise and Tom Cullen watch the City explode in the distance.

Time to go home.

They get back by Winter and are met by...Stephen King?!?

Oh right- he was in Part 3 as well.  Never mind.

He tells them that Sinise's baby was born, but there's a catch.

It was born with the flu (how?!?) but manages to survive with the Parents' antibodies.

The Musician's Wife is also going to have a child, so the new Generation will continue.  
The End.

This sure...had lots of things happen.  I did get what I was asking for.

Right off the bat, what was the point of the spies?  They never reported back.  Two of them didn't even come home.  Tom comes home, but only after the bomb goes off.

About the bomb, he hired the crazy guy to bring it to him...and he did.  What was the big plan again?

Randall Flagg is kind of awful as a Character- at least as far as his planning goes.  All of his men fail.  All of his plans fail.  He spends all 4 Parts trying to do them and...fails.

Yes, he does fail to a literal Deus Ex Machina.  Even so, was his plan going to work otherwise?  Doubtful.

The finale leaves so many people out- specifically the people back in Boulder.  It's almost like they spent 90% of the other parts in Boulder and then overcompensated here.

At least we get 3 Director Cameos.

I'd nitpick more, but I think that the Film has become self-aware.

Next time, a random pick from my pile of Horror Remakes from the '00s.  It is a tale of violence, but is the message still there?  Stay tuned...

King Me: Stephen King's The Stand (1994) *Part 3*

 Another look at a Post-Pandemic World where everyone has to live in the West.
*Shudder*

To see what happened in Part 1, go here.
For Part 2, go here.

The Episode begins with some random guy dying from...um, something.

They have a Funeral for him, which is mostly there to introduce Ozzie Davis here as The Judge.
His Wife played the prophetic Mother Abigail.

We soon learn that Sinise and Ringwald became a Couple during the off-screen time jump presented here.

She's also pregnant with his child.

In the Book, she's pregnant BEFORE meeting him and they aren't a Couple, which is key for later.

Over in Las Vegas, Randall Flagg recruits more people to his cause of chaos and debauchery.

He sends Trashcan Man to go find nukes.
He also asserts his mystical control over 2 other people...but that's it.

Our Villain sure is waiting until the last Part to really do much, it seems.

Nadine shows up, now fully as Flagg's Apostle and (possible) Future Wife.  She tries to seduce The Musician (who apparently got married during the time jump) but fails.

Oh, and she's connected to Stephen King's extended Cameo as some guy who also goes to the Colony.

In the most baffling moment so far, they hypnotize Tom Cullen to follow instructions.

You see, they plan on sending 3 Spies into Flagg's territory and he is going to be one of them.

What
The

F**k

She's told to go after Harold, who still loves Ringwald's Character.

It is meant to be a sadly ironic thing that he turns on his friends for no reason.

Here, he has justification- even if he's still terrible for doing it.

He's apparently an expert at making bombs, based on one Scene in Part 1 where he made something...I think.

He also listens to Disco while making his bomb, as you do.

He plants a bomb at the Committee Meeting, but they find out.

Nick sacrifices himself to get everyone out- not that he needed to.

Oh, well- we have pathos, and we can officially not feature him, after barely doing it in Part 3.

Around this time, Mother Abigail left- having felt that she was too proud- and she returns right around the time of the explosion.

Her dying words are that the 4 men (convenient that Nick was blown up, I guess) in charge are to go off into the Desert without supplies.

That's...a plan, I guess.  Let's just abruptly stop there then.

A decent Episode/Section, but I have many, many issues/comments.

The Time Jump is pretty lazy, no?  Why spend time setting up events when you can just say 'It happened between segments?'

Lazy.  
Kind of like saying 'lazy' twice, I suppose.

The actual Plot is fine, even if I have issues with how little Flagg and company do here.  They talk about what they might do.  They send Trashcan Man out.  We see them doing...something for a few minutes and... that's it?

I guess Part 4 is going to be massive...or disappointing.  Given that Part 4 of The Stand is called 'The Stand,' I think I know which way I'm leading.

The bulk of this Part is introducing yet more Characters, sending them off or killing them off and just kind of biding time.

I watched these days apart, but they originally ran one night after another.  I'm curious how the Pacing felt to people back then.  

If you can relate, leave a comment.

As for me, I'm optimistic that the conclusion will be good, but mostly still making this face at the 'Hypnotize Tom Cullen' Scene...

Alright, Mini-Series- take it home.  I want you to be amazing, so...please do it.  See you then...

King Me: Stephen King's The Stand (1994) *Part 2*

 All plans to do this in 4 days like how the Mini-Series ran pretty much ended by the next morning.
That said, let's keep looking at the Mini-Series with Part 2.

To keep up, see the first part the first part here.

Part 2- The Dreams is all about two things.

Introducing New People to our Cast and moving said People to a new location.
That's pretty much it.

So, we get Molly Ringwald leaving home (after Scrubs Dad died) with Definitely Not Her Boyfriend.

The Rock Star goes to New York City (after his Mom died) to see the Waitress we met once.

Instead, he meets Laura San Giacomo (an upgrade, to be fair).
They both leave the city, while she seems seduced by a dark power...

A new Character named Trashcan Man (Matt Frewer in yet another Garris FilmGarris Film).

In typical fashion, he's crazy.  He sets oil reservoirs on fire and is called to Vegas by a strange voice.

Said Voice is that of Randall Flagg, who we next see breaking Miguel Ferrer (who was arrested in Part 1) out of Prison.

He agrees to be Flagg's Lieutenant.

To be fair, I'd follow someone with a mullet that glorious too!

Less glorious are the adventures of Rob Lowe (a deaf mute) and...sigh...Lenny from Of Mice an Men.

He's actually Tom Cullen (played by the man who voices 'Patrick Star') and it's...something.
I'm curious how the 2020 Mini-Series handles him.

They also briefly meet Shawnee Smith (playing a more crazy version of Audrey Horne) too.

Gary Sinise is free of the CDC and meets up with some folks, including Ringwald and Seriously, He's Not Her Boyfriend Guy.

They go to Colorado.

In Vegas, Flagg has assembled a group of Lieutenants, although we only saw the Introduction of Ferrer and Frewer (Not Attorneys at Law).

He's up to...something.

The main group has met up with the Old Lady from their Dreams and go to Colorado.

They see a group of people- including Sinise and company- arrive as Part 2 ends.

Unfortunately, this Part either sinks or swims based on how invested you are in the Characters- especially the new ones.

For me, I'm more interested in the Story and very little progresses here.
Yes, you do need a part in a Story like this where people travel from Point A to Point B.  The trick is to make that part interesting AND/OR make the Characters great.

I don't dislike the Characters- other than the representation of Cullen- but I'm not super-invested in them at this point.

As it is, Part 2 is just them making bigger groups and traveling.

Like I said, it's a necessary part of the Story...but man is it not that interesting.
You have Flagg around and we only get TWO SCENES of him.

Don't worry, we get lots of Cullen, so I get to keep making this face for most of the 90 minutes...

Next up, Part 3 hopefully moves the actual Plot forward and delivers.  I'm giving it a chance!