these configurations will be saved for each time you visit this page using this browser
| Name | The Stand |
|---|---|
| Caption | DVD cover |
| Director | Mick Garris |
| Producer | Stephen King |
| Writer | Stephen King |
| Starring | Gary Sinise Miguel Ferrer Molly Ringwald |
| Music | W.G. Snuffy Walden |
| Cinematography | Edward J. Pei |
| Editing | Patrick McMahon |
| Studio | ABC |
| Budget | $28,000,000 USD |
| Language | English |
| Released | |
| First aired | |
| Last aired | |
| Runtime | 366 minutes |
Having both starred in previous film adaptations of King's works, Ed Harris and Kathy Bates both had small, uncredited roles in the early parts of the series. Bates's character, Rae Flowers, was originally a man (Ray Flowers), but when Bates became available the role was altered slightly. Harris plays the Army general in charge of the original bio-weapons project who kills himself after the failure of the disease containment means most of the human population will die.
Rob Lowe had been originally considered for the role of Larry Underwood, but Garris felt that having him in the more unusual role of the deaf-mute Nick Andros would better suit the production. Adam Storke ended up with the role of Underwood, where his musical skills were an asset.
Originally, parts of the miniseries were to be filmed on location in Boulder, Colorado. After the passage of Colorado Amendment 2, which nullified local gay rights laws, the production was moved to Utah in protest.
Several minor characters in the novel were combined into one character, maintaining the plot elements but simplifying the story somewhat. Col. Dick Deitz and Dr. Elder are merged into the character of Dr. Deitz at the Stovington, Vermont Disease Center. Rita Blakemoor, Larry's original companion during his exit from New York, was combined with the character of Nadine Cross. Elements of the character of Perion McCarthy are expressed by Dayna Jurgens in the miniseries.
In the novel, it is Nadine Cross who initially takes care of "Joe" (Leo Rockway). In the mini-series, Nadine and "Joe" have no interaction. Nadine has left Larry Underwood by the time Larry teams up with "Joe" and Lucy Swann. Nadine also takes on the role of Rita Blakemoor; Larry meets her in New York, where they journey out of the city together. Nadine and Larry part ways not long after leaving the city. Unlike Rita's character, who fatally overdoses in the novel, Nadine simply leaves in the middle of the night because of the conflict between her desire to be with Larry and her destiny to be with Flagg. Nadine and Larry do not meet again until her arrival in Boulder.
In the novel, Julie Lawry and Nick have sex and she tries to get Nick to leave Tom behind. In the miniseries, almost all of the sexual nature is left out. Julie and Nick have a brief moment of intimate hugging in the drug store, and Julie is left behind after she says the medicine Nick tries to give Tom is poison. Julie is also described as a teenager in the novel compared to the appearance of someone in their early to mid twenties in the miniseries.
In the novel, victims of the superflu tend to briefly recover before relapsing strongly and dying. In the miniseries, those infected just get progressively sicker until they die, with the exception of Frances Goldsmith's father, who claims to be feeling better and appears so during his sickness.
Also Frannie's baby is a boy in the uncut version and is named Peter after her father, yet in the miniseries she has a girl which she names Abagail after Mother Abagail.
Several of the more graphic scenes in the novel were eliminated because of their violence and sexual nature in the TV adaptation. The entire plot line concerning the "female zoo" that Stu Redman's party encounters is omitted, with the relevant characters (Dayna Jurgens and Sue Stern) being folded into the storyline through other means. Another omission involves the Flagg-ordered execution of a drug user who violates one of the rules set up by Flagg's society, by openly demonstrating the execution in front of everyone to their horror, particularly Lloyd Henreid's. Director Mick Garris also felt that the crime spree and eventual capture of Lloyd and Poke Freeman was most compromised by the requirements of television.
There are other minor differences between the two versions; most of the alterations made for the miniseries were made to move along the progression of the storyline. The characters from Arnette are moved directly to Vermont, instead of going to Atlanta for initial treatment, for example. Nick's time in Shoyo is similarly compressed, with Ray Booth representing most of the action, which was originally split between several of the thugs who beat him up. Larry goes on foot to escape from New York City, which is developed much more in depth with the novel, such as encountering other survivors.
The miniseries does not specify what year the story takes place. It is evidently set a few years later than either version of the novel, because Larry Underwood makes a brief reference to the Rodney King police brutality incident. During the first Free Zone Committee meeting, Ralph Brentner also makes mention of a SCUD missile, a phrase which didn't enter popular culture until Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
In the end of the Complete & Uncut version of the novel, Randall Flagg washes up on a beach on an island where he encounters a group of tribesmen. This is not shown in the series.
The Stand was released on DVD by Artisan Entertainment in a two-disc release and a single disc DVD. Both DVD versions have audio commentary and special features. Both the double disc and single disc releases of The Stand are out of print, but can still be purchased online.
In 2006, American DVD rights reverted to Paramount Pictures/CBS DVD. Paramount has not yet released a standalone version of The Stand, but has released it as part of a collection with The Langoliers and Golden Years. This release of The Stand lacks the audio commentary.
The underlying international rights to The Stand were once owned by Warner Bros. Television.
Category:1994 films Category:1994 American television series debuts Category:1994 American television series endings Category:American Broadcasting Company network shows Category:American television miniseries Category:Films based on horror novels Category:Television programs based on Stephen King's works Category:Post-apocalyptic films Category:Screenplays by Stephen King Category:Films set in Colorado Category:Films set in Nebraska Category:Films set in Las Vegas Category:Films set in New York City Category:Films set in Maine Category:Films set in Texas Category:Films set in Arkansas Category:Colorado in fiction Category:Nevada in fiction Category:Television series by CBS Paramount Television
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
