I've not read many of Stephen King's novels, though I'm a fan of Danse Macabre, a book about the craft of horror fiction, a genre of which he's a master. I did, however, very much enjoy the film of his book Misery and on watching it again, I found it still hasn't lost its compelling power. Part of the appeal to me comes from the fact that it's a film about writing; there have been quite a few of them, but this is one of the very best, if not the very best.
Books about the writing process are one thing, and I've no doubt that King's novel, which I still haven't read, is excellent, but writing is rather difficult to film, and it's quite an achievement on the part of Rob Reiner, the director, and his brilliant screenwriter William Goldman, to make the film so pacy and yet create a feeling of authenticity when the creative process is discussed.
James Caan is very good as Paul Sheldon, a capable writer who has made a fortune by writing romantic stories about a character called Misery Chastain. But he's become a prisoner of his success and he wants to write more serious stuff that is more deserving of critical respect. I've talked to commercially successful writers who have faced this dilemma and although many would envy their fame (and wealth) the sort of dilemma that King and Goldman portray is a real one.
The stand-out performance comes from Kathy Bates, who was little-known when cast as Annie Wilkes, who proclaims herself as Sheldon's 'Number One Fan'. She captures the character's mood swings brilliantly and the result is a truly scary performance. There are excellent supporting roles for Frances Sternhagen and Richard Farnsworth, while Lauren Bacall plays Sheldon's agent. And I do like the fact tha Annie is a big fan of Liberace!
No comments:
Post a Comment