Misery [Collector's Edition] [Special Packaging]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Adapted from a Stephen King novel, Rob Reiner's Misery cast James Caan as a writer at a career crossroads. The film opens with Paul Sheldon (Caan) completing work on his latest novel, a break from his popular series of novels featuring the character Misery Chastain. He gets into a severe car accident and is saved by Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), a reclusive woman who nurses him back to health. Annie is a huge fan of the Misery novels, and she finishes reading the new one while Paul is convalescing. She becomes enraged when she discovers that Paul has killed off Misery. Annie injures Paul's foot severely so that he is unable to leave her house, and forces him to write a new Misery novel. A local sheriff (Richard Farnsworth) and Paul's agent (Lauren Bacall) both attempt to track down what happened to the missing author. Misery shot the relatively unknown Kathy Bates to stardom, winning her one of the few Best Actress Oscars ever bestowed for portraying an evil character. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Audio: Dolby Digital Surround
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen)
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Features:
  • Audio commentary by director Rob Reiner
  • Audio commentary by screenwriter William Goldman
  • Misery Loves Company featurette
  • Marc Shaiman's Muscial Misery Tour featurette
  • Diagnosing Annie Wilkes featurette
  • Advice for the Stalked featurette
  • Profile of a Stalker featurette
  • Celebrity Stalkers featurette
  • Anti-Stalking Laws featurette

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Won Best Actress - 1990 (Kathy Bates)

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Won Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama - 1990 (Kathy Bates)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       James Caan - Paul Sheldon
       Kathy Bates - Annie Wilkes
       Frances Sternhagen - Virginia
       Richard Farnsworth - Buster
       Lauren Bacall - Marcia Sindell
       Graham Jarvis - Libby
       J.T. Walsh - Park Ranger (uncredited)
       Archie Hahn III

• Director:

  Rob Reiner

• Screenwriter:

  William Goldman

• Book Author:

  Stephen King

• Cinematographer:

  Barry Sonnenfeld, M. Todd Henry

• Composer (Music Score):

  Marc Shaiman

• Editor:

  Robert Leighton

• Production Designer:

  Norman Garwood

• Art Director:

  Mark Mansbridge

• Co-producer:

  Steve Nicolaides, Rob Reiner, Andrew Scheinman, Jeffrey Stott

• Set Designer:

  Garry Lewis, Stan Tropp

• Costume Designer:

  Gloria Gresham

• Makeup:

  Margaret Elliott, John M. Elliott, Jr.

• Special Effects:

  Philip C. Cory, K.N.B. EFX Group

• Stunts:

  David R. Ellis

• Production Manager:

  Steve Nicolaides

• Casting:

  Jane Jenkins, Janet Hirshenson

REVIEW:

• A stark departure from director Rob Reiner's nostalgic coming-of-age tales Stand By Me (1986) and When Harry Met Sally (1989), Misery (1990) adeptly juggled agonizing suspense with cartoonish freakishness. Based on a Stephen King story, the film was generally well-liked by both audiences and critics, though it doesn't strive for the depth of Martin Scorsese's similar The King of Comedy. It does, however, allow for a restrained but offbeat performance from the previously little-known character actress Kathy Bates. Her compellingly deranged Annie is the film's centerpiece, and she won an Academy Award for her work. ~ Brendon Hanley, Rovi