STAND BY ME (1986)
40TH ANNIVERSARY PRESENTATION
Two of the best adaptations of Stephen King’s works—STAND BY ME and 1990’s Misery—were directed by Rob Reiner. The keen sense of character he brought to both films helped make them classics. His first foray into King territory took place 40 years ago, when he filmed the semi-autobiographical novella The Body. In a departure from other King works, there’s nothing supernatural about this picture. Rather, it’s an elegiac memory piece as a writer (Richard Dreyfuss) thinks back on the summer when he was 12 years old and went through the countryside with his three best friends to find a dead body they’d heard about. The four leads — River Phoenix, Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman and Jerry O’Connell — are perfectly cast, and Reiner worked with them to create a surprisingly tight ensemble of impressive young actors.
d. Rob Reiner, 89m, DCP
DCP courtesy of Sony Pictures.