The Stand (DVD, 1999, Special Edition)

I saw a pale horse and upon it a pale rider.
The name of the horse was Pestilence.
The name of the rider was Death ... Revelation 6:8

Stephen King's epic novel was finally brought to the small screen in the mid-nineties. The long-awaited adaptation features an array of carefully crafted characters, survivors of a plague that wipes out most of the world's population. Essentially there are two groups who have survived the man-made virus known as the super flu: one who will follow Mother Abigail Freemantle [a messenger of God], and those who are tempted by Randall Flagg [suggested in the story as being the devil]. Each character experiences vivid dreams that feature either Mother Abigail or Flagg and is told to meet others of their kind in order to prepare for the ultimate fight between good and evil. The super-flu itself represents the end of mankind as told within the pages of the bible, Flagg being likened to one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Death, who rides a pale [sickly] horse and spreads plague and pestilence among those mortals who walk the earth. Those who are immune to the disease signal a chance for a new beginning.

As the streets become choked with bodies and the survivors light funeral pyres for the dead, it becomes evident that only one of the two groups can triumph. It is time for those who can still see good in mankind to take a stand.

The TV mini-series [6 hours in total] tracks the progress of each character in detail, although not in nearly as much depth as King achieves in his book. Like Dickens before him, King's characters are colorful and diverse:

Those who follow the aging Mother Abigail [Ruby Dee] to the Free Zone include a deaf mute [Rob Lowe], a retarded man-child [Bill Fagerbakke] a female student [Molly Ringwald], a quiet homely guy [Gary Sinise], a musician [Adam Storke], a retired judge [Ossie Davis] and a professor of sociology [Ray Walston] ... oh, and Kojak the dog, who outlived his master.

Those who follow the Darkman [Jamey Sheridan] to Las Vegas include a criminal [Miguel Ferrer], a schizophrenic pyromaniac [Matt Frewer], an unstable teenage girl [Shawnee Smith] and two troubled characters who are seduced by Flagg and defect [Laura San Giacomo; Corin Nemec].

The result being: educated, creative and good-natured characters Vs the dregs of humanity.

Mick Garris is the man to bring 'The Stand' from book to screen, having directed other King works such as 'The Shining' TV, 'Quicksilver Highway', 'Riding the Bullet', 'Desperation' and 'Sleepwalkers'.

'The Stand' also features Ed Harris and cameos by Stephen King, Mick Garris [director], Sam Raimi, John Landis [dir. American Werewolf in London] and Tom Holland [dir. Thinner & The Langoliers]. The double-sided DVD boasts many extras including director's commentary and interviews with the cast and crew.

Matthew J Lee-Williams, Salisbury, United Kingdom Review.

In my humble but correct opinion, Mr. King's crowning work... Well worth the marathon viewing time required!!!

This movie is by far, the best of Stephen King. It follows the book to a T. A must see, for Stephen King fans.

I was just like described, mailed quickly, this is one of those hard to find movies that was worth the little more to buy now vs. lose to someone else.
Wonderful seller:) THanks

this is the best movie stephen king ever made. i was very satisfied with purchase, and the movie is a collector, not many available. thanks roy......

I first watched this miniseries when it first aired in May of 1994. I was amazed then and I still am fifteen years later. I consider The Stand to be one of the best miniseries I have seen. Very rarely do I find material that inspires, frightens, and intrigues me all at the same time. If you have read the book, which is quite an undertaking in and of itself, then you will be pleasantly surprised at how closely director Mick Garris comes to capturing the true essence of King's work. For me everything works in this amazing adaptation. The casting is excellent and Garris respects and understands the material he is working with. The true gift to the fans of this book is that ABC, the network that originally broadcast The Stand, allowed Garris to give the story the time and depth needed for a proper adaptation. Garris uses this gift to it's full potential by getting the casting, music, writing, and atmosphere just right. I highly recommend this amazing miniseries, but a word of warning. It is about six hours long. So, take a lazy Sunday afternoon and go on a cinematic journey that will amaze and frighten you. Happy bidding!

product was in good condition, and I was pleased with it. I would recommend this seller to other buyers, as the product turned out to be what the seller said it was.

I bought this as I wanted a long DVD to work out to.
I saw this miniseries years ago and liked it.
The one actor who plays the main character, in particular I liked.
It is like one of these disaster flicks that has many different characters with many different story lines all going on at the same time.
It is one of the better of the Stephen King miniseries, better certainly than The Landoliers, which to me was kind of a letdown, that the "Things" were very funny Pac Man looking things.

I wanted to own this movie because although I have seen it several times, I am a hard core Stephen King fan and wanted my own copy. It is very hard to find - not available in the local video stores or netflix to rent; not available to buy at best buy, walmart, or any other chain.
I love the story, the cast, the music, and the special effects. Some times when I see a crow up on a wire, I think: there is Randall Flagg!
There is nothing I dislike about it.

great rendition of Stephen King's classic novel of armageddon. Have read the book several times and recommend toall. Had movie and watched in VHS, now just upgraded to DVD.

Its a good flick but its a LONG one. A good action movie for a rainy day considering its like 4 hours long. The cast surprised me for a Stephen King movie considering a lot of his movies don't normally contain a large cast as this one did. If you read the novel, the movie pretty much follows the exact same story. If you haven't seen it yet, go out and rent it if you can find it in a movie store or take the time and just buy it cause it really is worth watching if your into these end of the world movies. Kinda scary actually to think about considering something like this could really happen I'm sure. Everytime I think about SWINE flu and others I remember this movie.

It was a pleasure doing bussness and will look forward to doin bussness agian.... Comuation was good and they were concerened about us getting it, Looking forward to doin bussness agian soon.. ty very much

Got dvds in a timely manner, product just as promised. I really liked how fast and efficient seller was and plan to do business with them in the future. Thank You so much!!!!

movie is good I liked it alot but its kind of dragged out I personally like the book better but I do recommend the movie for those who dont like to read

This book, while about something that affects the whole world, is close enough to what could happen in actuality.

The clash between good and evil in spades.

Very good movie.

I often wonder why this great novel (King's best work) doesn't make for a more compelling movie. Some of these actors are very well cast - didn't like Molly Ringwald, but Gary Sinese is great. Story (abridged, of course) follows the book very closely. The result just isn't scary, and is downright boring in parts. Although makeup of corpses is great, the music detracts - at one point, there's a "happy" sounding tune playing while the camera pans dead people. (Except early scene with Blue Oyster Cult's "The Reaper" - that's the best in the movie!) Many scenes just come across as too clean and too staged. I wish the people who did "I Am Legend" and "Cloverfield" would redo this book, and cast that creepy actor from "Red Eye" as Randall Flagg.

Very interesting older movie about an epidemic that wiped out most of Earth's population. A good vs evil plot that has implications read about in the the book of Revolutation. Written by Stephan King with good visual effects and a plot line that keeps you interested.