Based on Stephen King’s novella, “The Body,” Stand
By Me quickly became one of the biggest films of 1986, and remains
a classic almost 20 years later. On March 22nd, the coming-of-age film will
see it’s third release on DVD in a new “Deluxe Edition” that
boasts a 32-page booklet and music CD. Unfortunately the extras really aren’t
deluxe at all, so the result is a buy-if-you-don’t-have-it-yet-skip-it-if-you-do.
In an effort to answer the question, “is horror all you write?”
Stephen King published Different Seasons in 1982. The novel was comprised of
four different stories: “The Breathing Method,” “Apt Pupil,”
“Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption” and “The Body.”
Three of those stories eventually became movies, but Stand By Me, the big-screen
adaptation of “The Body,” was the first – and many argue the
best.
The story is sweet and simple, yet emotional and deep: four friends set out
to find the body of a local teenager who has been missing for days. Wishing
to be heroes in their hometown’s eyes, pals Gordie, Chris, Teddy and Vern
set out on an unforgettable two-day trek that turns into an odyssey of self-discovery.
They smoke cigarettes, cuss, tell stories and band together when the going gets
tough. Filled with humor and suspense, Stand By Me is truly
a special film about friendship and the indelible experiences of growing up.
The movie was adapted by the Starman team of Raynold Gideon and Bruce A. Evans,
and was nominated for an Oscar® for Best Adapted Screenplay. Rob Reiner
directed the movie in an effort to change pace from his previous films (This
is Spinal Tap, The Sure Thing), and consequently marked
a Turing point in both his career and his personal life. Possibly the best aspect
of the film are the four boys who beat out over a dozen final candidates for
the lead roles: Will Wheaton, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell and the late,
great River Phoenix. Their unforgettable performances, both individually and
as an ensemble, shine as highlights of their careers. The movie is truly a classic
and will be enjoyed for generations to come.
Stand By Me is presented in Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1)
format. It’s nice and clean and great to see the full version (compared
to my old cropped VHS); but I’m guessing it looks just as great as when
released in ’02. A major gripe is the sound tracks. I had read –
and was expecting – a new 5.1 mix; instead, we get English Mono doubled
into a 2.0 sound track. Very disappointing. Other languages include French,
Spanish and Portuguese. Subtitles are available in English, French, Spanish,
Portuguese, Chinese, Korean and Thai.
The packaging is where the Stand By Me Deluxe Edition comes
through. Included in this new version are an “exclusive collectible”
32-page booklet and a music CD. The booklet is nice, full of photos and includes
select bits from the 1986 theatrical press kit. The CD is 4/5 of the film soundtrack
(8 out of 10 songs), originally released on Atlantic Records. Both discs are
in a standard clamshell jewelcase, which is held with the booklet in a cardboard
slipcase.
For being a “Deluxe Edition,” the special features on here aren’t
all that deluxe. In fact, the DVD itself is (from what I can tell) the exact
same “Special Edition” DVD that was released in 2002. I guess what
they really had in mind when labeling this edition as “deluxe” was
the fact that it comes with the nice booklet and CD soundtrack. The actual special
features on the DVD are not that exciting, but “Walking the Tracks”
deserves applause. Here is a breakdown of what is included:
• Audio Commentary – Director Rob Reiner recorded an audio commentary
for the movie for the ’02 “Special Edition”; it’s presented
here as well. It’s definitely worth listening to and full of great trivia,
however, Rob is rather quiet and there are a lot of pauses… Fans will
wish he shared more.
• Walking the Tracks: The Summer of Stand By Me – This is the crème
of the DVD special features. Filmed in 2000, this extensive “featurette”
is more like a mini-documentary, as it runs over 36 minutes and takes fans deep
into the making of the film, via interviews with Stephen King, Rob Reiner, Richard
Dreyfus, Will Wheaton, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell and Kiefer Sutherland.
It’s really good, high quality and great to watch; a definite must see
for any fan of the movie.
• “Stand By Me” Music Video – This is the music video
that was created in 1986 to accompany/promote the film’s release. It runs
less than 3 minutes.
• Talent Files – This part is a collection of on-screen stats for
Reiner, King, Phoenix, Wheaton, Feldman and O’Connell. They are worth
flipping through, but nothing that spectacular.
• Bonus Trailers – There are original theatrical trailers for The
Karate Kid and Fly Away Home. I don’t know why they are on here but the
Karate Kid one is nostalgic.
• Isolated Music Score – This extra allows you to watch the film
with only the music track, a novel idea if a film has a lot of music. But in
the case of Stand By Me, most of the movie contains only dialogue, rendering
this feature painfully unnecessary.
The bottom line: The Stand By Me Deluxe Edition is the third
DVD release for this 1986 coming-of-age classic. The actual DVD appears no different
than the 2002 “Special Edition” version, and the special features
are seriously lackluster. Unfortunately, adding nothing new to the DVD itself
makes releasing this version an obviously ploy to make more money. However,
this new rendition does include a nicely complimenting 32-page booklet and a
supplemental music CD with songs from the film; both help the overall grade
and up the worthiness of purchase, if you don’t already have the movie.
In the end, if you already own the “Special Edition” version of
this film, skip the new “Deluxe” one. However, if you don’t
yet have this movie on DVD, this is certainly the version to buy!
DVD Film/Edition Presentation Score: A-
DVD Special Features Score: D+
DVD Overall Score: B
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