The Stand (1994 miniseries)

Please do not use {{Infobox television film}} directly. See the documentation for available templates. The Stand is a 1994 television miniseries based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. King also wrote the teleplay, and has a cameo role in the series. It was directed by Mick Garris and stars Gary Sinise, Miguel Ferrer, Rob Lowe, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Jamey Sheridan, Laura San Giacomo, Molly Ringwald, Corin Nemec, Adam Storke, Ray Walston and Matt Frewer. It originally aired on ABC starting on May 8, 1994.

Plot

At a government laboratory in rural California, a weaponized version of influenza (called Project Blue) is accidentally released, immediately wiping out everyone on staff except for military policeman Charles Campion and his family, who flee the base. However, Campion spreads the superflu, nicknamed "Captain Trips", to the outside world. That evening, Campion crashes his car at a gas station in East Texas where Stu Redman (Gary Sinise) and some friends have gathered. When they investigate, they find Campion dying of the flu next to his wife and baby daughter, who are already dead. Campion tells Stu with his dying breath that he was followed from the base by a mysterious figure, and states "You can't outrun the Dark Man". The next day, the U.S. military arrive to quarantine the town. While the other townspeople become sick, Stu remains healthy and is confined at a CDC facility in Vermont order to study a possible cure. This proves futile and the superflu rages unchecked, causing civilization to collapse and killing over 99% of the population of the entire world in less then two months.

After the infection runs its course, a small group of immune survivors lies scattered across the country. These include rock star Larry Underwood (Adam Storke), who has just had his big break but is now stranded in New York City; Nick Andros (Rob Lowe) a deaf man in the Arkansas Midwest; Frannie Goldsmith (Molly Ringwald) a teenager living in Ogunquit, Maine; Lloyd Henreid (Miguel Ferrer) a criminal stuck in a prison cell in Arizona; and "Trashcan Man" (Matt Frewer) a mentally ill scavenger. The survivors soon begin having visions, either from kindly Mother Abagail (Ruby Dee) or from the demonic Randall Flagg (Jamey Sheridan). The two sets of survivors are instructed to either travel to Nebraska to meet Mother Abagail, or to Las Vegas to join Flagg.

As their journeys begin, Lloyd is freed from prison by Flagg in exchange for becoming his second in command. Trashcan Man, who is a pyromaniac, destroys a set of fuel tanks outside of Des Moines in order to win Flagg's favor. Larry escapes New York and meets a mysterious woman named Nadine Cross (Laura San Giacomo). Despite their mutual attraction, Nadine is unable to consummate a relationship with Larry because of her visions of Flagg, who commands her to join him as his concubine. Nadine eventually leaves Larry to travel on her own. Stu escapes from the CDC facility and gathers a group of survivors, including Frannie; Harold Lauder (Corin Nemec) a hometown acquaintance of Frannie's; and Glen Bateman (Ray Walston), a retired college professor.

As the group travels west, Harold grows frustrated at the way that Stu has assumed leadership and grown close to Frannie. Meanwhile, Nick makes his way across the Midwest, eventually joined by Tom Cullen (Bill Fagerbakke) a gentle mentally challenged man. Eventually, Nick's group reaches Mother Abagail's farm in Hemingford Home, Nebraska. She tells them of a great conflict is imminent and that they must all travel on to Boulder, Colorado. There, the various survivors, including Stu, Frannie, and Larry, join with others to form a new community based around Mother Abagail's teachings. Meanwhile, Flagg sets up his own autocratic society in Las Vegas.

Initially, all is well in Boulder. However, Frannie discovers that she is pregnant by her deceased ex-boyfriend, causing her anxiety because she is not sure whether her child will be immune to the superflu. Meanwhile, Harold grows increasingly dissatisfied with his life in Boulder and begins experiencing visions from Flagg. He is soon seduced by Nadine, and decides to follow Flagg's dictates. Mother Abagail, now the spiritual center of Boulder, becomes convinced that she has fallen into the sin of pride, and leaves town to walk in the wilderness. Mother Abagail returns to town and, before passing away, tells Stu, Larry, Glen, and fellow council member Ralph Brentner that they must travel to Las Vegas to confront Flagg. Along the way to the confrontation with Flagg, Harold and Nadine try to use a bomb (unsucessfully) to kill the Freezone members. They make a run for the hills where Harold dies in an accident created by Flagg and Nadine is raped by Flagg, who shows his demonic face. She then commits suicide with Flagg's unborn baby inside her.

With winter fast approaching, the four men set out on their quest. While crossing a washed out road, Stu breaks his leg and stays behind while the others continue. Larry, Glen, and Ralph are soon captured by Flagg's forces and temporarily imprisoned, although Glen is later shot to death for refusing to betray the Boulder group in exchange for his life. Larry and Ralph however, are forced to endure a show trial before being publicly executed in Fremont Street. As they are being tortured, to the delight of Flagg's acolytes, Trashcan Man arrives with a stolen nuclear weapon. As Flagg transforms into a demonic visage, a spectral hand reaches out and detonates the bomb, destroying Las Vegas and apparently killing Flagg. Stu is rescued by Tom, who takes him to a nearby cabin to heal as winter sets in. They eventually return to Boulder in the midst of a blinding snow storm. While Stu was away, Frannie gives birth to a baby who had caught the flu. When Stu arrives back home, the baby who is named Abagail (named after Mother Abagail) survives the flu.

Broadcast

Part	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"The Plague"	Mick Garris	Stephen King	August 10, 1996 (1996-08-10)
2	"The Dreams"	Mick Garris	Stephen King	August 11, 1996 (1996-08-11)
3	"The Betrayal"	Mick Garris	Stephen King	August 17, 1996 (1996-08-17)
4	"The Stand"	Mick Garris	Stephen King	August 18, 1996 (1996-08-18)

Cast

Main article: List of The Stand characters

3

Soundtrack

Untitled

Credits and personnel

• Music composed by W. G. Snuffy Walden
• Executive producer: Robert Townson
• Produced by W. G. Snuffy Walden
• Music recorded and mixed by Ray Pyle and Avram Kipper at O'Henry Studios, Devonshire Studios and Taylor Made Studios
• Music editor: Allan K. Rosen
• Synclavier programming by Mark Morgan
• Orchestrations by Don Davis and John Dickson
• Scoring contractors: Paul Zimmitti and Debbi Datz
• Principal musicians:
  • Guitar: W. G. Snuffy Walden and Dean Parks
  • Piano: Randy Kerber
  • Percussion: Michael Fisher
  • Woodwinds: Jon Clarke
  • Violin: Charlie Bisharat

Track listing

Stephen King's The Stand [Original Television Soundtrack]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Project Blue"	1:33
2.	"The Dream Begins"	2:08
3.	"On the Road to Kansas"	3:57
4.	"The Trashmen in Vegas"	1:58
5.	"Headin' West"	1:56
6.	"Larry & Nadine (The Rejection)"	2:38
7.	"Mother Abigail"	3:10
8.	""Sorry Mister, I Don't Understand" (Tom & Nick Meet)"	2:55
9.	"Mid Country: By the Stream"	3:22
10.	"Mother Greets the Multitudes"	1:26
11.	"M-O-O-N...That Spells Suicide"	2:13
12.	""One Will Fall by the Way""	3:44
13.	"Beginning of the End"	3:22
14.	"The Stand"	3:46
15.	"Tom & Stu Go Home"	2:34
16.	""Ain't She Beautiful""	6:00
Total length:		46:40

Reception

The film was met with generally positive reviews.

Casting and production notes

Moses Gunn had originally been cast as Judge Farris, but shortly after filming had commenced his health declined, and he died shortly after that. Ossie Davis was present at the filming because his wife, Ruby Dee, was playing Mother Abagail. Davis took over the role of Judge Farris.

Having both starred in previous film adaptations of King's works, Ed Harris and Kathy Bates both had small, uncredited roles in the early parts of the series. Bates's character, Rae Flowers, was originally a man (Ray Flowers), but when Bates became available, the role was rewritten as a woman by King, who wanted her to play the part. Signs at her radio station feature the logo of WZON, a real-life radio station in Bangor, Maine, that is owned by King. Harris plays the Army general in charge of the original bio-weapons project who kills himself after the failure of the disease containment means most of the human population will die.

Rob Lowe had been originally considered for the role of Larry Underwood, but Garris felt that having him in the more unusual role of the mute Nick Andros would better suit the production. Adam Storke ended up with the role of Underwood, where his musical skills were an asset.

Miguel Ferrer, who played Lloyd Henreid, was originally interested in the role of Randall Flagg, but the sights were initially set on actors such as Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum, Willem Dafoe and James Woods. Stephen King wanted someone that the audience "wasn't terribly familiar with." After Ferrer heard that Jamey Sheridan had been offered the part, but wasn't sure it was something he wanted to do, Ferrer convinced him to take the part.

Production Designer Nelson Coates, who garnered an Emmy nomination for his design work, created all 225 sets for the miniseries. Faced with prices of $40 per stalk for New York-made fake cornstalks, Coates opted instead to grow 3,250 cornstalks as a cost-cutting measure; when a winter storm hit Utah, the reproduction of a Nebraska house with cornfield became complicated by the fact that the harsh weather did not allow the corn crop to grow taller than 4 feet.

Originally, parts of the miniseries were to be filmed on location in Boulder, Colorado. After the passage of Colorado Amendment 2, which nullified local gay rights laws, the production was moved to Utah in protest.

Awards and nominations

1994 Casting Society of America (Artios)

• Won – Best Mini Series Casting: Lynn Kressel

1994 Emmy Awards

• Won – Outstanding Makeup For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Special:
  Steve Johnson, Bill Corso, David Dupuis, Joel Harlow, Camille Calvet
• Won – Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Miniseries or a Movie:
  Grand Maxwell, Michael Ruschak, Richard Schexnayder, Don Summer
• Nominated – Outstanding Art Direction For A Miniseries, Or Movie:
  Nelson Coates, Burton Rencher, Michael Perry, Susan Benjamin
• Nominated – Outstanding Cinematography For A Miniseries Or Movie: Edward J. Pei
• Nominated – Outstanding Miniseries: Richard P. Rubinstein, Stephen King, Mitchell Galin, Peter R. McIntosh
• Nominated – Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Dramatic Underscore): W.G. Walden

1995 Screen Actors Guild Awards

• Nominated – Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries: Gary Sinise

Releases

The Stand was released as two separate VHS tapes for Parts 1–2, 3–4 originally in New Zealand and Australia, and later as a two VHS set.

The Stand was released on 3 LaserDiscs in a box set.

The Stand was released on DVD by Artisan Entertainment in a two-disc release and a single-disc DVD. Both DVD versions have audio commentary and special features. Both the double disc and single-disc releases of The Stand are out of print, but can still be purchased online. The DVD was re-released on June 18, 2013.

In 2006, American DVD rights reverted to Paramount Pictures/CBS DVD. Paramount has not yet released a standalone version of The Stand, but has released it as part of a collection with The Langoliers and Golden Years. This release of The Stand lacks the audio commentary.

The underlying international rights to The Stand were once owned by Warner Bros. Television.

Netflix offered its users the choice to instantly stream The Stand from mid-2011 until July 2013.

External links

• The Stand at IMDb
• The Stand - The Rospo Pallenberg Screenplay