MISERY

US, 1990, 107 minutes, Colour.
Kathy Bates, James Caan, Lauren Bacall, Richard Farnsworth.
Directed by Rob Reiner.

Misery is based on a Stephen King bestseller. It highlights an author becoming the victim of one of his fans - and she is deranged and takes possession of him, controlling his life, making him resurrect a character that she liked whom he had killed. The character was Misery - a mixture of Barbara Cartland and Danielle Steele type novels.

The film is written with tongue in cheek by William Goldman, author of such movies as Marathon Man, Magic as well as his Oscar-winning Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All The President's Men. Goldman was also the author of The Princess Bride, which was directed by Rob Reiner (whose other credits include This Is Spinal Tap, The Sure Thing, Stand By Me and When Harry Met Sally).

James Caan has a good role as the novelist, involved in an accident, crippled and becoming the victim of his number 1 fan. As Annie Wilks, the fan, Kathy Bates has the opportunity of her career and she does a tour de force performance as the rather overweight nurse who, it is gradually revealed, is deranged and a serial killer. Her eruptions of angers and her different moods are captured very well by Bates, who won the Oscar for her performance. Frances Sternhagen and Richard Farnsworth are very effective in the role of the sheriff and his wife and Lauren Bacall has a guest role as the novelist's agent.

Rather different from the usual Stephen King story - but the novelist has his imaginative way as becoming victim of a fan. (A parallel film could be The Fan with Lauren Bacall as an actress menaced by Michael Biehn as her fan.)

1.The work of Stephen King, horror writing, his identification with the author, his response to fans?

2.William Goldman and his successful screenplays, novels, his adaptation of King's work? Rob Reiner - with some gentle but sardonic touches?

3.The plausibility of the plot, the gradual revelation of Annie Wilks's madness and the menace, the menace slowly building and erupting into strong violence?

4.The title - the character in Paul's novels, a bestseller heroine, period heroine, the series (and their jackets)? Paul's feelings about Misery, Annie's liking Misery, reacting to Misery's death and demanding a sequel? Misery as Paul's condition as captive, physical and emotional? Annie's own misery?

5.Paul and his writing, completing the novel, the ritual of the champagne and the cigarette, memories of his agent and his wanting to give up the Misery books and write something more literate? The drive, the manuscript of his novel, the car crash?

6.The rescue, finding himself in bed, being nursed? Annie's revelation of her being a fan? The physical pain, the breakages, the physical appearance? Tablets, meals? The difficulty in moving? Annie and her attention, the isolation? Being dazed, regaining his composure, talking, his reactions to Annie's strangeness? Storms and snow, cut off, the phone? The situation becoming worse, Annie and her eruptions, the anger at Misery's death, at the swearing in his novel? At his behaviour? Her persuading him to burn the manuscript? Her menace, physical presence, sweet talk, religious language? Seeming a sweet person? His reaction, moving out of the room, the hairpin, bumping the little penguin? His timing to get back into his room and lock the door? Finding out more about Annie, reading her scrapbook? His change of moods, the meals, hiding the tablets and saving the contents, getting the knife and hiding it? Her tormenting him? Her angry reactions to his moving around, breaking his feet? Making him write a sequel to Misery and bringing Misery back to life? The paper and his reaction and her tantrum? The collage of his writing the chapters? The dinner with the final ritual, the champagne glasses? His failing to poison her? Her finding the knife and her angers? Injections with Buster's arrival, his being in the cellar, calling out and Buster's death? His hold over her with the final chapter? Burning the manuscript? Setting the fire alight? The physical ordeal and his fight with her? Bashing her, her death? The ordeal, using his wits, surviving?

7.Annie and the rescue, the crowbar, the large nurse, the number 1 fan, her quoting the books, knowing all about him? Niceness, religious language? Her reaction against the swearing? Making him burn his book? Her angers, Misery's death, his moving around the house, the penguin and the knife? Yet watching the TV show? Her house, going driving? The meals and the pills? Her outbursts and her later explanations? The truth about her, mad, the murders, the trials? Her hold over him? Buying the paper, his reaction against it? The irony of Misery the pig and its being in the house? The discovery of the knife? Having dinner, knocking over the glass with the drug? Buster's visit, the injection, shooting him? The two bullets, one for her and one for Paul? The madness, the final chapter? The setting alight of the manuscript, the fight? Her reappearance in his imagination in the restaurant? Portrait of a deranged person, the range of moods, the multiple personalities? Her murders? Her control over him? Physical and psychological control?

8.Marcia, the agent, her style, the phone calls, the ending - and wanting a book?

9.Buster and Virginia, little to do in Silver Creek, Virginia's sex talk, Buster's comment about her sarcasm giving the edge to their marriage? Working together, the investigation, the crash site, finding the car, speculations, reading the Misery novels, checking out Annie and the papers, the quotation, his visit and search, his death?

10.The plausibility of the plot, the Colorado settings, the style of life, the deranged fan, the victim author? Madness and menace and erupting? A comment on the American psyche?