Book Vs Movie--The Body and Stand By Me
After almost two decades of being a Stephen King fan, it is with great relief and satisfaction that I can say I've finally been exposed to both of these. I spent most of March walking through Different Seasons, beginning with "Shawshank Redemption," making my way through "Apt Pupil," then "The Body."
I hadn't watched Stand By Me, so I read "The Body" without visuals of Wil Wheaton, Jerry O'Connell, River Phoenix, and Corey Feldman. (I recall using images instead of the boys from Stranger Things, albeit with different senses of dress). And I have to admit, after now being exposed to both, I can't say for certain whether it's a good thing or not. Both mediums tell this story so impeccably that I don't think this blog will find me arriving at the better example. But alas, I will try.
Let's start with the basics.
Twelve-year-old Gordy LaChance and buddies Chris Chambers, Vern Tessio, and Teddy DuChamp embark on a journey through the Maine wilderness to see a dead body. During their travels we become privy to Gordy's struggles and growing pains.
His parents are grieving the loss of his star-athlete brother, leaving them largely inattentive to a younger son with a wild imagination and knack for storytelling. Gordy's trip out to see the body of Ray Brower, initially borne from fascination and late-summer boredom, turns into a series of revelations about himself and the differences separating him from his friends.
Chris, Teddy, and Vern come from blue collar families similar to Gordy, however do not possess the intellect and creativity of the narrator. It's in a handful of anecdotes which jump out of time that we learn about the demise of Gordy's friends in adulthood--not to mention his own literary success. Even as a successful writer, the adult LaChance is haunted by that late summer of 1960 and all of the difficult feelings and emotions it encompassed.
King wrote this story right after completing 'Salem's Lot in 1975, remaining unpublished until the aforementioned compilation which took me through the previous month. Some fans might find it odd he would choose to keep this in a drawer for seven years, but after watching Stand By Me, it's exactly what he should have done.
With director Rob Reiner at the helm, "The Body" got the ultimate treatment in every fashion in 1986. The screenplay was a brilliant adaptation, following story line faithfully at every corner and wisely keeping the side narrative with the older LaChance (played by Richard Dreyfuss) to a minimum.
Reiner's other casting choices are excellent. His four male leads embody their characters so completely that it's impossible to not be won over by all of them. The dialogue, particularly that of Wheaton and Phoenix, is well-rendered, thoughtfully nuanced, and brings a dramatic fire to the film that a less talented cast might've trivialized.
Book and film are tightly interwoven, given such a faithful adaptation. But what the film has that the novella does not is the soundtrack of great tunes from Buddy Holly, The Chordettes, and Ben E. King. Couple this with an evocative set design and you have what is a meticulous period detail. Never has 1960 looked this good. Or so appealing.
I told you I'd try to come to a conclusion as to which of these tells the story better, and I'll leave you with this. If you want the more violent conclusion with Gordy getting beaten up by Ace Merrill, then "The Body" is the better story. If you want the satisfactory, feel-good ending, then it's Reiner's film.
It really just depends what your speed is.
Seeing as I'm a King fan...
