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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

(aka "The Stand" or "The Stand - Original Mini-Series)

 

Directed by Mick Garris
USA 1994

 

A gripping postapocalyptic horror story based on the 1978 novel, with a strong cast (including Rob Lowe in a particularly compelling performance as a deaf man). It portrays the battle between good and evil in an America that has been decimated by a virulent plague, killing all but a handful of people. King conjured up monster ratings with `The Stand,' along with an Outstanding Miniseries Emmy nomination.

Excerpt from TV Guide located HERE

***

Originally aired as a television mini-series, this all-star filmization of Stephen King's gripping epic of good versus evil chronicles the episodic adventures of a disparate group of people who struggle to reestablish civilization after a man-made catastrophe wipes out most of the world's population. The world abruptly ends when a deadly virus accidentally escapes from a government sponsored biological warfare laboratory. Soon people are dropping like flies from the plague, but a few survive and find themselves strangely compelled to head into the West. Good-hearted people follow the voice of an ancient black woman and head for Boulder, Colorado. Bad people follow the enigmatic Walkin' Dude to Las Vegas. It is only a matter of time before the two sides are forced into a climactic battle over the final fate of humanity.

Excerpt from B+N located HERE

Posters

Television Premiere: May 8th, 1994

Reviews                                                                                                       More Reviews                                                                                       DVD Reviews

 

Review: Paramount - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Box Cover

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Distribution Paramount - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Runtime 5:59:02.687        
Video

1.33:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 49,028,761,077 bytes

Feature: 48,377,536,512 bytes

Video Bitrate: 15.99 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate Blu-ray:

Audio

Dolby Digital Audio English 448 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 448 kbps / Dolby Surround
DUBs:

Dolby Digital Audio German 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Commentary:

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps

Subtitles English, Danish, German, Spanish, Norwegian, Finnish, Swedish, None
Features Release Information:
Studio:
Paramount

 

1.33:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 49,028,761,077 bytes

Feature: 48,377,536,512 bytes

Video Bitrate: 15.99 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:

Audio Commentary by Stephen King and Mick Garris
Making of (5:29)


Blu-ray Release Date:
September 24th, 2019
Standard Blu-ray Case inside cardboard slipcase

Chapters 41

 

 

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Paramount Blu-ray (September 2019): Paramount have transferred Stephen King's The Stand to Blu-ray. The 6-hour mini-series is on one lone dual-layered disc with a very modest bitrate. Director Mick Garris, in the commentary, states that The Stand was filmed in 16mm. So as not emphasize that format weaknesses they had no filtration, or smoke in shots that would diminish sharpness, and as much movement as possible. I can only assume it was printed in 35mm as this transfer doesn't have excess grain but does have some crisp moments in static shots. Frankly, it looks a lot like video. Its softness is more understandable - it can look weak - waxy and digitized but that may also be an effect of cramming the entire 6-hoirs on one disc as opposed to two or even three. This appears to be the 'TV cut' with about 2-minutes removed (possibly a scene of a truck dumping bodies). It is divided into the original 1.5 hour four parts (The Plague, The Dreams, The Betrayal and The Stand) with a 'Play All' function via the menu. It look okay in-motion with even some minor depth.

On their Blu-ray, Paramount use a a lossy Dolby 2.0 channel track in the original English language. There are optional German or Spanish DUBs. Effects exist but carry no intense depth and there is a score by W.G. Snuffy Walden. There is song sampling including Baby Can U Dig Your Man, composed by Al Kooper & Stephen King, The Sylvers' Boogie Fever, Blue Öyster Cult's (Don't Fear) The Reaper, ZZ Top's Sharp Dressed Man, Ruby Dee's What A Friend We Have In Jesus as well as some Crowded House (Don't Dream It's Over). Paramount offer optional English and a few other foreign language subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Paramount Blu-ray includes an audio commentary by author Stephen King and director Mick Garris joined briefly by editor Patrick McMahon and later Ruby Dee (and possibly others - I have not completed listening to it.) I enjoyed Garris' frankness about the production (creaking dollies, editing challenges, flash-bulb cut, cranes in the wind etc.), casting (impressed with Sinise joining the project) and budget and camera limitations. He puts on no airs and I found it refreshing with a few gaps passing it back and forth to King who loved getting his friend Ed Harris to act in it - even as a brief cameo. It seems to run the entire 6-hours. There is also a generic 5-minute 'Making of' with input from King and others.

The original mini-series of The Stand is quite a long viewing - not meant to be binge-watched, imo. I divided it over two nights but it, probably, should have been four. I loved the apocalyptic themes but strayed when it came to the demonic 'dark man' angle. I did enjoy seeing it - and was anxious for the second night's viewing. I expect this holds some nostalgia value for some - it is 25-years old! It has some strong actors and King's textured characters and imagination. The Blu-ray will be welcomed by the author's following and horror fans in general. With the commentary there is a massive amount of value here.

Gary Tooze

Titles

 


Menus / Extras

 


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Distribution Paramount - Region FREE - Blu-ray


 


 

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