The Films Of Stephen King (Tony Magistrale, ed.)

BevVincent

Given that he’s often been referred to as the ‘literary equivalent of a Big Mac and Fries’, it’s unsurprising the literary work – much less the cinematic work – of Stephen King has often been ignored by scholars. In The Films of Stephen King: From Carrie to Secret Window (edited by Tony Magistrale, published by Palgrave Macmillan) Magistrale attempts to redress the balance as he argues that, even with such a prolific body of work  (there are more than 80 films based on his stories), King’s works have been deliberately excluded from attention. Some of the essays presented here – including a fascinating examination entitled Teen Hierarchies In Carrie alongside Communist Myth in Kubrick’s The Shining - show how keenly King managed to penetrate into the psyche of America and how, some directors at least, were able to translate these observations to the big screen. Other essays such as Tonka Terrors: Humor and Horror of “Trucks” examine King’s own position as a brand in himself whilst there are also fruitful examinations of King’s post-modern leanings and his treatment of race in The Green Mile. A fine attempt to improve and interpret the cinematic reputation of one of the 20th century’s most prolific and popular authors.





Product Description:

Over seventy-five films have been made based either on Stephen King narratives or screen/teleplay scripts that King himself authored-yet this body of work has received very little scholarly attention. The Films of Stephen King is the first collection of essays assembled on the cinematic adaptations of Stephen King. The individual chapters, written by cinema, television, and cultural studies scholars, examine the most important films from the King canon, from Carrie to The Shining to The Shawshank Redemption.  Contributors focus on the most intriguing aspects of these movies: race, gender, and technology, and draw conclusions on their socio-political relevance.