Lilja's Library

by Hans-Ake Lilja

  ****

  The Journals of Eleanor Druse

  Posted: January 26, 2004

  The Journals of Eleanor Druse: My Investigation of the Kingdom Hospital Incident is a journal written by Eleanor Druse, a character from King’s Kingdom Hospital. She then sent it to King, who helped her get it published. (At least, that is what they want us to believe.) Mrs. Druse is a fictional character from the upcoming TV series Kingdom Hospital by King. Whoever actually wrote the book is a well-guarded secret that not many people know…

  In the journal, Mrs. Druse speaks about the things that happened to her at Kingdom Hospital in Lewiston, Maine. She is called to the hospital by her son (who works there) because a friend of hers, Madelene Kruger, who has tried to kill herself, is asking for her. When she arrives at her friend’s room she finds her dead—she has succeeded with a second suicide attempt. This is the start of a series of events that all leads back to when Mrs. Druse and Madelene were young girls and admitted to the hospital. Something happened to them back then, and someone who was there with them hasn’t gotten her peace yet. Now it’s up to Mrs. Druse to find out what and who…

  The journal is an introduction to the TV series, Kingdom Hospital, that will premier on ABC on March 3. We don’t get all of the answers by reading the book, but my guess is that we will once the series starts airing. The journal is a background to the TV series and only at the end does it tie into the series itself.

  We get introduced to a lot of the characters who will later appear in the series. We get to read about Mrs. Druse and her son, of course, but also the obnoxious Dr. Stegman and a lot of other characters. So, you better make sure you read it before you see the TV series. I guess you could read it after, but it’s intended to be read before…it kind of kicks the series off.

  Also, there’s the issue of who actually wrote the book. Did King himself write it or has someone else written it? When I read it I get a feeling that it’s written by an old lady, just like Mrs. Druse…but as you know, that doesn’t have to be the case. It’s the feeling you get, though, and that’s what the author wanted to accomplish when he/she wrote it. So, no matter who wrote it, it feels like it’s written by Mrs. Druse, and who knows, maybe she is really out there…good old Mrs. Druse…

  Anyhow, the book is well-written and it was a really nice read. The only problem I have with it is that I want more. I want to know what happens after the journal ends. My hope is that I will after I have seen the series, though, but as you all know, waiting is never any fun.

  Lilja’s final words about The Journals of Eleanor Druse

  Whether The Journals of Eleanor Druse: My Investigation of the Kingdom Hospital Incident is written by King, Mrs. Druse or anyone else doesn’t really matter. If you’re a King fan and if you plan to watch the TV series you should get a copy and read it—it’s as simple as that!

  Oh, and check out the title on the cover, it glows in the dark…

  Section 4—The Movies

  Walking The Mile - The Making Of “The Green Mile”

  Posted: September 14, 2000

  A book about the filming of a movie—could that be something worth reading? The answer is yes, at least if the book is Walking The Mile - The Making Of “The Green Mile,” written by Tyson Blue.

  When I first heard about this book I was a bit skeptical as to whether a book like this would be something special enough to grab my attention. I have, after all, read King’s book and seen Darabont’s movie several times. Could this book really add something?

  Well, let me tell you. It can, and does, add a lot!

  Tyson had been following Darabont and his crew when they shot The Green Mile. He was with them on location at Hollywood Studios, he was on location in North Carolina, he was with them everywhere…and all the time he was taking notes and interviewing people connected to the movie.

  This book gives the reader a unique look behind the making of the movie; it gives the reader insight to how the actors in the movie are as people (did you know that Tom Hanks collects old typewriters?) and it gives the reader insight to how a movie is made.

  One concern I had before I read the book was if I was going to understand all of the moviemaking terms that were destined to be in the book, not being a filmmaker myself. When I started to read the book I soon discovered that I had no reason to be worried. Tyson uses a minimum of those terms, and when he does, he does it so well that you understand them without any problem.

  Tyson starts with telling us about all of the elements and people that are involved in the making of this film. He tells us how the company Castle Rock was founded, how Darabont got the rights to The Green Mile for $1 and how actor Barry Pepper first read for the role of Percy (he later got the part of Dean Stanton). He also has a big biography for everyone…and when I say everyone, I mean everyone—it goes through everyone from the film’s star, Tom Hanks, to Mr. Jingles to the crew.

  Throughout the book Tyson feeds us anecdotes from the filming. For example, the owner of the house they used to record the scenes at the Hammersmiths is owned by a man named Coffey, things like that.

  We also get a complete run through of how a movie is done. We get to see how the effects for the movie are done, how the set is carefully arranged, even down to the smallest detail, how the actors and actresses had to learn to speak with an accent, what happened in postproduction, how the sound was added and so on.

  To give you an example, I can tell you that the sound you hear when the electricity flows through Old Sparky in some scenes is created with a mix of the following sounds: electricity, human screams, animal screams and vocalizations. How about that?

  I was surprised to learn that a scene in the finished movie that might only be a minute long can take days to film, even with some scenes that didn’t make it into the finished version of the movie. Darabont did multiple versions of the same scenes.

  After Tyson’s part of the book, which is about 370 manuscript pages, we get the story of another movie called Wild Bill goes to Hollywood. This is a movie made by Sam Rockwell and Constantine Nasr, which tells the story of how Wild Bill breaks out of The Green Mile and finds himself on a movie set in Hollywood. This was, of course, a joke, but apparently it was a good one. Tyson tried to convince Darabont to add it to the DVD version of the movie. Unfortunately, he didn’t succeed.

  And, as if that isn’t enough to satisfy us, we also get to read an essay by James Cole (maker of the first movie version of The Last Rung on the Ladder) about how he spent four days on the set. James, like Tyson, is very good with words. It’s almost as if you were on the set with them.

  To end this review, I will quote something Tyson says in the book. He explains, in a very insightful way, what makes an adaptation of a King book good or bad:

  “Not ‘making a movie based on The Green Mile,’ but ‘bringing King’s novel to the screen.’ Therein lies the real difference between the great King films and all the others.”

  Lilja’s final words about Walking The Mile - The Making Of “The Green Mile”

  This is a great book which everyone who enjoyed The Green Mile should read, and those of you who haven’t seen the movie yet should get this book anyway. You won’t regret it. One thing though—see the movie before you read the book! Otherwise, you will spoil a lot of great movie-watching moments.

  Don’t forget to read the interview I did with Tyson after reading this book.

  ****

  Creepshows: The Illustrated Stephen King Movie Guide

  Posted: November 25, 2001

  When I got Creepshows: The Illustrated Stephen King Movie Guide in the mail, I was first surprised that it was such a big (in its format) book. I was expecting a smaller one. Then, when I started reading it, I was also surprised that it was so rich with information. Creepshows: The Illustrated Stephen King Movie Guide is the best book about King’s movies that I have seen to date.

  The book describes almost all of the movies based on King’s work. There are some of the more anony
mous ones that it missed, but otherwise they are all included. And by all I mean all feature films, made-for-TV movies, TV series, miniseries (all the way up to Rose Red), short films, “Dollar Babies”, upcoming movies, unaccredited movies loosely based on King’s work and so on…

  Every chapter begins with a short description of the movie. This part is short, and that is something I like. I mean, most readers have seen the movies and don’t need to be reminded of the plot, right? The space is better used if there is other information about the movie, and that is just what this book gives the reader. The author, Stephen Jones, has gone through what seems like a ton of interviews with King and others who have done movies based on his work. Jones presents loads of facts about the making of the movie, different scripts, fun stuff about the movie and its making, among other things.

  To name a few, I can reveal that Christopher Reeve was considered for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s roll in The Running Man, and that there were a lot of other actors considered for the role of Paul Sheldon in Misery before it went to James Caan. This goes on throughout the book for all of the movies, and I can say that I just loved to read it! It was great!

  This is not all, though. Besides a run through all of the movies, we also get information about what’s on its way when it comes to King movies, a look at the shorter movies done from King’s work, unproduced projects (including The Machines and The Stephen King Playhouse), movies King has been in, movies that appear to be based on King’s work, but not credited to King (this one even includes a XXX-movie supposedly based on The Shining…), TV things and plays, radio shows and computer games based on King’s work.

  As if this wasn’t already enough, there is also an interview with King and a section with short descriptions of many of the people that have been involved in King’s movies throughout the years.

  Author Stephen Jones has really put a lot of work into this book, and it really shows!

  Lilja’s final words about Creepshows: The Illustrated Stephen King Movie Guide

  This is an extremely complete book (both when it comes to released movies and unreleased movies), but it’s also a very easy book to read and well-illustrated with pictures from the different movies.

  Personally, I think this is the book when it comes to books about movies based on King’s work. Go out and get it now!

  ****

  The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red

  Posted: January 6, 2002

  The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red is a complement book to King’s miniseries Rose Red. It’s also a book that stands its ground all by itself. The book is supposed to be the diary of Ellen Rimbauer, who, together with her husband, built and lived in the house Rose Red. The diary is then supposed to have been edited by Joyce Reardon, who in the miniseries undertakes an expedition to Rose Red in order to awaken the house once again…

  The diary spans over twenty-one years (1907-1928) and reveals the pains and joys of Ellen’s life. It also tells us how she meets Sukeena, who became her servant for the rest of her life in Africa. It’s clear rather early in the book that Sukeena isn’t a regular woman. She possesses unique powers that help her and Ellen from time to time. She heals Ellen when she gets the fever in Africa and later helps when she needs it.

  The first disappearance in Rose Red happens on March 13, 1909, when Mrs. Fauxmanteur is lost in the house. This is only the first of many disappearances in Rose Red though—over the years there are numerous, twenty-six at the least. Ellen has different suspicions on what is causing these disappearances. One involves her husband and his wrongdoings, another involves herself, but the one she believes in most is that it’s caused by Rose Red herself.

  The diary also tells about how John’s partner in the company Omicron Oil, Douglas Posey, hangs himself in the house. It tells about how John is unfaithful to Ellen, how he forces Ellen and Sukeena to participate in things they really have no desire to participate in and more…

  During all this time, Ellen is conducting construction on Rose Red to make the house bigger—first because she hears the house speak to her during a seance. Rose Red says that she will have life forever, a life without death and a life without illness, as long as she keeps building on the house. Later though, she keeps building because she hopes that Rose Red will give her her daughter back, the daughter that the house claimed earlier…

  The person who wrote this book hasn’t been revealed at this time. Since both Ellen and Joyce are fictional characters it can’t be them. Some rumors say that it’s written by King himself; some say it’s written by King’s wife, Tabitha; some rumors says it’s written by both of them; and others that it’s not by either of them. At this time I have no idea as to who actually wrote it. I do know, however, that whoever wrote it put some rather fun connections to King and his books in it.

  At one point Ellen writes, “No young girl who can set schools afire, no dog that behaves as if possessed,” which is clearly a reference to King’s books Carrie and Cujo. At one point she also describes the postman like this: “Well over six feet tall, a bum right leg that caused him to limp and the thickest of glasses!” She also wrote that he said something like “Pisa for the Rimbauers.” This is a description of King, and in the miniseries he is playing a pizza deliveryman (Pisa for the Rimbauers) who is delivering pizzas to the house. These were great to read. I love these kinds of things!

  So, how is this book? Well, I liked it! It was fun and, despite if it was written by King or not, it was a well-written book! The only things I think feel a bit odd (if you are to think of it as the real diary of Ellen Rimbauer) is that sometimes there can be a gap of a couple of months between the entries, but Ellen still recounts what happened in the last entry like it happened yesterday. The gaps are explained by the fact that Joyce Reardon has removed parts of the diary in the editing process because they were too private or because they didn’t contribute to telling the story. I guess this isn’t a big problem, but sometimes it’s a bit annoying…

  Some parts of the diary have a bit too much description to be believable though. I mean that if you’re writing for yourself and yourself alone, you don’t need to describe things and people that you are familiar with, right? I understand that this has to be there so the reader of the diary can follow what happens, but it makes the diary a tiny bit less believable.

  Otherwise, I have nothing to complain about. On the contrary, I would love to know more about the Rimbauers and Rose Red!

  Lilja’s final words about The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red

  Go out to get this book and do it fast. My advice to you is that you read it before you watch the miniseries. The book manages to stand alone (as does the miniseries), but the book gives you valuable background information that you will have use for when you watch the miniseries. That’s why I think you should read it before you see the miniseries (that you should read it either way goes without saying)!

  ****

  Dreamcatcher—The Shooting Script

  Posted: July 19, 2003

  Dreamcatcher—The Shooting Script is quite an interesting book. First and foremost, it contains the entire shooting script of King’s Dreamcatcher. Since I have been finding it really interesting to read scripts lately, I enjoyed this one quite a bit. It’s always interesting to read the thoughts of the screenwriter and then see if they came through in the finished movie. There is so much in the script that is written to describe a scene that has to be translated to a visual version for the movie.

  Besides the script, Dreamcatcher—The Shooting Script also contains introductions by King (“All Story, No Bacon”), William Goldman (“Adapting King”) and Lawrence Kasdan (“Controlling the Fear”). These are all interesting to read. King talks about some of the feelings he has about his books being adapted into movies. He also mentions how much he likes Dreamcatcher. Personally, I have a hard time seeing how King could like it so much. It’s far from the worst adaptation of a King book, but it’s also far from the best. Just
look at the ending…could that have been done worse? Well, apparently the filmmakers think so since there is an alternative ending that was rejected. It will be included in the DVD edition that will be released later this year, though, so we can all see for ourselves.

  In his introduction, Goldman talks about the three King books he has adapted for the silver screen—Misery, Hearts in Atlantis and Dreamcatcher—and what made him accept the offer to adapt them. What surprises me here is Goldman’s comment that he has no idea why Hearts in Atlantis tanked. Well, I can tell him why. He removed all Dark Tower parts or hung them onto something ridiculous. He also only used parts of the book to tell the story and took the title from one of the stories he didn’t use. What he was left with were fragments of a great story with some changed Dark Tower stuff that no one understood or cared about. That is why it tanked, if you ask me.

  Kasdan talks about how much he enjoyed adapting Dreamcatcher and how much he admires King’s work. He also mentions some of the struggling they had to do to get the book turned into a script.

  Along with these introductions and the script itself, Dreamcatcher—The Shooting Script contains a closer look at how the book was turned into a script and then into a film. It’s really cool to see drawings that were done prior to the filming and then photos from the actual scene in the film. It’s quite amazing to see how accurately they get their thoughts to translate through film.

  Dreamcatcher—The Shooting Script also contains a section with short bios about the actors and filmmakers.

  Lilja’s final words about Dreamcatcher—The Shooting Script

  This is the book you should get if you’re interested in 1) reading the script, 2) how the book was turned into a movie or 3) if you’re a die-hard King fan!