When asked who my favorite author is, my usual reply is Stephen King. My answer doesn't come from reading The Shining, The Stand or The Dark Tower as although I own them, I have yet to read them. My answer stems from the countless hours I spent, mostly in the 90's, engrossed in Needful Things, Thinner, Gerald's Game, The Green Mile and my favorite of King's work, the 1992 psychological thriller Dolores Claiborne.
Dolores Claiborne may not be horror or supernatural based, but it's story unfolds horrifically none the less. A couple of weeks ago I spent some time in my old bedroom while visiting my parents for a few days. Without the ability to get on the net, nor television (don't ask), I resorted to my old bookcase and reread my favorite of King's works. I think I loved it more on the second reading.
The rereading led to a re-watching of the 1995 film. Although she won the Oscar for Misery, to me, this is Kathy Bates best film role. Although not as over the top and flashy a role as Annie Wilkes, Dolores has many more nuances and layers Bates captures beautifully. It also features tour de force performances from Jennifer Jason Leigh and Judy Parfitt.
I love the desperation director Taylor Hackford captured with the Claiborne house and it's surroundings. The cinematography, especially during the Eclipse scenes are beautiful and haunting and Nova Scotia again fills well as a substitute for Maine. If you for any reason skipped this movie, it is one of the better big screen adaptions of King's work. Unlike television adaptations such as The Stand and It, the novel has just two main characters to focus on, and less sweeping and grand as other of King's works which makes it a better fit for the 2 hour movie format.
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