Special: Stand by me | Review DVDfile.com

Stand By Me
Special Edition
Columbia TriStar / 1986 / 93 Minutes / Rated R
Street date: N/A
Reviewed by Cliff Stephenson on August 21, 2000.

In the summer of 1986, audiences got their first taste of “a different kind of Stephen King.” While films like CARRIE, THE SHINING and CREEPSHOW were indicative of the brand of inventive horror that people had come to know and love from King, STAND BY ME was a more simple, human reflection that surprised many who doubted King could write a story devoid of supernatural elements. And after his directorial triumphs with THIS IS SPINAL TAP and THE SURE THING, Rob Reiner broadened his scope as well with this marvelous, touching coming of age story. Propelled by strong character performances, a real script from Bruce Evans and Raymond Gideon (who had also just co-wrote JOHN CARPENTER’S STARMAN) and heartfelt direction, STAND BY ME went on to become Reiner’s first real hit.

In a small woodsy Oregon town, a group of friends – sensitive Gordie (Wil Wheaton), tough guy Chris (River Phoenix), flamboyant Teddy (Corey Feldman), and scaredy-cat Vern (Jerry O’Connell) – are in search of a missing teenager’s body. Wanting to be heroes in their hometown and each other’s eyes, they set out on an unforgettable two-day trek that becomes an odyssey of self-discovery. They sneak smokes, tell tall tales, cuss ‘cause it’s cool and band together when the going gets tough. But when they encounter the town’s knife wielding hoods, who are also after the body, the boys discover a strength they never knew they had.

When STAND BY ME came out, it was the summer between my years in junior high and high school, and while the decade and the ages of the characters were different, there was a similarity in the film to my own life. The feeling that major changes in life hadn’t materialized, but that you knew were coming. The appeal of STAND BY ME is just that, the universality of that common feeling. We’d all gone through these changes and could identify with them firsthand, and there’s a lot of truth to be found in STAND BY ME. A true sleeper, it is a film that will continue to stand the test of time as an enduring tale for generation after generation.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?
This is the same anamorphic widescreen transfer that was created and used for Columbia’s original movie-only release of STAND BY ME. The photography of the film is stylized and dreamy, with soft focus and filtered appearance that sometimes loses overall detail, making this image look soft. Colors are generally muted but never oversaturated, although with fleshtones that sometimes wander too close to red or orange. Blacks are never quite all the way there, but the image has decent depth to it, even during night scenes. There’s a slight shimmer to small details but a real minimum in digital enhancement for a smooth image that only occasionally succumbs to minor compression pixel break up. This is a very good looking picture, but one that doesn’t really rate as any sort of revelation.

Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?
Ditto on the audio side, which is the original theatrical mono mix. Dialog is clean and generally distortion free, but there’s little else going on here. Fidelity is dated and the soundtrack as a whole is flat and lacking true definition, which is a shame with all the great music STAND BY ME contains. There’s nothing really wrong here, there’s just nothing that great either.

Along with the English track, you also get mono tracks in French, Spanish and Portuguese with subtitles in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean and Thai.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?
Unlike the previous release of STAND BY ME, this new special edition has been loaded with a decent amount of supplements, First is a new screen-specific audio commentary with director Rob Reiner. There’s more going on here than in Reiner’s commentary for Story Of Us, which is good, because I’d rather watch this film 100 times than sit through that one again! Reiner is generous with compliments for his young cast, marveling at their dedication and honest performances. He discusses at length, the practices employed to get the necessary performances out of his inexperienced young cast. He talks with only occasional gaps and appears to have a genuine love for this particular film. Next on the disc is a real head spinner.

Somebody in the marketing department at Columbia should be severely beaten over what is labeled on the back as the “Exclusive Featurette” Walking the Tracks: The Summer of Stand By Me. Because this is actually a new documentary on the film running nearly 40 minutes in length, and apart from the advertised interviews with Rob Reiner and Stephen King, also includes new interview segments with Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, Keifer Sutherland and Richard Dreyfuss. “Walking the Tracks” is an absolutely wonderful look back at the filming of STAND BY ME with recollections of nearly all the main participants. King seems especially proud of what became of his story, even though Reiner’s approach to the center of the story differed from his. Especially poignant are the closing moments where the director and cast reflect on the passing of River Phoenix and the odd taste that the film’s ending now has. This is a fabulous feature, produced and directed by Michael Gillis, that has unfortunately been sold extremely short by Columbia.

The disc also contains an isolated score, which just like the film is in mono. Its audible quality is about the same as the film itself, but it is a nice addition especially for soundtrack collectors. Next we have the 1986 music video for Ben E. King’s classic track “Stand By Me” featuring Wil Wheaton and River Phoenix. It is full frame and stereo. Theatrical trailers are included for the “family” titles THE KARATE KID and FLY AWAY HOME. I put family in quotations because STAND BY ME is an R rated film that doesn’t seem to have quite the same audience as that geese movie. I actually get really irritated when I get all kinds of trailers, but not for the film on the disc. Lastly, Columbia’s Talent Files are included for the director, author and main cast members.

Parting Thoughts
While the video and audio quality of the release are no where near reference, there’s little wrong here and the inclusion of the fabulous extras just make it a sweeter deal. If you’re a fan of STAND BY ME, this is the only way to see it.