Some of you may have already heard about these unique films but for the majority the question will be, "What in the world are dollar babies"?
For years Stephen King has been allowing student and independent filmmakers to legally adapt his short stories (not his novels) for the cost of one dollar. This became known as the "Dollar Deal" and the films as "Dollar Babies".
Of course, filmmakers cannot profit from the films financially. They can only use the films to practice their craft or to demonstrate their talents at film festivals or private screenings. The most famous of these "dollar babies" is probably Frank Darabont's adaptation of The Woman in the Room. Darabont's fine film was seen by King and eventually led to a long collaboration resulting in Darabont's film versions of The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Mist.
Since these "dollar babies" can only be screened privately or at film festivals this is a very rare opportunity to experience some of the most unique adaptations of the author's work. These filmmakers did not have a studio executive or network to conform to or please. For most of them, the most important audience was the King of horror himself. To make a film which would please the author whose benevolence allowed them to make the films in the first place.
For the next several days, I will be presenting trailers and background information on the films that will be screening during our own modest DOLLAR BABY FEST which takes place on Saturday August 23rd at 2pm at the Historic Ritz Theatre in Oaklyn, NJ.
For years Stephen King has been allowing student and independent filmmakers to legally adapt his short stories (not his novels) for the cost of one dollar. This became known as the "Dollar Deal" and the films as "Dollar Babies".
Of course, filmmakers cannot profit from the films financially. They can only use the films to practice their craft or to demonstrate their talents at film festivals or private screenings. The most famous of these "dollar babies" is probably Frank Darabont's adaptation of The Woman in the Room. Darabont's fine film was seen by King and eventually led to a long collaboration resulting in Darabont's film versions of The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Mist.
Since these "dollar babies" can only be screened privately or at film festivals this is a very rare opportunity to experience some of the most unique adaptations of the author's work. These filmmakers did not have a studio executive or network to conform to or please. For most of them, the most important audience was the King of horror himself. To make a film which would please the author whose benevolence allowed them to make the films in the first place.
For the next several days, I will be presenting trailers and background information on the films that will be screening during our own modest DOLLAR BABY FEST which takes place on Saturday August 23rd at 2pm at the Historic Ritz Theatre in Oaklyn, NJ.
We begin with a story that was one of the writer's earliest. First published in Startling Mystery Stories in 1969 and collected in Skeleton Crew in 1985, THE REAPER'S IMAGE is the story of an antique mirror haunted by the visage of the Grim Reaper, who appears to those who gaze into it. Mirrors have a long history in weird fiction and films from Lewis Carroll to The Student of Prague and Dead of Night. We seem to be endlessly fascinated by these tricks of glass in which we get a glimpse of ourselves as others see us.
In filmmaker Matthias Greving's masterful adaptation of the story, Delver Glass, we find ourselves plunged into a world of reflections. Spangler (Jeff Burrell) is only concerned with facts not the superstition that surrounds the delver mirror. But as he is told, "You should know better."
Delver Glass is a really handsome looking production with fine performances and the kind of confidence in the craft of cinematic storytelling that one finds in the films of Roman Polanski and Steven Spielberg. The camera is always moving but at the same time completely invisible. King's story is one of his shortest and simplest, but Greving finds a way to add another level of complexity without sacrificing the fine suspense mechanics. Not a second is wasted in the story nor in this adaptation.
So step right up and take a look into the abyss- the following is the trailer for DELVER GLASS.
In filmmaker Matthias Greving's masterful adaptation of the story, Delver Glass, we find ourselves plunged into a world of reflections. Spangler (Jeff Burrell) is only concerned with facts not the superstition that surrounds the delver mirror. But as he is told, "You should know better."
Delver Glass is a really handsome looking production with fine performances and the kind of confidence in the craft of cinematic storytelling that one finds in the films of Roman Polanski and Steven Spielberg. The camera is always moving but at the same time completely invisible. King's story is one of his shortest and simplest, but Greving finds a way to add another level of complexity without sacrificing the fine suspense mechanics. Not a second is wasted in the story nor in this adaptation.
So step right up and take a look into the abyss- the following is the trailer for DELVER GLASS.
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