COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
MOVIE VS BOOK
Psychiatric Evaluation
Diagnosis: Schizoaffective Disorder, Bipolar Type
Annie Wilkes suffers from several mental disorders and meets the diagnostic criteria for schizoaffective and bipolar disorder. She also suffers from borderline personality disorder with traits of schizoid, schizotypal and obsessive-compulsive disorders and also sadomasochism features.
People suffering from schizoaffective disorder display severe changes in mood and delusions. Annie’s schizoid and schizotypal tendencies are apparent by her need for social isolation and the lack of interest in relationships. She lives alone in a cabin in a remote area out of town and prefers the company of her pet pig. Annie’s house is neat and organized which is a reflection of her obsessive compulsive disorder and the need for orderliness and perfection. Her personality is characterized by severe high and low mood changes, alternating from sane to insane and she cannot control her impulses. Her major coping mechanism is living in denial because she believes that one day Paul will eventually start a long term relationship with her. Annie is living in an internal fantasy world and is obsessed with the Misery novels. Her binge eating and self inflicted wounds display her major depression. Although, she is an adult, Annie uses childish words such as “dirty bird” or “cocka-doodie” to express her anger and she disapproves of profanity. Annie’s obsessive compulsive traits are displayed in her paranoia when she places hair strands around her home to confirm Paul’s mobility. She wants control over Paul and her sadistic nature is evident when she tortures Paul or cuts off his bodily parts when he disobeys or upsets her. She is a devout Christian, and following God’s instructions is the rationale behind her destructive behavior.
Annie Wilkes mental disorders can be a result of genetic factors or traumatic childhood experiences such as the death of her father.
Anne Wilkes should be incarcerated and treated with antipsychotic medication and mood stabilizers while under 24 hour security, she is a threat to herself and society.
The movie begins with a shot of Paul Sheldon’s annual ritual. He picks up that one cigarette and pours himself a nice glass of champagne. Everything is just right as he finishes his manuscript with the letters “the end”. It is obvious to the viewers that he is an author. The scene then continues with Paul speaking to his literary agent and driving his car up a snow covered mountain. The steep angle of the mountain gives a very isolated fear. Soon, Paul gets into a sudden car accident. The viewers do not see who he is saved by until the next scene. The movie introduces Annie as a very friendly, neutering woman that just wants the best for Paul. She doesn’t seem as crazy as she is in the book. From the beginning Paul new that there was something wrong, but in the movie he felt relaxed by her presence. I couldn’t help but smile when she twirled around the room, boasting that she would play her favourite romantic music.
VS
The book begins with a feeling of sudden pain. Pain is all the readers think and feel. Paul wakes up in a bed, not knowing anything about the previous events. The audience has no idea who he is, or why he is in such a panic. Annie introduces herself and suddenly the readers feel a sense of wrongness. Unlike in the movie when she was friendlier, in the book she gave off a very unwanted atmosphere. The readers start to learn about who Paul is during his black outs of consciousness. The beginning of the book is much more emotional, it captures the viewers more. Helps us feel what Paul is feeling in that exact moment. The first time Annie loses control is much more aggressive in the book. She is a much more violent and bloody character on paper then on film.
Kathy Bates is known for her creepy roles, like in American Horror story. I think the director, Rob Reiner chose her because she looked exactly like Annie Wilkes . Their appearance was the same, so was their style. The only difference was that Kathy Bates played Annie Wilkes a bit too sweetly. She should have been more aggressive and truly shown her unstable side.
The plot was the same both in the movie and book. The only big difference was that the book had a lot more detail and more events following the plot. The movie just got too the finale but the book had so many events and details. The one officer that got stabbed by a crucifix and then run over by a lawn mower was probably the best scene ever. Scenes like that should have remained in the movie because they give the audience hope. So many scenes were cut out but the plot remained the same. Annie captures Paul, keeps him prisoner, makes him write a sequel to her favourite book and then Paul kills her. The movie moved faster obviously, but the book had such an amazing build up.
You know what they all say. The book is always better then the movie. I think reading someone’s thoughts and interacting with their beliefs is much more lasting and mesmerizing then watching someone for two hours. We grow attached to the characters while they struggle against their journey. The book was much better because I truly felt how crazy Annie Wilkes was. Her appearance and laughter remained with me long after I fell asleep at night. It was an incredible book and I am not shocked that Stephen King could once again blow my mind. This was a story of finding out what one truly lives for. It was engaging and intense. The movie was a horrible interpretation of this amazing story.