by Ann Nelson-Russell

Created on: November 25, 2008   Last Updated: January 23, 2010

Analyzing Stand by Me

Films have the potential to allow me to escape from my current emotional or mental state of being. They can transcend me from my living room to a very familiar place or to another dimension. A good movie will engulf all of my senses and cause me to reflect upon the meaning long after the popcorn is gone. I will express my views and discuss some of the film elements about the movie Stand by Me.

The movie, Stand by Me, was released in 1986 and it was directed by Rob Reiner. The film's plot is about four teenage boys that set out on a two day adventure to discover a dead body. During their two day adventure they end up discovering more about themselves and each other than they could have ever imagined. The movie begins with Richard Dreyfuss as the grown character of Gordie. He is sitting in his vehicle reading a newspaper article about the stabbing of a man. A couple of teenage boys pass by on their bicycles and the movie begins, "It happened in the summer of 1959 - a long time ago, but only if measured in terms of years. I was living in a small town in Oregon called Castle Rock; there were only twelve hundred and eighty-one people, but to me it was the whole world" (The Internet Movie Database).

The setting for the beginning of the movie is perfect. The reaction shot of the facial expression of the actor, Richard Dreyfuss is fantastic. After he reads the newspaper article and lifted his gaze, his face displayed how his mind was reminiscing about his childhood friend, Chris. His expression also displayed sadness for the loss of his friend and a longing for the moments of his past that will never be experienced again.

A filmmaker my chose to focus on ideas but is just as likely to emphasis one of four other major elements: 1) plot, (2) emotional effect or mood, (3) character, and (4) style or texture" (Boggs & Petrie, p.20). The film Stand by Me had all of the creative elements displayed throughout the entire movie. I have had a difficult time choosing the one element that stood out as the predominate one in this particular movie. If I had to make a choice, I would say that the emotional effect or mood was the main aspect. The characters of all four boys, Gordie Lachance played by Wil Wheaton, Chris Chambers played by River Phoenix, Teddy Duchamp played by Corey Feldman, and Vern Tessio played by Jerry O'Connell were exceptionally created and portrayed. The characters have lived on in my mind whenever I think about the movie

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