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54-445: The theatre is known for comedies, the majority of them set in the typical environment of Northern German farmers, fishermen and merchants. The theatre also performs serious works of traditional literature and musical theatre as well as adaptations in Platt of international material, such as the stage version of Stephen King's Misery and original plays such as Tennessee Williams's Cat on

108-407: A blowtorch , "hobbling" him. Months later, Paul remains Annie's captive. After he complains that more typewriter keys have broken and refuses to tell Annie how the novel ends before he has written it, she cuts off his thumb with an electric knife . A state trooper arrives at the house in search of Paul, and Annie murders him by running him over with her riding lawnmower. She hides the remains, but

162-538: A scrapbook full of newspaper clippings about deaths that reveal Annie to be a serial killer ; her victims include a neighboring family, her own father, her roommate, and, while she worked as a head nurse, many elderly or critically injured patients and eleven infants, the last resulting in her standing trial but being acquitted in Denver . When Annie discovers that Paul has been leaving his room, she punishes him by cutting off his foot with an axe and cauterizing his ankle with

216-472: A Hot Tin Roof , Robert Thomas's 8 Women , Willy Russell's Shirley Valentine , Lawrence Roman's Alone Together and Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream . The theatre was founded by Richard Ohnsorg (1876–1947) in 1902 as Dramatische Gesellschaft Hamburg , with the stated purpose of providing a stage on which plays in Platt could be performed. This was often not possible in other theatres, since Platt

270-465: A dislocated shoulder. Annie says she is his "number one fan" and offers to care for him until the telephone lines are re-connected and local roads re-open following the blizzard. Annie's somewhat disturbing behavior comes to a hilt when she reads the latest Misery novel and discovers that Misery dies at the end. She flies into a rage, revealing that she had never informed anyone she'd rescued Paul, effectively holding him prisoner. Annie forces him to burn

324-509: A guy over the course of three hundred pages only to discover that between chapters sixteen and seventeen the pig ate him), but that wasn't the way things eventually went. Paul Sheldon turned out to be a good deal more resourceful than I initially thought, and his efforts to play Scheherazade and save his life gave me a chance to say some things about the redemptive power of writing that I had long felt but never articulated. Annie also turned out to be more complex than I'd first imagined her, and she

378-505: A local former nurse who is a devoted fan of the Misery series. She keeps Paul in her guest bedroom, refuses to take him to the hospital despite his broken legs, and nurses him herself using her illicit stash of codeine -based painkillers. Paul quickly becomes addicted to a medication named Novril, which Annie withholds in order to threaten and manipulate him. She begins reading the recently published Misery's Child and coerces permission to read

432-400: A new book, Misery's Return , and allows Annie to read the work in progress and fill in the missing N's. As Paul writes, the text includes excerpts of Misery's Return , a macabre story in which it is found that Misery was buried alive while comatose . Paul manages to escape his room using his wheelchair on several occasions, searching for more painkillers and exploring the house. He discovers

486-422: A rage and attempts to kill Paul, but Paul manages to fight back. They engage in a violent struggle, with Paul suffering a gunshot wound and Annie briefly getting knocked out when she falls head-first onto the typewriter. The struggle ends when Paul bashes Annie in the face with a metal doorstop shaped like her pig Misery, finally killing her. Eighteen months later, Paul, now walking with a cane, meets his agent in

540-480: A restaurant in New York City. The two discuss his first post- Misery novel. Paul says he wrote it as a way to deal with the horrors of his captivity. His agent asks if he would consider a nonfiction book about his ordeal, but Paul—who suffers psychological trauma from the experience—declines. A waitress approaches him and he momentarily hallucinates that she is Annie, commenting that he still thinks about her once in

594-485: A trans-Atlantic flight to London with the situation and characters that became fleshed out in Misery . He noted that he wrote the idea on an American Airlines cocktail napkin when he woke up so he could make sure to remember it, writing: "She speaks earnestly but never quite makes eye contact. A big woman and solid all through; she is an absence of hiatus. 'I wasn't trying to be funny in a mean way when I named my pig Misery, no sir. Please don't think that. No, I named her in

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648-534: A while. The waitress then says that she is his number one fan, causing Paul to meekly reply, "That's very sweet of you." J. T. Walsh makes an uncredited cameo appearance as State Trooper Sherman Douglas. Director Rob Reiner also makes an uncredited appearance as a helicopter pilot. Producer Andrew Scheinman read Stephen King 's novel Misery on an airplane, and later recommended it to his director partner at Castle Rock Entertainment , Rob Reiner . Reiner eventually invited writer William Goldman to write

702-490: Is a good story, a natural, and it grabs us." Variety called it "a very obvious and very commercial gothic thriller, a functional adaptation of the Stephen King bestseller." Derek Malcolm of The Guardian gave it a positive review, writing that it "plays enough tricks on us so that we don't ever treat anything quite seriously and Goldman's script has enough good lines and situations to keep one interested in exactly what

756-437: Is based on the relationship of its two main characters – the romance novelist Paul Sheldon and his deranged self-proclaimed number one fan Annie Wilkes . When Paul is seriously injured following a car accident, former nurse Annie brings him to her home, where Paul receives treatment and doses of pain medication. Paul realizes that he is a prisoner and is forced to indulge his captor's whims. The novel's title has two meanings: it

810-523: Is coming next", and praised the cast, especially Bates, writing that her "demented devotee in Misery is inspired casting." Vincent Canby of The New York Times praised Kathy Bates ' performance, calling it "a genuinely funny performance as the mad Annie, as gaudily written in Mr. Goldman's screenplay as it is in Mr. King's novel." King himself has stated that Misery is one of his top ten favorite film adaptations, in his 2009 collection Stephen King Goes to

864-454: Is killed off. After completing the manuscript for his new crime novel, Fast Cars , which he hopes will receive serious literary acclaim and kickstart his post- Misery career, Paul gets drunk and impulsively drives towards Los Angeles instead of flying back home to New York City . He is caught in a snowstorm and crashes his car near the small, remote town of Sidewinder, Colorado. Paul awakens to find that he has been rescued by Annie Wilkes ,

918-489: Is one of the best Stephen King adaptations to date." At Metacritic , which assigns a weighted mean rating to reviews, the film has a score of 75 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a rating of three stars out of four, stating that "it

972-566: Is the author of a successful series of Victorian romance novels featuring a character named Misery Chastain. Wanting to focus on more serious stories, he writes a manuscript that he hopes will launch his post- Misery career. While traveling from Silver Creek, Colorado , to his home in New York City , Paul is caught in a blizzard and crashes his car. A nurse named Annie Wilkes finds him and brings him to her remote home. Paul regains consciousness and finds himself bedridden with broken legs and

1026-410: Is the name carried by the central heroine of Paul's book series, and King described such a state of emotion during the novel's writing. He has stated that Annie is a stand-in for cocaine. King has outlined the creation of Misery in his memoirs, and mentioned that the image of Annie Wilkes came to him in a dream. King planned the book to be released under the pseudonym Richard Bachman , but his identity

1080-469: The 1991 Academy Award for Best Actress – one of the few Oscar wins for a performance in the horror genre, and the first for any King adaptation – and was launched into mainstream stardom. In June 2003, the American Film Institute included Annie Wilkes, as played by Bates, in their "100 Heroes and Villains" list, ranking her as the 17th most iconic villain (and sixth most iconic villainess) in

1134-518: The Fast Cars manuscript, but disapproves of the darker subject matter and profanity. Paul assesses that Annie is mentally unstable: she is prone to trailing off into catatonic episodes and has sudden, unpredictable bouts of rage. When she learns of Misery's death, she leaves Paul alone in her house for over two days, depriving him of food, water, and painkillers. During this time, Paul examines his legs and sees that they have been pulverized and deformed in

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1188-811: The Seinäjoki City Theatre in Seinäjoki will premiere in February 2025, and it will be directed by Olli-Matti Oinonen (who previously directed the play at the Kuopio Theatre) and starring Satu Silvo as Annie Wilkes and Reidar Palmgren as Paul Sheldon. Moore's stage adaptation was itself adapted for radio and broadcast on the BBC World Service . The program was produced by Dirk Maggs , directed by Marion Nancarrow and starred Nicholas Farrell as Paul Sheldon and Miriam Margolyes as Annie Wilkes. The program

1242-452: The 1987 bestseller list, was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film directed by Rob Reiner , in 1990, and into a theatrical production starring Laurie Metcalf and Bruce Willis in 2015. Paul Sheldon is the author of the best-selling series of Victorian-era romance novels featuring the character Misery Chastain, which he privately disdains. In a Colorado hotel, he finishes the final installment, Misery's Child , in which Misery

1296-586: The Movies . In his 2000 memoir called On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft , King references the movie adaptation of the book, saying: In the early 1980s, my wife and I went to London on a combined business/pleasure trip. I fell asleep on the plane and had a dream about a popular writer (it may or may not have been me, but it sure to God wasn't James Caan )... In 2003, Annie Wilkes was ranked #17 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains list. The "hobbling" scene in

1350-442: The basement; she then attempts to kill Paul in a murder-suicide , but he convinces her to let him live long enough to finish the novel. When she goes to grab his wheelchair, he hides a can of lighter fluid inside his pants. When the manuscript is done, Paul uses the lighter fluid to set it on fire so Annie can never read it, stating to a horrified Annie that he learned it from her. With the manuscript destroyed, Annie breaks down into

1404-464: The company moved into the former Kleine Lustspielhaus on the Große Bleichen . The Nazi regime was sympathetic to the company's aim to stimulate local culture; the brand comedy delivered by Ohnsorg and his company was popular. After the war, the theatre was renamed Richard Ohnsorg-Theater in 1946. Since 1954, its productions have been aired by NDR. Especially during the 1960s and 1970s, the theatre

1458-436: The crash. Upon Annie's return, she forces a weakened Paul to burn the Fast Cars manuscript in exchange for his painkillers. She sets up an office for Paul – consisting of an antique Royal typewriter with a non-functional N-key, writing paper and a wheelchair – for the purpose of writing a new Misery novel that will bring the character back from the dead. Biding his time and likening himself to Scheherezade , Paul begins

1512-443: The film's screenplay. In the novel, Annie Wilkes severs one of Paul Sheldon's feet with an ax. Goldman loved the scene and argued for it to be included, but Reiner insisted that it be changed so that she only breaks his ankles. Goldman subsequently wrote that this was the correct decision as the visual depiction of an amputation would cause the audience to hate Annie instead of sympathizing with her madness. The part of Paul Sheldon

1566-470: The film, in which Annie breaks Paul's ankles with a sledgehammer, was ranked #12 on Bravo 's 2004 program The 100 Scariest Movie Moments . In 2009, Chris Eggertsen of Bloody Disgusting ranked Misery fourth place in his list of "10 Claustrophobic Horror Films". Nelson Entertainment and its parent company, New Line Home Video , first released Misery on VHS on July 11, 1991, and New Line re-released it in 1992, after Nelson went bankrupt. The film

1620-638: The history of film. A version of Annie Wilkes, portrayed by Lizzy Caplan , is the main character of the second season of Castle Rock . The season finale concludes with Annie attending a book signing for a Misery novel by Paul Sheldon. The novel was also adapted into a play by Simon Moore . The play premiered in London at the Criterion Theater in December 1992, starring Sharon Gless and Bill Paterson and directed by Moore. The play, directed by Alan Cohen,

1674-412: The hospital where she worked; the trial collapsed due to lack of evidence. She had quoted lines from his Misery novels during the trial. Annie discovers that Paul has been sneaking out of his room and breaks his ankles with a sledgehammer. The local sheriff, Buster, is investigating Paul's disappearance. Clues lead him to pay Annie a visit, but she murders him with a shotgun when he finds Paul drugged in

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1728-519: The joy that he is finally able to write again. One of Stephen King's inspirations for Misery was the reaction his fans had to his 1984 novel The Eyes of the Dragon . Many fans rejected The Eyes of the Dragon because it was an epic fantasy book, with virtually none of the horror that initially made his reputation. Paul Sheldon feeling chained to the Misery books by his fans was a metaphor for King's feeling chained to horror fiction . Another source

1782-413: The only copy of his new manuscript, provides a typewriter, and orders him to write a new novel in which he brings Misery back to life. Paul uses a bobby pin to unlock his door and leave his room. He begins stockpiling his painkillers and tries drugging Annie but his plan is foiled. He finds a scrapbook of newspaper clippings about her past and learns that she was tried for the deaths of several infants in

1836-484: The part. Caan commented that he was attracted by how Sheldon was a role unlike any of his others, and that "being a totally reactionary character is really much tougher." Anjelica Huston and Bette Midler were both offered the role of Annie Wilkes, but both of them turned it down. Midler would later say that she deeply regretted this decision. According to Reiner, it was Goldman who suggested that Kathy Bates, then unknown, should portray Annie Wilkes. The film's score

1890-409: The police when they return in search of the murdered trooper. Annie is found dead from her injuries in the barn — she apparently escaped through a window and was on her way to murder Paul with a chainsaw . After Paul has returned to New York, Misery's Return is set to be published and becomes an international bestseller due to the interest in the circumstances under which it was written. Paul resists

1944-542: The same year, Kuopio City Theatre in Kuopio , Finland presented another interpretation under the name Piina , directed by Olli-Matti Oinonen and starring Seppo Pääkkönen as Paul Sheldon and Henna Haverinen as Annie Wilkes. In November 2022, Pori Theatre in Pori , Finland presented third interpretation, directed by Tuomo Aitta and starring Vesa Haltsonen as Paul Sheldon and Mirva Tolppanen as Annie Wilkes. An upcoming fourth play of

1998-465: The spirit of fan love, which is the purest love there is. You should be flattered.'" King and his wife, Tabitha King , stayed in London's Brown's Hotel , where he wrote "sixteen pages of a steno notebook"; the concierge let him work at a desk once owned by Rudyard Kipling , who had died of a stroke while using it. King thought that the book would only be around 30,000 words, but it ended up being almost four times that at 370 pages. Its working title

2052-402: The suggestion to write a nonfiction account of his own experiences, partly in the belief that he would inevitably embellish events. He is able to walk with a prosthesis but still struggles with nightmares about Annie, withdrawal from painkillers, alcoholism and writer's block . When Paul finds random inspiration to write a new story, he weeps, both out of mourning for his shattered life and in

2106-399: The theatre moved, and a monument in her honour was erected next to the theatre's entrance. 53°33′09″N 9°59′21″E  /  53.55250°N 9.98917°E  / 53.55250; 9.98917 Misery (novel)#Adaptations Misery is an American psychological horror novel written by Stephen King and first published by Viking Press on June 8, 1987. The novel's narrative

2160-450: The trooper's disappearance draws attention from law enforcement and the media. Annie relocates Paul to the basement. It becomes clear that she does not intend to let him live. After Misery's Return is finished, Paul lights a decoy copy of the manuscript on fire, which Annie attempts to save. Paul throws the typewriter at Annie and engages her in a violent fight; he manages to escape the bedroom and lock Annie inside. Paul then hides and alerts

2214-458: Was The Annie Wilkes Edition . While discussing the pros and cons (mostly cons) of pre-plotting novels, King mentioned that he had originally planned for Annie to force her prisoner to write a book, which she would then bind in Paul's skin. When commenting on why he chose not to go that route, King said: ... it would have made a pretty good story (not such a good novel, however; no one likes to root for

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2268-413: Was King's addiction to drugs and alcohol, and his struggle to get sober. He stated: "Take the psychotic nurse in Misery , which I wrote when I was having such a tough time with dope. I knew what I was writing about. There was never any question. Annie was my drug problem, and she was my number-one fan. God, she never wanted to leave." When further addressing the idea of whether the character of Paul Sheldon

2322-409: Was based on himself, King stated that in certain ways, he was, but in the ways where every character is a part of the author in some way: "It would be fair enough to ask, I suppose, if Paul Sheldon in Misery is me. Certain parts of him are ... but I think you will find that, if you continue to write fiction, every character you create is partly you." King has also attributed a dream he had while on

2376-728: Was composed by Marc Shaiman . Three recordings by Liberace , Annie Wilkes's favorite musician, are featured in the film, as is "Shotgun" by Junior Walker and the All-Stars , which plays before Paul's car accident. Misery grossed $ 10,076,834 on its opening weekend, finishing second at the box office behind Home Alone . It eventually finished with $ 61 million domestically. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , Misery has an approval rating of 91% based on 74 reviews, with an average rating of 7.60/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Elevated by standout performances from James Caan and Kathy Bates, this taut and frightening film

2430-463: Was discovered before the book's release. Misery won the first Bram Stoker Award for Novel in 1987 and was nominated for the 1988 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel . Critical reception of Misery was positive – reviewers praised King for avoiding the fantasy elements of his past works, and noted the novel's parallels with King's personal life and the study of the relationship between celebrities and their fans. The novel, which took fourth place in

2484-440: Was generally considered to be a sign of low social rank and rather boorish, despite the fact that Platt was also spoken in the wealthy and educated circles of Hamburg's merchants and shipowners. Plays, some originally written in Platt , others translated from High German and other languages, were performed in cramped circumstances and various locations. In 1920, the theatre was renamed to Niederdeutsche Bühne Hamburg . In 1936,

2538-478: Was great fun to write about ..." The novel was adapted into a film in 1990, directed by Rob Reiner and written by William Goldman . James Caan and Kathy Bates starred as Paul Sheldon and Annie Wilkes, with Lauren Bacall , Richard Farnsworth and Frances Sternhagen in supporting roles. The film was a critical and commercial success, and continues to be ranked as one of the best Stephen King adaptations. For her performance as Annie Wilkes, Kathy Bates won

2592-442: Was later re-released on VHS again by PolyGram Video and on DVD on December 22, 1998 by MGM Home Entertainment . A 25th anniversary edition DVD and Blu-ray was released on September 8, 2015 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and MGM Home Entertainment. Currently, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (Castle Rock Entertainment's sister company) re-issued home video rights under the license from MGM. The Shout! Factory released

2646-550: Was later released on CD by the BBC. Misery (film) Misery is a 1990 American psychological horror thriller film directed by Rob Reiner from a script by William Goldman , based on Stephen King 's 1987 novel of the same name , The plot centers around an author ( James Caan ) who is held captive by an obsessive fan ( Kathy Bates ) who forces him to rewrite the finale to his novel series. Richard Farnsworth , Frances Sternhagen , and Lauren Bacall also star. The film

2700-671: Was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play . The play was originally premiered in 2012 at Bucks County Playhouse before moving to Broadway. This new version is not connected to the earlier adaptation by Simon Moore. In October 2019, a Finnish play adaptation of Misery called Piina was performed at the Tampere Theatre in Tampere , Finland. The play was directed by Antti Mikkola and starring Esa Latva-Äijö as Paul Sheldon and Mari Turunen as Annie Wilkes. Also in September of

2754-574: Was originally offered to William Hurt (twice), then Kevin Kline , Michael Douglas , Harrison Ford , Dustin Hoffman , Robert De Niro , Al Pacino , Richard Dreyfuss , Gene Hackman , and Robert Redford , but they all turned it down. Warren Beatty was interested in the role, wanting to turn him into a less passive character, but eventually had to drop out as post-production of Dick Tracy extended. Eventually someone suggested James Caan, who agreed to play

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2808-416: Was popular due to its star Heidi Kabel who played until her retirement in 1997. The actor Folker Bohnet directed 17 productions, including some plays he had co-authored. The theatre moved into a new larger playhouse in 2011, which was built in the listed Bieberhaus close to Deutsches Schauspielhaus and Hamburg Hauptbahnhof . Part of the square in front of the theatre was named after Kabel right before

2862-588: Was released in the United States on November 30, 1990, by Columbia Pictures . It received highly positive reviews and was a box office success. Bates' performance drew widespread praise from critics and won her the Academy Award for Best Actress at the 63rd Academy Awards , making Misery the only film based on a Stephen King novel to win an Oscar . King himself has stated that Misery is one of his top ten favorite film adaptations. Famed novelist Paul Sheldon

2916-673: Was revived in 2005 at the King's Head Theatre in London, starring Michael Praed and Susan Penhaligon . In 2014, Dutch composer and theater producer Florus van Rooijen adapted the novel into a "feel bad" musical. A different play written by William Goldman (who also wrote the film's screenplay) and directed by Will Frears opened on Broadway in 2015 for a limited engagement. The play starred Bruce Willis as Paul Sheldon and Laurie Metcalf as Annie Wilkes. It opened in October 2015 and closed on February 16, 2016. For her performance as Wilkes, Metcalf

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