The Oscar Nominated “The Green Mile” is An Absorbing, Powerful Film

Next up on my small series of past Oscar nominated films is a film that everyone has to see at least once. This 1999 film will make everyone tear up a little no matter how many times you watch it. The film I’m talking about here is “The Green Mile.”

Paul Edgecomb walked the mile with a variety of cons. He had never encountered someone like John Coffey, a massive black man convicted of brutally killing a pair of young sisters.

Coffey had the size and strength to kill anyone, but not the demeanor.

Beyond his simple, naive nature and a deathly fear of the dark, Coffey seemed to possess a prodigious, supernatural gift. Paul began to question whether Coffey was truly guilty of killing the two girls.

“The Green Mile” is an Oscar nominated film that is exceptionally emotional and will surely leave anyone watching the film deeply moved by its story and the cast’s exceptional performances.

This 1999 character-driven film delivers incredible performances from the entire cast. Most of the cast (both main and supporting) had their time to shine and a few of those moments can really make you feel really emotional, particularly Michael Clark Duncan and Michael Jeter (Eduard Delacriox). Their characters really stole the show and their  truly memorable execution scenes really left a mark on the film.

“The Green Mile” also explores themes of justice, mercy and the presence of evil in the world, offering a profound and almost divine encounter through John Coffey’s tragic yet miraculous journey. His exceptional journey in this film is absolutely moving and breath-taking. Even though I’ve seen this Stephen King adaptation many times, the end of his journey will still leave me a little teary-eyed.

This is also a film that can linger in your mind long after the credits start. And, even though “The Green Mile” is slightly over three hours long, every second of the film is worth it.

You can currently find “The Green Mile” on various PVOD rental services.

Trivia: According to one of the featurettes on the DVD (which I also own), Stephen King called this film the single most faithful adaptation of his work. Tom Hanks accepted the role of Paul Edgecomb as a favor to writer/director Frank Darabont, after he was forced to turn down the role of Andy Dufresne in “The Shawshank Redemption,” in order to start in “Forrest Gump.” 

When the producers were having trouble finding the right actor to fill the role of John Coffey, Bruce Willis suggested Duncan, with whom he had co-starred in the 1998 movie “Armageddon.” More than thirty King books have been adapted to film, but this was the only one to break the $100 million mark domestically until the 2017 version of “It: Chapter One.” The film has garnered four Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound.

MPAA rating: R for violence, language and some sex-related material   (running time 189 minutes)

• According to one of the featurettes on the DVD, Stephen King called this film the single most faithful adaptation of his work.

• Many times the actors are looking at a laser pointing at the floor and not a mouse.

• Coffey's bed was built shorter in order to make Michael Clarke Duncan look like a giant.

• The reason Stephen King serialized "The Green Mile" was a deliberate response to fans who flipped to the end of his books, something his mother used to do. Publishing it in installments meant that fans would have to wait for the last installment to find out the ending. King wrote each one with its own miniature climax, but even he admitted he did not have a clue how the story would end.

• In reality, Michael Clarke Duncan was of a similar height to his co-star David Morse, and was a couple of inches shorter than James Cromwell. Amongst other things, creative camera angles were used to create the illusion that Duncan, as John Coffey, towered over the prison staff, even "Brutal" Howell and Warden Moores. For one scene where Paul, Coffey and Brutal were in the same shot, Michael Clark Duncan was standing on a plank, David Morse stood on the ground, and Tom Hanks was standing in a trench dug into the ground just for that purpose.

• Final film of Dabbs Greer. Greer had originally turned down the role because he had health issues, but director Frank Darabont was determined to have him, so he shot around Greer's character until Greer's health issues had been resolved enough to enable him to take the role.

• Tom Hanks started gaining weight for his next movie "Cast Away" during the production of this film, figuring that playing a middle aged prison guard was a good opportunity to sport a portly appearance.

https://youtu.be/Ki4haFrqSrw?si=tPOVgEwyWhlbvwOt