‘It’s enduring power may come from the chords it strikes…’
I’ve gone a bit Stephen King mad recently. More than usual. Ever since I started listening to The Losers’ Club podcast, a show totally devoted to all things King, I’ve been re-reading and re-watching every King-related thing I can get my hands on. Having recently rediscovered the 1990 miniseries as well as both film adaptations the natural conclusion to my self-imposed IT season was this documentary. Predictably, it’s great…
From directing duo John Campopiano and Christopher Griffiths, Pennywise: The Story of IT is the deepest of deep dives into Tommy Lee Wallace’s beloved miniseries. Obviously, an affection for the source material is vital to anyone’s enjoyment of this documentary, but if you do have a love for Tim Curry and Jonathan Brandis and all the rest, The Story of IT is a captivating and compelling documentary. Perhaps the most charming thing about this film is how much everybody involved with the project clearly still loves talking about it. Even Tim Curry, who has made a career out of being dry and acerbic, has a glint in his eye when discussing his role as Pennywise. It’s also lovely to see the childhood cast all grown up and seemingly doing well (apart from the sadly departed Brandis who is given a touching eulogy from his former co-stars).
The Story of IT is strictly for fans of the miniseries. My one criticism is that I would have liked some more background information on the book itself and King’s role in the miniseries, but this thing is already two hours long so perhaps I’m being a little unfair. On the whole, this is a fascinating glimpse into what it takes to create one of the most successful television miniseries of all time.