The Shawshank RedemptionThey say that you can tell a lot about a society from its prisons. The Shawshank Redemption is the story of Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), spanning almost twenty years, depicting his time served at Shawshank State Penitentiary. Andy was convicted for the murders of his wife and her lover, and received back-to-back life sentences for it. While doing time, Andy befriends fellow inmate and prison smuggler--and also the film's narrator--Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman), and the two share their hopes and fears during their mutual incarceration. As the years crawl on, the enigmatic Andy often surprises Red and the others at Shawshank, right up to the end and after.
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The Shawshank Redemption is adapted from the novella "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" by Stephen King; while King is generally associated with horror, the horrors of The Shawshank Redemption come in the form of the injustices at Shawshank. From the start, it is deliberately ambiguous as to whether Andy committed the murders for which he's convicted. A brief scene at his trial shows his cross-examination by the prosecutor, with flashbacks to the drunk and morose Andy messily loading a .38 calibur revolver and weeping outside of the house where the murders occurred. This ambiguity is compounded because Andy presents himself as a "closed book"--difficult to read. Andy asserts he "didn't do it", yet Red points out that no one convicted takes ownership of their crime, blaming others like their laywer; Red claims he is the exception, and admits to his former crime. One ritual that some of the convicts engage in is a lottery to see which new resident will break down during their first night. Red incorrectly guesses it will be Andy in what proves to be the first of many surprises. Andy claims that he is looking for something to remind him of what life was like before he was convicted; he seizes on these opportunities when they come up, often sharing them with his fellow inmates. He also tries to be civil and retain his humanity while incarcerated, even in small ways. It begins as early as the first morning, when he asks the name of an inmate who was essentially beaten to death by the abjectly cruel Captain Byron Hadley (Clancy Brown). The prison is run by the superficially pious Warden Samuel Norton (Bob Gunton), who professes that the inmates will receive two things: discipline and the Bible. The grandiose, superior attitude of Norton and his attack dog, Hadley, is similar to that of the tyranny of authority found in Cool Hand Luke, with the captain and his icy guard whose eyes are perpetually concealed behind his shades as parallels of Norton and Hadley. The Shawshank Redemption shares other themes with Cool Hand Luke, predominantly in how Andy becomes an unlikely hero to the other inmates by challenging the system by ironically working within it...until he can tolerate the hypocrisy no more. The hypocrisy of Norton is the real rot at the core of Shawshank; until Andy ingratiates himself with Hadley by offering his talents as a financial wizard, he is frequently and violently assaulted by the depraved Bogs (Mark Rolston), and his pack of degenerates called the "Sisters". But even when Hadley finally delivers brutal retribution to Bogs, it is clear that it is a self-serving act, since Norton, Hadley, and countless others exploit Andy; this even includes some "creative bookkeeping" and money laundering. When Andy learns that there may be an opportunity to have his case reopened--to repeal his sentence on the basis of new testimony--Norton makes it abundantly clear that Andy's place will be forever by his side as his dutiful, fiscal slave, no matter what it takes. But Norton--like so many others, even Red--can only speculate what is really going on inside of Andy's head, because Andy has learned to mask his his innermost thoughts like camouflage to survive in the harsh jungle of Shawshank.
The Shawshank Redemption is a period piece covering the late Forties through the late Sixties, where the world of Shawshank is in perpetual stasis, evidenced by the largely unchanging cast or uniforms. It is a purgatory where Andy--and men like him--are consigned for the best parts of their lives--the more subtle punishment for time served. What makes The Shawshank Redemption such a moving tale is not that it is about a gang of convicted criminals serving life sentences in a vicious prison for violent crimes, but that they are, in fact, still human beings--and the film asks us to evaluate how we treat and judge other human beings based on our prejudices. In truth, many of the convicts Andy and Red associate with may be a little rough around the edges, but are largely affable fellows, people who make it difficult to see them as dangerous felons. They may be rehabilitated, but it could also be that they are "institutionalized", as Red puts it when someone has become so entrenched in prison life that the thought of life on the outside is more terrifying than remaining inside for the rest of their lives. This is the case with Andy's librarian mentor, Brooks (James Whitmore), made clear in his combination letter and suicide note following his parole after half a century "on the inside". Brooks' fondness for his pet crow, Jake, is also a send-up to another classic prison film, Birdman of Alcatraz. What Brooks lost during his long stay in prison--as Red puts it--is hope, which serves no obvious good in the slammer, but is absolutely essential once someone is a part of society again. Hope is, however, what Andy claims is the key to remaining a human being, to keeping one's sanity in the face of despair. Andy's proclamation is all the more brave when you consider what is inflicted upon him by the Sisters and Norton--even in his seemingly futile effort to solicit financing for the prison library. This tenacity and determination is Andy's greatest secret, a patience which might drive a weaker man insane, but which Andy leverages to secure the biggest surprise of all at the conclusion of The Shawshank Redemption. There is a real satisfaction at seeing Andy overcome his hurdles--or just to defiantly stand up against them--as it shows a man who we sympathize with facing off against indifferent (or worse, opportunistic) creeps who exploit him and others who cannot defend themselves. Andy's arrangement at the prison seems mutually beneficial, but one of the more moving moments in the film comes when Andy finds himself in a possession of a record of classical music by Mozart and the rare opportunity to broadcast the aria over the prison's speaker system. This is a prank he relishes even if it costs him two weeks in solitary. It is a kind of rebellion that recalls One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, although Andy's opponents are more brutish and direct with their wrath than Nurse Ratched. Andy gets satisfaction from his subversion because none of his jailors can stop him without in turn revealing themselves as the petty tyrants they are. Although Andy is the ostensible protagonist of The Shawshank Redemption, it is Morgan Freeman's narration which is the music of the film--laid back but wise--that exists like an immutable force of truth, like a poem by Robert Frost. Red is privy to Andy's masterstroke at the end of the film, but the pieces of the puzzle are chronicled by him, and they in turn affect his disposition on the world. Andy gives him back something far more precious than any knick-knack that Red could procure from the outside: hope.
Recommended for: Fans of an emotional and compelling drama about freedom and justice, set against the absence of it in prison. The Shawshank Redemption is a powerful film that forces the audience to reevaluate their definitions of cruel and unusual punishment as well as our attitudes toward those we are prejudiced to regard as "bad people"...men like Andy and Red.
The Shawshank Redemption is a period piece covering the late Forties through the late Sixties, where the world of Shawshank is in perpetual stasis, evidenced by the largely unchanging cast or uniforms. It is a purgatory where Andy--and men like him--are consigned for the best parts of their lives--the more subtle punishment for time served. What makes The Shawshank Redemption such a moving tale is not that it is about a gang of convicted criminals serving life sentences in a vicious prison for violent crimes, but that they are, in fact, still human beings--and the film asks us to evaluate how we treat and judge other human beings based on our prejudices. In truth, many of the convicts Andy and Red associate with may be a little rough around the edges, but are largely affable fellows, people who make it difficult to see them as dangerous felons. They may be rehabilitated, but it could also be that they are "institutionalized", as Red puts it when someone has become so entrenched in prison life that the thought of life on the outside is more terrifying than remaining inside for the rest of their lives. This is the case with Andy's librarian mentor, Brooks (James Whitmore), made clear in his combination letter and suicide note following his parole after half a century "on the inside". Brooks' fondness for his pet crow, Jake, is also a send-up to another classic prison film, Birdman of Alcatraz. What Brooks lost during his long stay in prison--as Red puts it--is hope, which serves no obvious good in the slammer, but is absolutely essential once someone is a part of society again. Hope is, however, what Andy claims is the key to remaining a human being, to keeping one's sanity in the face of despair. Andy's proclamation is all the more brave when you consider what is inflicted upon him by the Sisters and Norton--even in his seemingly futile effort to solicit financing for the prison library. This tenacity and determination is Andy's greatest secret, a patience which might drive a weaker man insane, but which Andy leverages to secure the biggest surprise of all at the conclusion of The Shawshank Redemption. There is a real satisfaction at seeing Andy overcome his hurdles--or just to defiantly stand up against them--as it shows a man who we sympathize with facing off against indifferent (or worse, opportunistic) creeps who exploit him and others who cannot defend themselves. Andy's arrangement at the prison seems mutually beneficial, but one of the more moving moments in the film comes when Andy finds himself in a possession of a record of classical music by Mozart and the rare opportunity to broadcast the aria over the prison's speaker system. This is a prank he relishes even if it costs him two weeks in solitary. It is a kind of rebellion that recalls One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, although Andy's opponents are more brutish and direct with their wrath than Nurse Ratched. Andy gets satisfaction from his subversion because none of his jailors can stop him without in turn revealing themselves as the petty tyrants they are. Although Andy is the ostensible protagonist of The Shawshank Redemption, it is Morgan Freeman's narration which is the music of the film--laid back but wise--that exists like an immutable force of truth, like a poem by Robert Frost. Red is privy to Andy's masterstroke at the end of the film, but the pieces of the puzzle are chronicled by him, and they in turn affect his disposition on the world. Andy gives him back something far more precious than any knick-knack that Red could procure from the outside: hope.
Recommended for: Fans of an emotional and compelling drama about freedom and justice, set against the absence of it in prison. The Shawshank Redemption is a powerful film that forces the audience to reevaluate their definitions of cruel and unusual punishment as well as our attitudes toward those we are prejudiced to regard as "bad people"...men like Andy and Red.