Darabont purchased the film rights to King's story in 1987, but development did not begin until five years later, when he wrote the script over an eight-week period. [24] Indeed, the warden does not enforce the general rule of law, but chooses to enforce his own rules and punishments as he sees fit, becoming a law unto himself, like the behavior of Satan. Gunton wanted to portray Norton with hair as this could then be grayed to convey his on-screen aging as the film progressed. I have watched it many many times since then and it gets better with every showing.No action, no special effects - just men in prison uniforms talking to each other.The Shawshank Redemption and To Kill a Mockingbird are the best movies I have ever seen. [20] Director Frank Darabont responded that this was not his deliberate intention,[21] but he wanted people to find their own meaning in the film. Decades after its release, the film was still broadcast regularly, and is popular in several countries, with audience members and celebrities citing it as a source of inspiration, and naming the film as a favorite in various surveys. [4], Many elements can be considered as tributes to the power of cinema. Similarly, Norton projects an image of a holy man, speaking down sanctimoniously to the servile masses while running corrupt scams, like those of which Nixon was accused. [98] Darabont was nominated for a Directors Guild of America award in 1994 for Best Director of a feature film,[99] and a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The movie stresses several themes. "[37], Five years later, Darabont wrote the script over an eight-week period. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Critics Consensus: The Shawshank Redemption is an uplifting, deeply satisfying prison drama with sensitive direction and fine performances. [38] Among his inspirations, Darabont listed the works of director Frank Capra, including Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) and It's a Wonderful Life (1946), describing them as tall tales; Darabont likened The Shawshank Redemption to a tall tale more than a prison movie. Andy attempts to discontinue the laundering, but relents after Norton threatens to destroy the library, remove Andy's protection from the guards, and move him to worse conditions. It received a wide release on October 14, 1994, expanding to a theaters to earn $2.4 million—an average of $2,545 per theater—finishing as the number 9 film of the weekend. It takes a movie like The Shawshank Redemption to touch the soul. [58], Just as a prison in Ohio stood in for a fictional one in Maine, the beach scene showing Andy and Red's reunion in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, was actually shot in the Caribbean on the island of Saint Croix, one of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The story is entirely told by the character Red, in a narrative he claims to have been writing from September 1975 to January 1976, with an additional chapter added in spring 1977. [85] Klady said that the length and tone, while tempered by humor and unexpected events, would dampen the film's mainstream appeal, but the story offered a fascinating portrait of the innate humanity of the inmates. The stream into which Robbins emerges was actually certified toxic by a chemist according to production designer Terence Marsh. [77] It was also voted as New Zealand's favorite film in a 2015 poll. The trail earned $16.9 million in revenue in 2018. "So Was Red", played following Red's release from prison, and leading to his discovery of Andy's cache, became one of Newman's favorite pieces. Was this review helpful to you? [18] Andy is offered as a messianic, Christ-like figure, with Red describing him early in the film as having an aura that engulfs and protects him from Shawshank. He struggles to adapt to life outside prison and fears that he never will. [35] Philosopher Alexander Hooke argued that Andy and Red's true freedom is their friendship, being able to share joy and humor with each other. [49] Among the extras used in the film were the former warden and former inmates of the reformatory, and active guards from a nearby incarceration facility. Despite its mainly male cast, it was the most-watched movie on the female-targeted OWN network. He offered Darabont between $2.4 million[42] and $3 million to allow him to direct it himself. [55][109] A 2019 report estimated the attraction to be earning $16 million in annual revenue. [41], It has been the number-one film on IMDb's user-generated Top 250 since 2008, when it surpassed The Godfather, having remained at or near the top since the late 1990s. At the time, I thought that was very strange. [65], As for the scene where Andy rebelliously plays music over the prison announcement system, it was Robbins' idea for Andy to turn the music up and not shut it off. [84] Howe said that while the character is "cheesily messianic" for easily charming everyone to his side, comparing him to "Forrest Gump goes to jail", Robbins exudes the perfect kind of innocence to sell the story. At the next day's roll call, the guards find Andy's cell empty. [2][50] The novella's original title attracted several people to audition for the nonexistent role of Rita Hayworth, including a man in drag clothing. I have read that Citizen Kane or The Godfather or this or that movie is the best movie ever made. Gunton performed his screen test with Robbins, which was filmed by Deakins. After an assault by the Sisters nearly kills Andy, Hadley beats and cripples Bogs, who is subsequently transferred to another prison. Directed by Frank Darabont. The Shawshank Redemption received a limited release on September 23, 1994 in North America. [9] Darabont felt the turning point for the film's success was the Academy Award nominations, saying "nobody had heard of the movie, and that year on the Oscar broadcast, they were mentioning this movie seven times". Now the town is a booming resort community, in no small part to The Shawshank Redemption. "[114] The film also has a score of 80 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 20 critics indicating "generally favorable reviews". [33], Andy and Red's relationship has been described as a nonsexual story between two men,[34] that few other films offer, where the friendship is not built on conducting a caper, car chases, or developing a relationship with women. [22][141][142][143] In March 2011, the film was voted by BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra listeners as their favorite film of all time. "[108], Contemporary review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes offers a 91% approval rating from 75 critics, with an average rating of 8.24/10. [6] Janet Maslin of The New York Times said that Freeman was quietly impressive, but lamented that Red's role in the film had limited range, restricted to observing Andy. [48] Freeman's son Alfonso has a cameo as a young Red in mug shot photos,[40] and as a prisoner shouting "fresh fish" as Andy arrives at Shawshank. Red worries about Andy's well-being, especially when he learns Andy asked a fellow inmate for 6 ft (1.8 m) of rope. [81], By 2013, The Shawshank Redemption had aired on 15 basic cable networks, and in that year occupied 151 hours of airtime, rivaling Scarface (1983), and behind only Mrs. Doubtfire (1993). You might also like. Remembering his promise to Andy, he visits Buxton and finds a cache containing money and a letter asking him to come to Zihuatanejo. [5] Renee Blaine portrays Andy's wife, and Scott Mann portrays her golf-instructor lover Glenn Quentin. Watch The Shawshank Redemption with subtitles now. In the prison theater, the inmates watch the film Gilda (1946), but this scene was originally intended to feature The Lost Weekend (1945). The Shawshank Redemption is an American crime drama movie from 1994. "[87] Variety said that the word "Shawshank" could be used to instantly convey images of a prison. 21 wins & 36 nominations. [125] In 2017, The Daily Telegraph named it the 17th-best prison film ever made,[126] and USA Today listed it as one of the 50 best films of all time. Jeff Baker, then-executive vice president and general manager of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, said that the home video sales had earned about $80 million. During its opening weekend, the film earned $727,000 from 33 theaters—an average of $22,040 per theater. [54] Marvin eventually chose the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio, to serve as the fictional Shawshank State Penitentiary in Maine, citing its Gothic-style stone and brick buildings. The lives of guards on Death Row are affected by one of their charges: a black man accused of child murder and rape, yet who has a mysterious gift. The Shawshank Redemption Questions and Answers. [76] It did not win in any category. The Shawshank Redemption is a movie starring Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler. Read critic reviews. The Shawshank Redemption is a very human story with a lot of powerful, and emotional scenes that have captivated millions of viewers. Trail earned $ 727,000 from 33 theaters—an average of $ 22,040 per theater assaulted. Time as a perennial favorite and James Kisicki and Claire Slemmer portray the Maine National Bank manager and a asking... Think it ’ s the excitement … the Shawshank Redemption '' on Amazon.com, Title: the Redemption. 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