Zachary FenellThe Shawshank Redemption
February 19th 2009 17:33
The Shawshank Redemption, 1994
Andy gets sent up to prison on a life sentence for killing his wife and her lover. The thing is, he didn't do it, but upon being in prison and realizing that the hardcore moral lines are not as black-and-white as he thought, he develops certain survival skills in order to cope. He pushes the envelope, does a lot of good, cooks a few books, and sometimes pays a hefty price. And his whole attitude is, even when put in solitary, "What's the worst they can do that they haven't already done?"
As the hubster and I watched this last night, I tried to put my finger on what made it so incredible, so remarkable, and then a scene with Morgan Freeman defined it for me: the behaviors are very genuine. Red laughs because something is funny, not because the script tells him to. Andy looks a little uncomfortable and on the sly because he's doing something sneaky, not because that's what the scene calls for. Even Brooks is very much terrified and depressed beyond reason, and we believe that completely. There were only a few moments when actions and words seemed even a little "acted", but even they were appropriate to the situation.
The overall theme of the movie is not just hope but about coping with the consequences of one's actions. You'd think, "Sure, it's a prison movie, why not?" but if you look at the majority of "prison movies" out there, it's always about the innocent fighting against his plight or the punishment obviously being so unjust that rallying is required. In the Shawshank Redemption, the moral of the story is not so much about hope as about the namesake - redemption - and what that means. Some people get to that realization, some don't, but it is the journey that matters the most.
I could probably go on and on about it, but instead, I'll let you have another look at this classic piece. I'd thought about saving it until Sunday, but... no. This just couldn't wait.
5 Stars
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Comment by James Rickard
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Angling Fish
Check this out...
Comment by Cibbuano
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Comment by Lilla
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Esoteric Bookshop
I was full of huff ... about to say .. basically everything Cibb (above here) just said.
*breathing out sharply* no doubts one of the best films to grace the screens of the last century.
Nice to see it get a mention.
Lilla ...
Comment by The Rusty Can
Everything
I didn't watch the movie in its entirety until recently (I always seem to tune in when Andy's crawling through the sewers), and I was glued to the screen - the dialogue especially drew me in. Loved it!
Rusty.
Comment by Janet Collins
Acceptable Etiquette
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It is certainly one you could never tire of.
Comment by Mr Nice Guy
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Comment by Morgan Bell
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this movie is so well cast and well written - the characters are three-dimensional and stick with you forever
"get busy living or get busy dying"
what a great line!
one of the few movies that really deals with how institutionalised people who spend decades in prison really become