Films: The Shawshank Redemption

The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American drama film, written and directed by Frank Darabont, based on the Stephen King novella, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.

The film stars Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne and Morgan Freeman as Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding. The film portrays Andy spending nearly two decades in Shawshank State Prison, a fictional penitentiary in Maine, and his friendship with Red, a fellow inmate.

My View
It's quite fascinating how great movies move you. Sometimes, the most meaningful movies are the unexpected ones. Who would have thought there were great tearjerker parts in a virtually all male cast? No? As a matter of fact, I didn't think so. I was terribly wrong.

Of course, I heard about The Shawshank Redemption back when I was still in grade school and didn't care much about "serious" movies. I heard my late grandfather (a movie buff) rave about it at one time but I didn't pay it any mind at all. This time however, I braved my "boring impression" and saw it for the first time. Amazing isn't it? It is a movie unlike anything I've ever seen.

What captivated me was their dialog. Everything seemed to have a meaning, a purpose, if you will; to how the movie turned out in the end. The plot twists that I didn't expect were a great surprise, and to me, were the most memorable.

Since the movie was practically an all male cast, I never expected to shed a few tears; but as a matter of fact, I did. It was simple really; just an old man leaving the penitentiary for the first time in fifty years, and never fitting into the outside world; he couldn't take it and hanged himself. The progression to the old man Brooks' death was vital to the movie and I think it was at that point that I empathized with him.

Andy Dufresne was also an amazing character in that he was actually innocent. A line in the movie that struck me as appropriate: "...I came into the prison and became a crook;" because it seemed that the guards, most especially the Warden, were the crooks instead of the prisoners. It was funny how Andy created a library by writing one letter a week for the past six years and then writing two letters a week until the state allocated funds for their library aptly named after Brooks (their previous librarian).

I found the movie quite entertaining, with a few hillarious scenes all throughout the film. If you listen to the conversations and the narration, you would appreciate the film more. It's one of those movies that you don't mind showing the subtitles to.

With its great screenplay, wonderful cinematography, and outstanding actors; I give this film five stars.






Image: Google Images
Info: Wikipedia