The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

User Rating:

9.2/10   

Director:

Frank Darabont

Writers (WGA):

Stephen King (short story "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption")
Frank Darabont (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 September 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.

Plot:

Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency.

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Murder | Shawshank | Friend | Banker

Awards:

Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Tim Robbins	...	Andy Dufresne
Morgan Freeman	...	Ellis Boyd 'Red' Redding
Bob Gunton	...	Warden Norton
William Sadler	...	Heywood
Clancy Brown	...	Captain Hadley
Gil Bellows	...	Tommy
Mark Rolston	...	Bogs Diamond
James Whitmore	...	Brooks Hatlen
Jeffrey DeMunn	...	1946 D.A.
Larry Brandenburg	...	Skeet
Neil Giuntoli	...	Jigger
Brian Libby	...	Floyd
David Proval	...	Snooze
Joseph Ragno	...	Ernie
Jude Ciccolella	...	Guard Mert

Also Known As:

Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and prison violence.

Runtime:

142 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 (video rating) | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:16 | Iceland:14 | South Korea:12 (cable rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 | Israel:PG | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:R(A) | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Ashland, Ohio, USA

Company:

Castle Rock Entertainment

Trivia:

Red says he has no idea what the ladies are singing about. Actually, they're singing about the marriage ceremony and wedded bliss.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the aerial shot where Andy's bus approaches the prison, next to the gate is a red brick building and it's sidewalk is strewn with debris. As the bus pulls in seconds later and we see the gate and same brick building from the vantage point of guards who hurried from a tower, the sidewalk is clean.

Quotes:

[first lines]
District Attorney: Mr. Dufresne, describe the confrontation you had with your wife the night that she was murdered.
Andy Dufresne: It was very bitter. She said she was glad I knew, that she hated all the sneaking around. And she said that she wanted a divorce in Reno.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in I-See-You.Com (2006)

Soundtrack:

Duettino - Sull'aria

The Shawshank Redemption

One of the finest films made in recent years. It's a poignant story about hope. Hope gets me. That's what makes a film like this more than a movie. It tells a lesson about life. Those are the films people talk about 50 or even 100 years from you. It's also a story for freedom. Freedom from isolation, from rule, from bigotry and hate. Freeman and Robbins are majestic in their performances. Each learns from the other. Their relationship is strong and you feel that from the first moment they make contact with one another. There is also a wonderful performance from legend James Whitmore as Brooks.

He shines when it is his time to go back into the world, only to find that the world grew up so fast he never even got a chance to blink. Stephen King's story is brought to the screen with great elegance and excitement. It is an extraordinary motion that people "will" be talking about in 50 or 100 years.