Always On My Shelf – The Shawshank Redemption

It is somewhat difficult to imagine a world in which The Shawshank Redemption isn’t one of the most universally celebrated movies of all time. The 1994 Frank Darabont drama film about an innocent man’s imprisonment and eventual escape is generally regarded as having one of the best screenplays ever, and has characters that have become iconic and defining roles for the actors. Andy Dufresne is easily the definitive role of leading man Tim Robbins and has come to be a symbol of perseverance, making the best out of terrible situations, and ultimately refusing to led the evils of the world tear you down. And while the distinguished Morgan Freeman has had many iconic roles in his career, Ellis Boyd Redding (better known to us as “Red”) is certainly one of the roles that helped define him as the master of charismatic, wise mentor figures.

Similarly, Bob Gunton and Clancy Brown play two extremely memorable antagonists in Warden Samuel Norton and Captain Byron Hadley respectively. They have absolute power in their little section of the world and it has corrupted them; Hadley is a vicious bully to the inmates and Hadley uses Andy’s skills as a lawyer to carefully build an illegal fortune. These roles have definitely stuck with me; Brown has done a lot of voice work for animated projects and I still hear Hadley, and when Bob Gunton showed up as Leland Owlsley in Marvel’s Daredevil I immediately got an itch to watch this classic again.

So it is kind of weird to know that this film was not a box office success; poor promotion and a title that isn’t exactly clear hurt the film’s initial financial success. Critics loved it however, and those who did see it went out of their way to spread the word about the film’s quality. Perhaps the most important was Ted Turner, who loved the film and constantly had it played on his various television channels; this led to many people seeing it and wondering how such a great film sneaked under the radar. The film is now so popular and so respected that many have called it a great injustice that it did not win Best Picture at the Oscars despite stiff competition from Pulp Fiction and the eventual winner Forrest Gump.

The film enjoys such a high level of esteem that some who haven’t seen it might actually be underwhelmed from the hype. But I can’t imagine that would be a large section of people. The film has absolutely gorgeous cinematography, memorable characters and a wealth of great lines that engage the audience for its long running time. All of these elements work so well that even though I’ve seen this movie several times I still find myself becoming completely engrossed each time I watch it. And while there have been some very good prison dramas, I don’t think any has truly been able to recreate the magic of this one. Andy and Red are in Shawshank Prison for decades and we get a feeling for the passage of time.

One of the film’s brightest spots is a look at Brooks, an old jailbird who has been at Shawshank for fifty years when he is granted parole. Brooks has become institutionalized and finds himself unable to adapt to life outside of prison. He mentions that he saw an automobile once as a child but now they are all over the place. The world has passed him by and he has no place in it. This is a haunting idea that makes us even more sympathetic towards Andy when we find out he is truly innocent.

But I think what ultimately is most memorable about this scene is the escape sequence. The movie is harsh and cold and sucks the viewer in to such a degree that one almost feels like they are in prison with these characters. So when Andy is finally able to escape and steps out into the rain a free man, it resonates with us deeply. It’s a powerful tribute to the human spirit and one of the greatest moments in film history. At least in this reviewer’s opinion.

There really isn’t much else to say. The Shawshank Redemption has a reputation and a legacy for a good reason; it is one of the very best movies of all time. If you haven’t seen it before, you owe it to yourself to see it before you die. And if you have seen it, I’m willing to bet that just reading about it has made you want to see it again. It’s one of those rare movies that I can watch over and over again and never be bored with.

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