Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free. The film The Shawshank Redemption is a story about hope, friendship and redemption.
This prison life drama opens in 1947 when a successful young banker Andy Dufresne (acted by Tim Robbins) is convicted murderer of his wife and her lover, and is going to serve his two consecutive life sentence in Shawshank prison. Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding (acted by Morgan Freeman) is a person who already served twenty years in prison and becomes the entrepreneur in prison, therefore Andy asks Red to find him a hammer. Later, Red becomes Andy’s best friend. At the same time, Andy uses his knowledge in financial system to help Warden Norton (acted by Bob Gunton) do the laundering. Also, after six years of writing a letter every week to the Governor, Andy eventually gets the money and donations to improve the prison library. Life goes on well in the prison until Tommy (acted by Gil Bellows) comes to the prison. After the unexpected death of Tommy, Andy decides to break prison.
This movie was directed by Frank Darabont. He wrote the screenplay as well based on Stephen King’s novella “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption”. I would say that the film is better because it shows vivid characters which give people a deep impression. I also see more of the good part of human nature in Andy in the film than in the novella, or in other words, Andy in the novella is too realistic.
The actors and director did really good. The suspense, the picture and soundtracks are excellent and made the film more enjoyable. It is unbelievable that the director is a beginner. Morgan Freeman had a good control on the Red’s thoughts, language and expressions. Tim Robbins fully shows Andy’s hope, dreams and talent.
There are similarities between this film and Dead Poets Society. Andy is a man with hope in prison and John Keating is an innovative teacher in an institutionalized high school, and both of them inspired people and made others’...