‘Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.’ This was the tagline for ‘The Shawshank Redemption,’ a film directed by Frank Darabont. Despite being Darabont’s first and debut film, it is ranked amongst the greatest movies of all times. Released in 1994 by Columbia Castle Rocks, it contains harsh language and mild violence. Despite this, it includes many uplifting messages and ideas as well. Such central themes and ideas are freedom, redemption, and most importantly, hope. These themes were conveyed effectively through the use of successful film techniques, such as camera angles, symbolism and lighting. Combined with an excellent storyline and brilliant cast, this is what makes ‘The Shawshank Redemption,’ such an honorable film.
The story is set in 1947 Maine, where Andy DuFresne [played by Tim Robbins] is accused of murdering his wife and her lover, is sent to the Shawshank Prison even with insufficient evidence. At first, everything seems depressing in the horrors within the Shawshank walls for Andy, until he meets the narrator of the movie, also the best friend of Andy in prison, Ellis Redding [played by Morgan Freeman.] Red, as he is called, is an important character, being ‘a man who can get things.’ Due to Andy’s experience as a successful banker, he was able to befriend a few guards, and shortly came to the attention of Warden Norton, [played by Bob Gunton] the most powerful man within the prison. Andy continues to live the life as a prisoner until one day, the evidence of his innocence shows up, but was disregarded by Warden due to his own personal selfishness. Andy ends up depressed, and after giving Red some abstract instructions, sets off to find a rope. The next morning, there was no answer from his cell…
Camera angles were used to support central ideas such as redemption. Camera angles were generally used to show the difference in power between people and things in the film. An example of this was the extreme low angle looking up at the...