Year: 1994
As part of celebrating 20 years of great films and as a follow up to my review of Best Picture Winner, Forrest Gump, I thought I would discuss Frank Darabont's The Shawshank Redemption. It was a fellow nominee for Best Picture.
The film boasts a great cast with Tim Robbins as the lead, Andy Dufresne, and the legendary Morgan Freeman as the narrator and best friend to Andy, Red. It was nominated for numerous other awards at the 1994 Oscars including Best Actor (for Morgan Freeman), Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Song. It was unsuccessful in all these categories.
The Shawshank Redemption revolves around a timid Andy Dufresne who is sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife and her lover. During his time at Shawshank he befriends Red, a man famed for being able to get his hands on anything, even Rita Hayworth. The film is basically his life at the prison and his encounters with fellow inmates, new meat and the establishment. Despite the slow moving pace, the film ends on a high leaving you wondering what the hell just happened.
The first time I watched this film was on recommendation from my dad who, thus far, has yet to recommend a bad movie. It is his all time favourite and I can certainly see why. The screenplay is actually adapted from a Stephen King short story but no, this has very little to do with horror - at least in the traditional sense. I have since watch this multiple time and it has yet to get old. Personally, I feel that this is one of those timeless films.
One of the main themes is freedom and lack thereof. It questions the nature of freedom and the idea of being free within an establishment designed to rob one of freedom. It begs the question of what it really means to be free and illustrates the idea that freedom exists in the mind rather than in one's situation. It also looks at the absence of freedom in the real world and the idea of institutionalisation. This is particularly evident through the character of Brooks. There is also the pervading theme of innocence vs. guilt and the role reversal provided by the corruptness of the establishment and the purity of Andy's character and other inmates. These themes are still as relevant today as they were twenty years ago.
I liked that this film was not full of the conventional Hollywood story lines we have come to expect. The theme of love in this film is about brotherly love and camaraderie rather than romantic love. There are messages about self betterment and the preservation of innocence. There is also the all important idea of perseverance. Needless to say, I always think Morgan Freeman is perfect casting. Despite the fact that Stephen King initially wrote Red as an Irishman, Freeman embodies everything necessary to successfully communicate this character to the audience. He allows us to relate to and sympathise with a convicted criminal and appeals to our sense of humanity. Tim Robbins also does an excellent job of convincing us of his purity and innocence but also that he knows things he doesn't always articulate. He makes a complex character seem very simple. I also loved that this film tied up all the loose ends in a very satisfactory way.
What I didn't quite like about this film was the pace. In modern times we're used to films getting to the point very quickly and it becomes tedious for us to keep up with a lot of development and little action so to speak. While the slow pace is a necessity, as it is intended to reflect a period of 20 years and it allows us to get to know the characters fully, it still feels stretched out. If we are able to put our need for immediacy aside there is no doubt that this film is thoroughly enjoyable.
All in all I think this film was much more deserving of the Best Picture award than Forrest Gump. I feel it explores ideas and themes that were very different and unique, even in today's terms. It also revolves around very original protagonist. It appeals to our sense of humanity and questions our understanding of the world. Definitely go ahead and watch it and let us know in the comments what you thought!
KEEP
8/10
(If you weren't convinced, IMDb rates it #2 on it's list of the Top 100 movies of all time!)
(If you weren't convinced, IMDb rates it #2 on it's list of the Top 100 movies of all time!)
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