"The Shawshank Redemption" (1994) - Movie Classics

Having seen the movie for numerous times, it brings out different point of emotions in accord with one’s own battle with the life they have. In the year of 1994, this film seems to have lost all its recognition to rest of the other notable and great movies such as “Forrest Gump” and “Pulp Fiction”. This movie then picked up its recognition through word of mouth and created history in the Home Video market. It is a coincidence and also an irony that the success of this movie is similar to the content itself. If there is something which should not be missed in a life time, then it is “The Shawshank Redemption”. While it can be widely perceived as a movie of not great film making, it is actually the beauty of it. The beauty of letting the content taking the precedence and the rest of the other departments aiding it way up.

Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is convicted for life for murdering his wife and her lover. He is put in the prison of The Shawshank and there he gets to know of Red (Morgan Freeman) and his friends. Red is the man who could get things which are not accessible in prison. Andy on the other hand is the guy one would rarely encounter in prison. He is not the average raging guy. He calculates the length of his conversation with the other party. He scales himself to such precision in exactly knowing the consequences. He also knows when to cross the line to get the things done. He is the man everyone wishes to be in exigencies but never wants to contain their emotions as him. It is as if he might explode any moment due to the cruelty been done to him. Some times we wish he cries, maybe for a moment. But he never does and we realize that he is more than a person. As Red defines him after their first conversation as, “He strolled. like a man in a park without a care or worry. Like he had on an invisible coat that would shield him from this place.” The movie runs on the narration of Red and hence for Red, Andy is the man who is totally out of place and yet remains so intact. Andy does not change his way of actions to be adaptable to the environment but tries to change the environment a bit and himself a bit. Along with Red, we see Andy as a super hero in the city of Shawshank. But his super hero functions in a totally different and clandestine way.

The movie plays the character as the Red and the audience wishes to see. We do not get the inner most emotions of Andy. On the outer layer of him stands this tall and calm eyed thinker. Red is the closest one but still is not close enough emotionally. They share a unique bond wherein they respect each others inner philosophies towards life. No one talks out loud on it. And it happens when Andy talks about hope, his way of seeing life. What Red says during these instances as “Hope as the dangerous thing” is most applicable to the place they are in. It seems to have real grit truth in it. It appears true for us mainly due to the reason that director Frank Darabont has made us feel the reality of it close to our heart and mind. And Andy comes close to this reality near the end or it appears so.

This film is close to what any one might see the real celebration as well as loss of hope. It plays the final tone with immaculate precision. The constitution which designs the law states that the means to the end is important. It is the way of telling that two wrongs do not make the right. Here there emerges the question of it. What Andy does is very questionable in all aspects of it. But by that time there is the comfortable conviction of his actions. The screenplay paves those actions to be rightly justified. The clever portrayal of the situation and ambience of all bad and coming out clean of it is the execution of perfection. He does try the right way and the screenplay plays it at the right time.

The film appeals in so many ways but there are very key notes to be mentioned. Life is similar to the prison of Shawshank. Everyone definitely identifies it. For everyone it is a struggle to survive. There is Warden Norton (Bob Gunton) and his associates. The world right now is a constant threat to the survival. The movie makes itself to identify those survival struggles to each and every one. But it does not overdo it to make everyone’s improper complaints to be recognized with it. Another factor is the bond in between Andy and Red. Living in a place like that, respect and privacy of opinions remain a laughing issue. And two male having those is also the analogy of love getting transpired without any intentions or return. These two key factors are something which I associate myself with this movie. It pops out numerous of this kind every time it is been watched.

“The Shawshank Redemption” is a reminder that there can be solution for anything and everything. It also gives the breaking point for some people and reviving for some other. Brooks (James Whitmore) is a character which will remain as a constant nag from the movie. Two ways of looking at his end, one being that he is finally in a place of peace. Second, as Andy says losing hope. But at his age of brink ness towards end, what can be really said about losing hope? And that’s exactly been answered by the end of the movie. There can be lot of negations made with age as consideration. It is really sad to see Brooks end but at the same instance, it could have been better for him. Red is the actual justification of the hope being retained more than Andy in the end. Granted that Andy forms the crux of it that lives it till the end, but learning from it is even more crucial. Red could have easily opted for what Brooks had, but finds the final piece of something which of course cannot be reached by any one as Andy defines music and hope as his.

Attaining the concepts of those in a 142 minutes movie is clearly a hard challenge. Giving it with the pace and intriguing movement of events for a long period of time is next to impossible. Generally movies which are long as termed in Hollywood trend concentrates on the details of a story. Details which involves various events to punch the enormity and vastness of it. Here they have the details been laid on the emotions. Emotions of being alone in a place filled with men. The feeling of being in prison is very well felt not due to the uniforms and guards but the absence of any female characters at all. The movie entirely amplifies upon those emotional nuances over the event details.

There are films which are identified as land marks in the history of cinema. Those landmarks are mainly been recognized by their artsy contribution along with its social awareness. Some portrayed the mind of a gangster, many portrayed the effects of war and some gave the human emotions of different individuals. Those movies while reached its audience do not come out of the screen to all the people. “The Shawshank Redemption” is a movie which is marked as the symbol of hope which for its inspiring moments drives the people watching it to believe in it even in their deepest dire situations in life.