... The Shawshank Redemption does none of theses things yet remains one of the most memorable and critically acclaimed films of modern cinema. It relies on the things that have films always had relied on prior to the modern explosion of studio technology and special affects, a good story and some ... Read review
Fear can hold you prisoner...Hope can set you free. City banker Andy Dufresne (Tim ... more
Robbins) arrived at Shawshank Prison in 1947. Convicted of two brutal murders he received a double life sentence and discovers that when they send you to Shawshank Sta...
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City Banker Andy Dufresne is in Shawshank State Prison after receiving a double life ... more
sentence for murder. There he meets Red and also forms friendships with the warden and prison guards. Andy soon finds that you either get on with living or you get on ...
WhenThe Shawshank Redemptionwas released in 1994, some critics complained that this ... more
popular prison drama was too long (142 minutes) to sustain its plot. Those complaints miss the point, because the passage of time is crucial to this story about patienc...
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How did a low-key prison movie which was considered a box-office flop on its original ... more
release become one of the most popular movies of all time? Mark Kermode traces the history of this unexpected audience favourite from the pages of Stephen King's novella "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" through the icy corridors of Ohio's Mansfield Reformatory (whose imposing gothic architecture dominates the film) to the television and video screens on which "The Shawshank Redemption" became a phenomenon. This study traces the history of "The Shawshank Redemption" and draws on interviews with writer/director Frank Darabont and leading players Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. The book also explores the near-religious fervour that the film inspires in a huge number of devoted fans.
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This Definitive Special Edition Box Set Is Packed With Over 4 Hours Of Extras And ... more
Commentary By Director Frank Darabont That Will Both Inspire And Enthral.Nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Film and Best Actor, this film is an extraordinary tale of hope, friendship and survival inside a maximum security prison.
Nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actor (Morgan Freeman), ... more
this film is an extraordinary tale of hope, friendship and survival inside a maximum security prison.Wrongly accused city banker Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) arrives at Shawshank Prison in 1947 after receiving a double life sentence for the brutal murders of his wife and her lover.He discovers that when they send you to Shawshank for life...that's exactly what they take.His quiet strength slowly earns him the respect and friendship of the prison fixer Red (Morgan Freeman). He also becomes popular with the warden and prison guards, as he is able to use his banking experience to help the corrupt officials amass fortunes.But Andy's seemingly stoic acceptance of his unjust imprisonment hides a fierce determination for freedom and provides a unique chance to change his fate.This beautifully crafted movie features powerful performances from the entire cast and ultimately provides an uplifting message about the power of the human spirit and the value of hope.
Production Year: 2003 - Drama - Director: Michael Winterbottom - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Tim Robbins, Samantha Morton, Om Puri, Jeanne Balibar
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Advantages: great acting in a classic of modern cinema Disadvantages: slow but rewarding
...big epic tale or cover the planet using the beauty of the natural world as a backdrop. The Shawshank Redemption does none of theses things yet remains one of the most memorable and critically acclaimed films of modern cinema. It relies on the things that have films always had relied on prior to the modern explosion of studio technology and special affects, a good story and some great acting. It's a small and fairly slow story but it plays out with ... ...It defies a genre, compels the emotions and delivers a film of an artistic quality that Hollywood had been lacking for years and all from Frank Darabont's directorial debut.
Based on the Stephen King novel "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" this is the story of Andy, a young banker, who finds himself in Shawshank prison for a double murder that he claims that he didn't commit. The ongoing joke in the prison is that ... more
Some films rely on big special effects to make an impact, others rely on complex and clever story lines and unexpected plot twists to leave a lasting impression, others cover generations to deliver a big epic tale or cover the planet using the beauty of the natural world as a backdrop. The Shawshank Redemption does none of theses things yet remains one of the most memorable and critically acclaimed films of modern cinema. It relies on the things that have films always had relied on prior to the modern explosion of studio technology and special affects, a good story and some great acting. It's a small and fairly slow story but it plays out with such intensity and skill that it remains one of the most gripping and watchable of films. It defies a genre, compels the emotions and delivers a film of an artistic quality that Hollywood had been lacking for years and all from Frank Darabont's directorial debut.
Based on the Stephen King novel "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" this is the story of Andy, a young banker, who finds himself in Shawshank prison for a double murder that he claims that he didn't commit. The ongoing joke in the prison is that everyone is innocent and all inmates have been "screwed over by a lawyer". Its 1949 and then life really does mean life unless a parole board see fit to release a prisoner early, they rarely do. Andy is determined that the walls around him wont hold him back and although the physical constraints of the prison are as restrictive to him as everyone else, his mind is always in a better place. After a rough start he befriends a long serving inmate called Red, and it is Andy's resolve and manner that cause him to re-evaluate the world around him. Slowly Andy manages to win over not only fellow prisoners but also many of the guards as well and through various schemes manages to make life better for his fellow prisoners. He seems to accept all the ban with the few good things that come his way with patience and acceptance as if it's all part of a bigger plan that only he is aware of.
Stephen King proved that although he is best known for one genre in particular, he could step outside his normal field and still create a memorable piece of modern literature, in some ways it is still horror but horror of a different kind, the realisation that men's lives can unfold over ten, twenty or even thirty years with the same enforced, trapped routine and inevitability, real horror. The film adaptation also does the same and in many ways, due to the visual aspects of its medium improves on the source. Prison stories don't have to rely on fights and hard men in power struggles and this film shows a deeper and more realistic view of the subject. For all its obvious elements, the film really deals with abstract subjects such as hope and freedom. Whilst those around him have resigned themselves to their walled world, even to the point of being fearful of having to rejoin the real world again, Andy shows that with the right mental attitude the mind can remain free. It's a film that is about the human spirit, a very understated and well-paced film, evolving slowly over the twenty years that the story covers. Much of the setting is a drab backdrop making the characters always the focal point and when key events do take place you are never distracted by having too much going on around it. A lesser writer or a lesser director would have gone for the more obvious plot lines action and clichéd and hackneyed sub plots, but here the slow burning nature of the film makes the resolution all the more sweet. Ever scene is considered and necessary to the development of the film. Its also a film that leaves you feeling optimistic, not necessarily relating to the characters themselves, but the film seems to have the ability to connect with your soul.
Like I said earlier it's a film that relies on the age-old building blocks of story and acting and if king is enough to get you interested as the source of the story, the actors that bring this story to life are the real draw here. Tim Robbins plays Andy in a role that he has never bettered, its quite quality as an actor that makes this role so right for him. Morgan Freeman as the jaded inmate that becomes Andy's lifelong friend also plays a memorable part and even though the story revolves mainly around the effect both of these men have on each other, Bob Gunton who plays the prison warden is also particularly memorable in a role of pure evil and James Whitmore who plays an institutionalised inmate who fears leaving the prison is a gem. The true acting skill of the other supporting actors is that you don't really notice them much, making the scenes believable and focused. Similarly Thomas Newman's gentle score adds to the film without intruding on the acting. Whispering flutters of piano weave around the dialogue as if they were scripted along side the actor's words.
All in all it's a surprising and rewarding film of a type that is rarely made these days and is worth investing a couple of hours in. its also a film that I find watching again as it has a lot to say about the human condition, especially when faced with loss of freedom and leaves you feeling positive about humanity.
...Hollywood fodder for one reason: the delicate balance between style and substance. Style being the visual appeal of the film and the spectacle that it creates. Substance being the raw emotion, grit, blood, sweat and tears that lots of recent ‘flicks’ fail to achieve because their focus is that of style. There are not many modern films that can rival the charm, finesse and shear emotional satisfaction that can rival the classics. Thankfully the film ... ...“The Shawshank Redemption”: one of the best films of the last ten years and possibly ever made. “The Shawshank Redemption” was nominated for seven academy awards (including Best Film and Best Actor at the 1995 Academy Awards. It was however rapped at the 1995 Academy Awards by Forrest Gump (as was Pulp Fiction) but funny enough, The Shawshank Redemption has frequently been voted one of the greatest films of all time as has “Pulp Fiction” and where ...
DarkMark 01.03.2003 (22.06.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Shawshank Redemption (DVD)
Advantages: One of the most moving films ever. Disadvantages: No explaination of sub-plots.
The Shawshank Redemption
"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."
When my mum sat me down about two years ago to watch The Shawshank Redemption, I don't know what I expected, but whatever it was this film managed to touch my heart. It's a story of injustice, a story of friendship, but most of all, a story of hope.
***The Plot***
The film starts with the trial of Andy Dufresne, and after being declared guilty, ... ...life sentences ahead of him. The other inmates are dubious of Andy at first, saying that he was "a real cold fish". Despite this, Andy forms an unlikely friendship with Red, the prison "fixer", that continues throughout the film. We then follow Andy's life in prison. You see when him and some other inmates tarred the license-plate factory roof and "sat with the sun on the back of [their] shoulders and felt like free men". He becomes Brooks' assistant ...
hays298 27.09.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Shawshank Redemption (DVD)
Advantages: The most satisfying film ever! Disadvantages: None
...deciding what to watch on the TV that night and it happened to be on. My mum suggested we watch it saying it was quite good and told me that it was set in a prison. At that I screwed up my face at the thought of it. I mainly enjoy romantic comedies, Disney, thrillers and horror films. It fell into none of those categories. It just sounded dull and boring but I reluctantly agreed to watch it. Thank goodness I did. I'm glad my mum was insistent or ... ...It is set in the year 1947. It is a story of courage and brutal truths of what prison can be like and how all the inmates deal with it. Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) an intelligent banker, is convicted of two brutal murders. Of his wife, and her lover after having found out his wife was having an affair. The tale sees him on his journey though life at Shawshank. The story for the film, written by Stephen King couldn't be better. I have't read a lot ...
L.Yeomans 09.07.2003 (13.07.2003)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Shawshank Redemption (DVD)
Advantages: Just a fantastic film Disadvantages: nothing
Based on the book 'Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption' the film stars Tim Robbins as Andy Dufrene and Morgan Freeman as Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding as they spend their life in a fictional penitentiary in Maine. The prison is called Shawshank State Prison. The film follows Andy as he spends two decades in the cruelty of Shawshank and his friendship with Red, who is a fellow inmate. Like Green Mile, the film is about being wrongly convicted of a crime, ... ...the rest of his life in prison. ===The Cast===
Andy Dufrene (Tim Robbins): Robbins wasn't the first choice to play this role, Tom Hanks, Kevin Costner, Tom Cruise, Nicholas Cage and even Charlie Sheen were all considered for the role, but Robbins managed to come through and delivered a fantastic performance as Andy Dufrene. Red (Morgan Freeman): The king of narration wasn't the first choice either. The casting directors wasn't Harrison Ford of Robert ...
DixieChick10 30.06.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Shawshank Redemption (DVD)
Advantages: Well written. Well acted. Just a really great film! Disadvantages: People think you are silly when you say you've watched it loads of times.
The Shawshank Redemption is one of the best films I have ever seen. I don't make this claim lightly; it IS and I have watched a lot of good films over the years. When I first watched it , on a video borrowed from the library, I didn't expect it was going to have such a big impact on me. I thought it was going to be just another prison drama, but I was very wrong and really glad I had taken a chance and decided to take it home.
Shawshank Redemption ... ...brutal American Penitentiary, and about the lives of the prisoners, the Gouvernor and the Prison Guards. It tells of the struggles of the inmates to survive and hopefully get parole and leave before they die, but it is about more than that! Not only is it a beautiful piece of cinema, - wonderfully shot, acted and written, it is also a portrait of the American Penal System from the 1940s onwards. It deals with the injustices, the poor conditions and ...
tange 19.08.2001 (20.08.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Shawshank Redemption (DVD)
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Advantages: It's only one of the best films of all time! Disadvantages: In my opinion there are none
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The Verdict
Overall I think The ShawshankRedemption is a great film, and I would rate it as one of the best films I have ever seen. It's a gritty, dark (almost black & white) film set in a run-down prison. There's bad language, some strong violence, but beyond that is a film that will live in your mind forever. How many films have given people the power to change their life for the better? How many films have given such a strong message across that it has helped people get through hard times? Well? I can think of one - The ShawshankRedemption.
DVD Extra's?
Included with this limited edition DVD are some great extra's including some fabulous interviews with the director and the cast. All these add to an already superb film to create a must have DVD. Buy it now and add this masterpiece to your collection. ...
Advantages: Acting, Plot and Music Disadvantages: Disadvantages... don't make me laugh.
a film and quite often scenes are more effective without music, usually with the amount of music in the ShawshankRedemption I would feel that it was slightly overrun and spoilt the feature. In this film on the other hand this was not the case and I thought that all the music in the film although some may not have been totally necessary was valuable and the film benefited significantly from it.
^^^DVD Summary^^^
The DVD wasn?t particularly well presented although has a wide variety of special features that give a greater insight to the making of the film, the actors opinions, critics opinions, the writers and directors input so you can develop a greater understanding of the ideas and inspiration they had for writing and directing the script/film. All in all a very decent DVD with a useful and wide selection of special features, better ...
Advantages: great film Disadvantages: it took me years to find
This is a classic film that I actually only saw it a few years ago and I am gutted that it took me this long to find it as it's a film that shows the harsh realities that a prisoner has to face and then it ends with the prisoners getting one up on the prison officers after the years of torture that they had been put through.
It's about a city banker Andy Dufresne played by Tim Robbins when he arrives at Shawshank Prison in 1947, he was convicted of two brutal murders and received a double life sentence.
In Shawshank Andy forms an unlikely friendship with Red played by Morgan Freeman who was the prison fixer, you name it he managed to get it for you anything you required. Andy made may other friends, but he also becomes popular with the Warden and the prison's guards, as Andy is able to use his banking experience to help the corrupt ...
Contains frequent strong language, violence and sexual assault
Video Category
Feature Film
Country Of Origin
United States of America
Plot
City Banker Andy Dufresne is in Shawshank State Prison after receiving a double life sentence for murder. There he meets Red and also forms friendships with the warden and prison guards. Andy soon finds that you either get on with living or you get on with dying.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD, Blu-ray
Studio(s)
CINEMA CLUB; SONY DADC, ITV DVD; CINRAM LOGISTICS, 2 ENTERTAIN VIDEO; DISC DISTRIBUTION LTD.
"...A slow, gentle story of camaraderie....THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION has its own brand of iconoclasm..." (New York Times, p.C3, 23/09/1994)
"...[The pairing of Freeman and Robbins] sparks moments of true grace and emotion..." (Premiere, p.145, 01/04/1995)
"...Undeniably powerful and moving..." (Rolling Stone, p.81, 06/10/1994)
DVD Description
City Banker Andy Dufresne is in Shawshank State Prison after receiving a double life sentence for murder. There he meets Red and also forms friendships with the warden and prison guards. Andy soon finds that you either get on with living or you get on with dying.
Adapted from a novella taken from Stephen King's 'Different Seasons' (a collection of stories that would also spawn STAND BY ME and APT PUPIL), THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION marked the first foray into the realms of the writer for director Frank Darabont. In the years since the release of THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, Darabont has directed two other King Adaptations, THE GREEN MILE and THE MIST. Considered to be a financial failure upon its release, and overshadowed by PULP FICTION and FORREST GUMP at the Oscars, THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION has since been re-evaluated as something of a modern classic.
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