The Shawshank Redemption (1994) is the number one movie on IMDb's Top 250 Films List. In my opinion, it is the most criminally underrated movie ever (pun intended). The movie was nominated for seven Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Writing-Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, and Best Music-Original Score, but did not take home any wins. In total, the film won 21 awards from 1994 to 1997. The movie was based on the 1982 Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption and was adapted and directed by Frank Darabont. Darabont is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer nominated for three Oscars and a Golden Globe Award. Known primarily for his early career in horror films, he gradually moved towards adaptations of works in his later career thanks to Stephen King's Dollar Deal.
The movie stars Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne and Morgan Freeman as Ellis Boyd' Red' Redding with the support from Bob Gunton and William Sadler. The film was shot entirely in the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio, because of its Gothic-style stone and brick buildings. The facility had been closed in 1990 due to inhumane living conditions. The movie follows the story of two imprisoned men on life imprisonment who bond over several years, finding solace and eventual redemption. The film is full of sins and sinners in a story about criminals and corrupt officers. The Warden claims to be a very religious person, knowing the Bible inside and out. Does the Warden's devotion to God and Christianity absolve him of his wrongdoings?
In Shawshank, everybody is guilty of wrongdoing. Even Andy, the one innocent guy, feels remorse for how he behaved in his marriage. He feels he drove Linda away and indirectly got her killed. Then once he started doing the Warden's dirty work, he became a crook himself. As he said in the film, it took going to prison to become a criminal. However, every sinner can achieve redemption if genuinely desired. With all the religious overtones, this entire story is a metaphor for a soul being damned to Hell (Shawshank), then going through purgatory (the sewer), and finally being allowed into Heaven (Zihuatanejo).
The idea that people can achieve redemption no matter how severe their actions are is the basis of the prison system. You do the crime, so you do the time. Shawshank is no different. Red has been denied his parole three times because he felt that he had insufficient time to redeem himself. Finally, at the movie's end, he is honest with the parole board and states that he won't be a threat to the public anymore and is safely released. Red has been on his path of redemption. It took him thirty years, but he could redeem himself and take accountability for his actions. Andy was innocent going into prison but left a criminal. However, he vindicated himself by releasing evidence to the press and the police, which led to Shawshank's money laundering business being shut down.
The Warden, on the other hand, is meant to be the perfect citizen. He is meant to show the prisoners what it means to be a functional member of society. However, he's the one whose crimes are the worst. He uses prison labor, accepts bribes from every avenue possible, and makes Andy do the bookkeeping for pennies. Just because he claims to be a devout Christian does not make him a good Christian. The Warden uses a homemade Bible quote embroidery to hide his safe. This symbolism could not be more blatantly obvious to the viewers: he hides his crimes behind his religion. Knowing every passage of the Bible means more than just reciting it; it means that you must be willing to act on those principles, yet also come to your conclusions based on modern society. The Bible states that anyone can achieve redemption. In that case, the Warden could be redeemed for his crimes, but he was afraid of facing the consequences of his actions. Therefore, he took the un-Christian way out: suicide. In his case, redemption would no longer be possible.
The Shawshank Redemption is such a literary and visual piece of art that I found it challenging to write the words that described the movie adequately. I genuinely believe that The Shawshank Redemption is a cinematic masterpiece and everyone has to watch it once before they die. Much like Donnie Darko and Inception, The Shawshank Redemption is one of the movies that you have to watch several times to understand the scope of its brilliance fully.
Commentaires