The Shawshank Redemption

100 Movies in 100 Days
Movie 1 Day 1
The Shawshank Redemption

I had an odd day. It was a rainy day as I waited for my new movie poster to arrive. I was on the edge of my seat the whole day, trying to figure out what my first movie will be. I was also encouraged because I had several people come up to me and tell me how excited they were to read the blog. Made me feel incredibly supported. I've always wanted to make my living writing film reviews. At this point in my life, I'm not getting paid but that doesn't mean I can't do what I love.

At First Glance.....
It may surprise the few readers I have that I have never sat down and watched The Shawshank Redemption in it's entirety. I've seen the ending at least 10 times on TNT but I've never taken the time to watch the movie from beginning to end. I know it was adapted from a Stephen King book. Unfortunately, I have never read the book but I'm sure it's brilliant. I was surprised to find out that the movie was directed by Frank Darabont. That is the same guy who created The Walking Dead! I thought that was a fun little fact.

The format for these reviews is a bit rough. I'm trying to see which works best. I figured I will write down my initial thoughts on the film and then go from there. Feel free to comment and help me improve this blog. This is not just about my need to watch film but engaging the readers I have.

Thoughts while watching

What a brilliant soundtrack. The music in this movie is truly fantastic with undertones of heartache and sorrow. The music echos the loneliness of the characters and the darkness of the prison. At times the music is sinister as it reflects the pure evil of Warden Norton and the guards.

One of the things that bothered me from the beginning is did Andy really kill his wife and her lover? Andy always swore he never murdered them and Tommy claimed some guy confessed but was it true? We never see what happens the night of the murder. We know Andy had a gun and was drunk. Would you feel differently if Andy was guilty? I'm still on the fence if he was telling the truth or not. I love how Red stood by his friend's side and believed in his innocence until the very end.

Morgan Freeman's speech at his final parole hearing is Hollywood gold, beautifully acted, scripted and filmed. The entire ending of the film is so well done. The parallels between Brooks and Red once they are released is terrifying. The entire ending, I was holding my breath and I know the ending of the movie! That is how you know a film is truly great, you find yourself forgetting you've seen it before.

Reflection

The theme of hope is reflected throughout the entire film. Is hope uplifting and helpful or is hope dangerous? I found the question of hope being dangerous lingering in the back of my mind the entire film. When I was in college, I heard the story of Pandora's box. The myth claims when Pandora's box was opened all sickness and sin spilled out and infected mankind. The only thing that remained inside of the box was hope. Is hope a blessing or a burden? I think it can be both. Hope can keep you hanging on when you are at the end of your rope. Andy clung to hope for 20 years and was able to escape. Red believed hope was dangerous and one should accept one's fate. I think once Red saw that Andy's hope paid off, he started to believe as well. In the end, all Red had was hope. Hope that he would get parole, hope that he could find the tree and rock, hope that he could find Andy again. Hope drove Red to fight a little bit longer and harder, even when he was ready to give up.

I understand why this movie is a classic. I'm shocked that it never won a single Oscar. It didn't even do very well at the box office (thanks IMDB). It did great on VHS rentals and it helped that it was always playing on TNT. The Shawshank Redemption is a beautifully written movie, it has heart and soul. It is worthy of the title Hollywood Classic.

Times I cried: 5

When I Cried:
*Drinking Beer on the roof
*Brooks Was Here
*When Red talks about Birds are not meant to be caged and missing his friend.
*When Red signs next to Brooks Was Here followed by "Get busy living or get busy dying"
*A reunion next to the ocean