What a terrific review. You dig deep, and that provides great satisfaction in understanding the subject matter. This particular movie is one of my all-time favorites, and your treatment here shows a fine grasp of the film. Thank you.
Mine is “when they put you in that cell and those bars slam home that's when you know it's for real. A whole life blown away in the blink of an eye. Nothing left but all the time in the world to think about it” simple line but such a powerful thought.
A perfect movie, with an ending that is joyous and happy. I cry every time. Tears of ultimate joy. My eyes are welling up as I type this, seeing Andy and Red together again. A love story to be sure.
And to think...that scene was NOT going to be in the final cut. It was only added after the director's hand was forced either by the producer or a focus group...either way, i'm glad for it.
I had an undiagnosed ailment in 2008 and had to go into hospital in 2008. It was three days before the Beijing Olympics started. They couldn’t diagnose me. So I was in for the whole two week trip Olympic event. During that time I was moved to a ward with a DVD player. And I asked for my family to bring in some of my faves. Shawshank was one of them. The simple fact is that shawshank is one of the greatest movies ever made. From the writing, to the acting to the music. It’s top .5%. Of all time. Everyone in my ward at the time(Random guys, from all walks of life), had tears in their eyes from a single watch. And that has to mean something. It’s an instant classic. And a timeless one. If I could meet time robbins, frank darabont or Morgan freeman, all I’d want to do is shake their hands. And say thanks. For the greatest cinematic masterpiece I have ever seen.
I've watching your channel for hours now. Thank you man, I just found one of the greats screenwriting channels. Keep doing it, I'm sure in the near future it's going to get the attention that it deserves. Best wishes from Uruguay.
Thank you for your analysis.. There was something about this particular movie that kept me going back to watch it on tv and streaming services. This was out of the ordinary because I don’t particularly care for watching anything more than once. Your analysis helped me understand why I am so drawn to Shawshank Redemption.
@@ScriptSleuth Idk, why but you know what is another greatest film of all time in my opinion. The plague dog's and where the red fern grows..both had me crying buckets at thier ending like...bad..lol.
Probably the most cathartic ending for a movie I've ever seen and the main reason why it's one of my favorite movies of all time. I cry everytime I see it.
18:53 holy heck this seems to have been put into red dead redemption . I do RP on RDR2 and this tree is in the planes of black water . If you head from black water to strawberry it’s on your left . I never made the connection until now .
When I read this "short" story by STEPHEN KING the power of the words required me to go back and read the sentence again. Many of those thoughts are the exact lines spoken in Morgan Feeman's remarkable voice. This is a beautiful story and you explained many of the reasons why. Before the fame of the movie (which did poorly in theaters) you could win a bar bet by knowing that Stephen King (the scary movie guy!) was the writer. Now, that is common knowledge. Thank you.
One part you forgot to mention was the inconsistency of where he smashes the pipe open and it explodes. The only reason it would do this is if it was under pressure . Yet when he crawled through the pipe it was only an inch or three deep. Clearly not under pressure. If it was under pressure then the level would be higher than a few inches .
Just watched it for the someteenth time & the occasional look at imdb to see who'd been in what & if they were still with us. Terrific review, thankyou.
I don't really think Shawshank Redemption is the greatest film ever made. It's fanastic, yes. It is relatively safe in it's writing and technical aims. In other words, it's not as ambitious as I think the title 'greatest film ever made' should be. That's being said, it's easy to understand why it's beloved. It just makes you feel good by the end. Red/Andy's friendship is amazing. The villains get the payoff they deserve. (Including Boggs, btw). And that ending. Oh that ending scene.
I provided the fleshing out of the King short story for the screenwriter. I added my Georgia Tech business degree knowledge of tax returns/accounting, and lots of little episodes for it. It was natural, I never once thought about the concepts you bring on, however. Nice to see you thinking though it seems to me that your analysis only makes for duplication of past efforts, anathema to me. Like I did Pirates 123, I had to make it new and fresh each time, with the courage to do so since I had no stake in the game.
More videos are available exclusively for Patreon members: Breaking Bad City of God Cries and Whispers Do the Right Thing Forrest Gump It's a Wonderful Life - Part 1 It's a Wonderful Life - Part 2 Memories of Murder The Lives of Others For access to these videos, go to: www.patreon.com/scriptsleuth
another thing: when andy said "you know not when the master of the house cometh" it could also be interpreted as andy (the master of the house) exposes the warden and therefore laying judgement on him, making the his judgement cometh sign in the warden office all the more meaningful. (which is another big story reversal in and of itself)
Not sure if there is such a thing as a 'perfect' movie, but The Shawshank Redemption is as close as I've ever seen one get. Been my personal #1 from the very first time I watched it.
Thank you so much for uploading these interesting moving pictures. Would you analyse: 1. A River Runs Through it, 2. Top Gun, 3. Forest Gump, 4. Road House, 5. School Tie, 6. Remember the Titans, 7. Horse Whisperer.
@@ScriptSleuth Thanks for the reply. It is a shame, really, that the studio has blocked the review of Forest Gump. One of my favourite moving pictures is Dersu Uzala. Masterpiece storytelling.
Shawshank is number 1 on imdb because there was a campaign to get Dark Knight to number 1. In the process, the number 1 at the time (Godfather) was review bombed with 1 stars making it go down to second place.
I adapted the King story for Shawshank Redemption. It's mostly what I would have done in prison. I'm a Georgia Tech business graduate, hence all the tax returns. I found the cure for criminal behavior, a pheromone. It's trivial to cure criminality, drug addiction, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's. It's like I've been in prison myself all these years living in poverty to improve my genius.
I haven't read the book but the voice-over narration is so good, simple and almost poetic. I don't know if it is King's writing or the screen writer. One small criticism in the name of authenticity. Everyone in prison is homosexual and the aggressors are usually type A straight guys who would never call themselves, "The Sisters"
Wonderful comments. I also think this is a movie describing humanity in a closed and authoritarian community, by portraying normal people living in prison. Aka as people living in whats called normal society. This movie is a mirror in front of us (all).
There is a huge part that wasn't covered here--the climax of the movie w/ Dufresne's escape ends up not only triggering a lot of Chekhov's Guns all in a row, but the audience isn't even aware that they were sprinkled into the plot the entire time. And it STILL manages to do it without any of these outcomes feeling cheap or unearned. So that ends up tying the movie together in a way where before it might have felt like many disconnected events AND recontextualizing nearly everything that came before.
Stephen King never gets a mention in these shawshank redemption videos, even though, for me, the book is better. Read 'Different seasons' by Stephen King, a collection of 4 Novellas, the first one being 'Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank redemption' Another novella in that book is 'the body', wich was made into a movie called 'stand by me'
@@svavars.kjartansson1012 I hear you, and I appreciate what you're saying. I did read the novellas and I loved them. This channel just focuses on the finished film (and adapted screenplay).
There are reversals at the scene, sequence, act and story levels in Shawshank Redemption. Are there any movies with dramatic irony at the scene, sequence, act, and story levels?
Here's the corrected version: The things that should come forward more than anything are the blatantly obvious, but never discussed openly. We all seem to identify with prisoners. We long for freedom, and it's art that gives us hope. Even towards the end, where do we find Andy? Hard at work, aiming towards even greater freedoms even though he can't know that Red is on his way to him. What greater symbol for freedom than the open sea? Andy is unusual in that he has an entire world inside him distinct from that which the others inhabit. He is able to make himself free, I will posit, because in some sense he is possessed of a freedom that the walls of the prison cannot contain. This is the very substance of his "bright feathers." Ironically, it is this inner world that denies him the capacity to love his wife properly. - Art is embodied in the creativity to steadfastly labor in secret on something that challenges you to your core, and places inhuman demands on you all the while the world is asking of you the same inhuman demands and you say nothing of it to anyone. Often, it hides behind something as pedestrian as it is mysterious - the object of our affections. - The main characters are of opposing race. The denial of race in this film is so strong, a man we might refer to as "black" outside of the film is referred to as "Red." When the inmates leave prison, they are forced to face a fate worse than the regularity of prison, and the changing of race relations isn't even mentioned. Othering takes place through different boundaries, and in a sense, the release from those complications offers the audience a taste of a world wherein those particular chains are not evident. This is a story about hope and freedom in the US, but the themes reach further than those boundaries. - The complicated situations that give rise to the drama are not easily interwoven. Though the story feels simple and direct, guided by Freeman's soothing Tennessee tones, the tale has complications rivaling Greek tragedy. For example, the business of Norton killing Tommy because if Andy is freed, it will stymie his ability to continue using him for theft. I could continue by laying out the situation between Andy and his wife, but this isn't essential. The essential bit is what we learn from it. What's interesting here is that Andy needs to remain relatable as well as likable. His compromises cannot be highlighted too heavily and it must appear as though he has no choice in the matter. - The complicated nature of that portion of the narrative dissipates towards the end as the viewer is guided gently through each of the small stories making up the conclusion. This must be intentional. We're not watching a Nolan film here, where complications increase towards a Bach-like crescendo. The audience is granted escape from the prison of the information age here, where new paradigms are dumped on us every other week if not faster. - The primary prison, time, is denied much of its bite when respite from the speeding change of the outer world comforts as it cages. I get the sense that this film operates as a kind of capsule where we are allowed to feel the comfort of the inmates, and in much the same way that Andy takes a risk to ensure that the inmates are granted respite with cool beers on a rooftop, the filmmakers offer a form of charity via a film that counters the anxieties of our age.
Shawshank humanizes prisoners like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest (another great movie) humanizes mental patients at the ward, and their commonality rests in that both depict characters that are deprived of their freedom, and that both have freedom as one of their major themes.
I’m a big Steven king fan although ‘horror’ is not my genre literally or cinematically.. my faves of his are ‘the stand’ , pet cemetery and ‘dark side’ I’ve seen other commentary that gave screen play writer a great amount of credit for the movie, but I read the ‘ novella’ short story and it seemed to be almost verbatim..
I love this review. I just want to point out that Warden Norton did indeed violate the commandment, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” When Norton was in Andy’s jail cell after discovering the escape, Norton said, “ Lord it’s a miracle.” As an audience at this point, we know Norton does not believe in miracles and he said that with pure sarcasm and blasphemy.
@@ScriptSleuthThanks for the reply and thanks for putting this awesome video together. It’s thorough, well-organized and enjoyable. As a huge Shank fan, or a Shankie as I call myself, I am delighted with your analysis. ❤❤
One feature is the reversal of the normal and of audience expectation: The protagonists Andy and Red are not handsome, whereas the bad men are: The blond prison guard, the blond abuser prisoner and the Warden.
All the rules in the world won't make a mediocre movie great. Shawshank may observe those rules but there is an underlying beauty/tragedy that cannot be defined or quantified.
@@ScriptSleuth "mommy ? What's my figurative throat? Why did you bring me here? This is not the zoo..! There are grown-ups in the cages..is daddy really on a long business trip?" Jk - the ratings system is definitely vague.
![ไลฟ์สุ่ม iPhone 295 บาท... โกงมั้ย?[ โกงมั้ยครับ ep.97 ] | DOM](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/gdstHEE4UUE/mqdefault.jpg)
What a terrific review. You dig deep, and that provides great satisfaction in understanding the subject matter. This particular movie is one of my all-time favorites, and your treatment here shows a fine grasp of the film. Thank you.
You're welcome, Robert! Thank you for tuning in and leaving a comment.
"I guess I just miss my friend" That's the line out of many great ones that I remember the most.
And it makes me cry every time!
And mine would be: "Some birds are not meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright."
Mine is “when they put you in that cell and those bars slam home that's when you know it's for real. A whole life blown away in the blink of an eye. Nothing left but all the time in the world to think about it” simple line but such a powerful thought.
and in second place: "...and for the briefest of moments every single man in Shawshank felt free."
Mine is “Alexander…. Dumbass….. dumbass!”
A perfect movie, with an ending that is joyous and happy. I cry every time. Tears of ultimate joy. My eyes are welling up as I type this, seeing Andy and Red together again. A love story to be sure.
Agreed, 100%.
And to think...that scene was NOT going to be in the final cut. It was only added after the director's hand was forced either by the producer or a focus group...either way, i'm glad for it.
Lol... What the fuck. Just checking you're a dude
“….Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things and a good thing never dies.” Pretty much sums up the film.
@@badabing8884 Might have been a better title for the film: Hope Never Dies
@@ScriptSleuth the subtitle of the book was hope springs eternal
I was literally jumping for joy and crying happy tears at the end of the film 🤩
That's when you know you've had a great movie experience! 😊
"I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams". It gets me, always.
@@mariaeddycesario3067 Always makes me weep like a baby!
An absolutely mesmerizing story.
You haven’t mentioned the overwhelming satisfaction the audience receives when the warden gets what he deserves.
Excellent point!
By his own hand!
I thought it was intentionally a wholly unsatisfying ending for him. He got away with everything and escaped justice.
@@619Gotenks unless you are a Christian, where suicide is considered the "unforgivable" sin. Justice in the afterlife is strict indeed.
I had an undiagnosed ailment in 2008 and had to go into hospital in 2008. It was three days before the Beijing Olympics started. They couldn’t diagnose me. So I was in for the whole two week trip Olympic event.
During that time I was moved to a ward with a DVD player. And I asked for my family to bring in some of my faves.
Shawshank was one of them.
The simple fact is that shawshank is one of the greatest movies ever made.
From the writing, to the acting to the music.
It’s top .5%. Of all time.
Everyone in my ward at the time(Random guys, from all walks of life), had tears in their eyes from a single watch.
And that has to mean something.
It’s an instant classic. And a timeless one.
If I could meet time robbins, frank darabont or Morgan freeman, all I’d want to do is shake their hands. And say thanks. For the greatest cinematic masterpiece I have ever seen.
@@vipermark7 What a great story. Thanks for sharing! ❤️
You should thank Stephen King first.
I've watching your channel for hours now. Thank you man, I just found one of the greats screenwriting channels. Keep doing it, I'm sure in the near future it's going to get the attention that it deserves. Best wishes from Uruguay.
Thank you, Jere. I'm happy you found it useful.
me too.. luv it
One of the greatest? It is THE greatest
Great analysis , and I’ve send dozens of them on Shawshank. Always good seeing new angles to the greatest movie ever
Thanks for watching, Chris!
This is my all time favorite movie but could never quite put my finger on what made it so good. This sums it up perfectly.
I used to think the same thing, never knowing exactly what made a movie so good. Now I know it's all about story.
It was hard for me to watch half an hour of content on movies before, especially if it was about screen play but I am addicted to this channel.
That's great to hear! I'm glad it's been useful for you.
I've written a retelling of 'The Shawshank Redemption' --- with bird characters. My novel is called 'The Birdshack Redemption.'
Will Jake be in it? 🐧
@@ScriptSleuth
You guess.
Thank you for your analysis.. There was something about this particular movie that kept me going back to watch it on tv and streaming services. This was out of the ordinary because I don’t particularly care for watching anything more than once. Your analysis helped me understand why I am so drawn to Shawshank Redemption.
Glad you found it useful!
You know how to dissect great films.
You should have millions of views on YT followers.
Aw, shucks. Thanks for the nice comment!
This was one of the few movie's where i was crying tears of joy at the end of it.
I wept like a baby!
@@ScriptSleuth Idk, why but you know what is another greatest film of all time in my opinion. The plague dog's and where the red fern grows..both had me crying buckets at thier ending like...bad..lol.
I was jumping for joy and crying happy tears at the same time
@@abdulazizabdullah6497 lol. Nice.
A shame that you dont get more views. LOVELY STUFF! Keep it up.
Thank you! Slowly but surely.
This is a wonderful video, Daniel! As a nonfiction author, this was most helpful to me... thank you!
You're welcome, Robert! Thanks for the nice comment.
This was so much fun. I learned a ton and I got to visit an old favorite. Cheers! New sub.
@@Crossword131 I'm so glad you enjoyed it! ❤️
Thank you for this! you have no idea how helpful this was
You're welcome! Thanks for watching.
What a great analysis. I had to watch it twice because I enjoyed it, kudos!!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
@@ScriptSleuth I've watched this at least 15 times, your videos are some of the best content on TH-cam
Only twice?🤣
I ve seen it more than 20 times 😚
My all time favourite movie ever 😍 Wonderful analysis!
Thanks for watching, and the nice comment!
Probably the most cathartic ending for a movie I've ever seen and the main reason why it's one of my favorite movies of all time. I cry everytime I see it.
18:53 holy heck this seems to have been put into red dead redemption . I do RP on RDR2 and this tree is in the planes of black water . If you head from black water to strawberry it’s on your left . I never made the connection until now .
Very good videos. You deserve many many subs. Keep up the good work man
Thank you, Austin, for the nice comment!
One of my favourite movies of all time. I can’t believe it didn’t win an Academy Award.
When I read this "short" story by STEPHEN KING the power of the words required me to go back and read the sentence again. Many of those thoughts are the exact lines spoken in Morgan Feeman's remarkable voice. This is a beautiful story and you explained many of the reasons why. Before the fame of the movie (which did poorly in theaters) you could win a bar bet by knowing that Stephen King (the scary movie guy!) was the writer. Now, that is common knowledge. Thank you.
Greatest Movie ever made. Period.
And this is one fine review. You managed to show and explain us why it is SO good. Thanks a lot for this.
@@slcncr Thanks for watching and leaving a nice comment!
One part you forgot to mention was the inconsistency of where he smashes the pipe open and it explodes. The only reason it would do this is if it was under pressure . Yet when he crawled through the pipe it was only an inch or three deep. Clearly not under pressure. If it was under pressure then the level would be higher than a few inches .
Just watched it for the someteenth time & the occasional look at imdb to see who'd been in what & if they were still with us. Terrific review, thankyou.
This is a awesome 🤩 analysis & beautiful post-mortem of a movie 🎥 ..this is a learner’s paradise… heartily thnq for sharing such content..🙏🏼💐
Thanks for the great comment! Glad you enjoyed it.
Every one of your videos I have watched has been superb.
Aw, shucks. I can't take any credit for the amazing sources of screenwriting. Thanks for the comment!
Pure Explained, Thank you "Script sleuth" Wonderful stuff.
You're welcome! Thanks for watching.
Fantastic story telling great characters ,one of the greatest films of all time
I don't really think Shawshank Redemption is the greatest film ever made. It's fanastic, yes. It is relatively safe in it's writing and technical aims. In other words, it's not as ambitious as I think the title 'greatest film ever made' should be. That's being said, it's easy to understand why it's beloved. It just makes you feel good by the end. Red/Andy's friendship is amazing. The villains get the payoff they deserve. (Including Boggs, btw). And that ending. Oh that ending scene.
It's #1 because it's the best movie. It's really got everything one could ask for in an entertaining film.
I provided the fleshing out of the King short story for the screenwriter. I added my Georgia Tech business degree knowledge of tax returns/accounting, and lots of little episodes for it. It was natural, I never once thought about the concepts you bring on, however. Nice to see you thinking though it seems to me that your analysis only makes for duplication of past efforts, anathema to me. Like I did Pirates 123, I had to make it new and fresh each time, with the courage to do so since I had no stake in the game.
Delighted to find this and subbed
Welcome to the channel, William, and thanks!
The way you explained is truly marvelous...
Expecting more of David fincher and Coen's films..
Waiting....
Thanks for watching, Kiran!
Another great video by script sleuth
Thank you, my friend!
I honestly got pulled into Morgan Freeman's narration in between your analysis and your voice made me jump when you came back in
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another thing: when andy said "you know not when the master of the house cometh" it could also be interpreted as andy (the master of the house) exposes the warden and therefore laying judgement on him, making the his judgement cometh sign in the warden office all the more meaningful. (which is another big story reversal in and of itself)
@@Huy-gn1eo Yes! Great observation. Notice how every single thing amplifies the story.
this channel is great, you're doing excellent work ! :)
Thanks, Wal_Sim. You made my day!
This movie makes me cry just thinking about it. Greatest story ever told through the media of film.
So many streaming services. So much content. So few writers. Story writing is an art.
Wow... eagerly waiting... Pls do for The God father
That's an offer I can't refuse...
Great analysis! Thank you
Thanks for watching!
Not sure if there is such a thing as a 'perfect' movie, but The Shawshank Redemption is as close as I've ever seen one get. Been my personal #1 from the very first time I watched it.
Nice explanation... wonderful analysis 🧐
Thanks, Mr. A!
The last line of the movie also parallels the last line of The Count of Monte Cristo. ‘Wait. And hope.’
Thank you so much for uploading these interesting moving pictures.
Would you analyse:
1. A River Runs Through it,
2. Top Gun,
3. Forest Gump,
4. Road House,
5. School Tie,
6. Remember the Titans,
7. Horse Whisperer.
Great list! Forrest Gump had been done but it got blocked by Paramount Studios. 🤷🏻♂️
@@ScriptSleuth Thanks for the reply.
It is a shame, really, that the studio has blocked the review of Forest Gump.
One of my favourite moving pictures is Dersu Uzala. Masterpiece storytelling.
@@AxmedBahjad I absolutely loved that movie! I really need to add a Kurosawa film to the list...
@@ScriptSleuth Cheers.
@@ScriptSleuth what about Throne of Blood (1957)?
Shawshank is number 1 on imdb because there was a campaign to get Dark Knight to number 1. In the process, the number 1 at the time (Godfather) was review bombed with 1 stars making it go down to second place.
This movie has some of the best reversals. The only other I can think that compares is The Sting.
The Sting is an excellent example! The entire movie is full of them.
Probably why these two movies are among my very favorites!
I adapted the King story for Shawshank Redemption. It's mostly what I would have done in prison. I'm a Georgia Tech business graduate, hence all the tax returns. I found the cure for criminal behavior, a pheromone. It's trivial to cure criminality, drug addiction, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's. It's like I've been in prison myself all these years living in poverty to improve my genius.
This was well done!
@@JunebugPresents Thanks for the kind words!
very thorough
Thanks for a great content!
Thank you for watching!
Excellent and Outstanding!!!
Why Did Shawshank Fail at the Boxoffice!!!
@@NigelDeForrest-Pearce-cv6ek I think it had a lot to do with the title.
Shawshank and Life are both in my top 10 of all time.
one of the most cathartic movies i've ever seen
@@adanbarajas4257 Agreed!
this movie is truly a masterpiece
@@caiodlimaM Can't argue with you there! 🙂
Real fine,
Thanks
Cheers, Frank!
amazing video and analysis, also tommy got shot like 10 times in this vid lmao
@@christophergilman7331 Thanks for watching! (Poor Tommy 😅)
Greatest love story ever told.
The warden would have been a "perfect" politician.
good video analysis m8
Thanks! And thank you for watching.
I haven't read the book but the voice-over narration is so good, simple and almost poetic. I don't know if it is King's writing or the screen writer. One small criticism in the name of authenticity. Everyone in prison is homosexual and the aggressors are usually type A straight guys who would never call themselves, "The Sisters"
Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Wonderful comments. I also think this is a movie describing humanity in a closed and authoritarian community, by portraying
normal people living in prison. Aka as people living in whats called normal society. This movie is a mirror in front of us (all).
@@jennynoone Well said!
There is a huge part that wasn't covered here--the climax of the movie w/ Dufresne's escape ends up not only triggering a lot of Chekhov's Guns all in a row, but the audience isn't even aware that they were sprinkled into the plot the entire time. And it STILL manages to do it without any of these outcomes feeling cheap or unearned. So that ends up tying the movie together in a way where before it might have felt like many disconnected events AND recontextualizing nearly everything that came before.
@@rickpgriffin Yes! Well said.
Shawshank Redemption and Schindler's List are,IMO,the two most important English language films ever made.
Stephen King never gets a mention in these shawshank redemption videos, even though, for me, the book is better.
Read 'Different seasons' by Stephen King, a collection of 4 Novellas, the first one being 'Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank redemption'
Another novella in that book is 'the body', wich was made into a movie called 'stand by me'
@@svavars.kjartansson1012 I hear you, and I appreciate what you're saying. I did read the novellas and I loved them. This channel just focuses on the finished film (and adapted screenplay).
There are reversals at the scene, sequence, act and story levels in Shawshank Redemption. Are there any movies with dramatic irony at the scene, sequence, act, and story levels?
Perhaps The Apartment? There's dramatic irony throughout the entire movie. Maybe also films like Tootsie or Mrs. Doubtfire.
@@ScriptSleuth oh yeah, Mrs. Doubtfire has non-stop dramatic irony, so does The Lives of Others
“You gotta get busy living … or get busy dying.”
Here's the corrected version:
The things that should come forward more than anything are the blatantly obvious, but never discussed openly.
We all seem to identify with prisoners.
We long for freedom, and it's art that gives us hope. Even towards the end, where do we find Andy? Hard at work, aiming towards even greater freedoms even though he can't know that Red is on his way to him. What greater symbol for freedom than the open sea? Andy is unusual in that he has an entire world inside him distinct from that which the others inhabit. He is able to make himself free, I will posit, because in some sense he is possessed of a freedom that the walls of the prison cannot contain. This is the very substance of his "bright feathers." Ironically, it is this inner world that denies him the capacity to love his wife properly.
- Art is embodied in the creativity to steadfastly labor in secret on something that challenges you to your core, and places inhuman demands on you all the while the world is asking of you the same inhuman demands and you say nothing of it to anyone. Often, it hides behind something as pedestrian as it is mysterious - the object of our affections.
- The main characters are of opposing race. The denial of race in this film is so strong, a man we might refer to as "black" outside of the film is referred to as "Red." When the inmates leave prison, they are forced to face a fate worse than the regularity of prison, and the changing of race relations isn't even mentioned. Othering takes place through different boundaries, and in a sense, the release from those complications offers the audience a taste of a world wherein those particular chains are not evident. This is a story about hope and freedom in the US, but the themes reach further than those boundaries.
- The complicated situations that give rise to the drama are not easily interwoven. Though the story feels simple and direct, guided by Freeman's soothing Tennessee tones, the tale has complications rivaling Greek tragedy. For example, the business of Norton killing Tommy because if Andy is freed, it will stymie his ability to continue using him for theft. I could continue by laying out the situation between Andy and his wife, but this isn't essential. The essential bit is what we learn from it.
What's interesting here is that Andy needs to remain relatable as well as likable. His compromises cannot be highlighted too heavily and it must appear as though he has no choice in the matter.
- The complicated nature of that portion of the narrative dissipates towards the end as the viewer is guided gently through each of the small stories making up the conclusion. This must be intentional. We're not watching a Nolan film here, where complications increase towards a Bach-like crescendo. The audience is granted escape from the prison of the information age here, where new paradigms are dumped on us every other week if not faster.
- The primary prison, time, is denied much of its bite when respite from the speeding change of the outer world comforts as it cages. I get the sense that this film operates as a kind of capsule where we are allowed to feel the comfort of the inmates, and in much the same way that Andy takes a risk to ensure that the inmates are granted respite with cool beers on a rooftop, the filmmakers offer a form of charity via a film that counters the anxieties of our age.
Shawshank humanizes prisoners like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest (another great movie) humanizes mental patients at the ward, and their commonality rests in that both depict characters that are deprived of their freedom, and that both have freedom as one of their major themes.
"I'm Innocent, Red. Just like everybody else here."
Funny how many people missed sarcasm there....
I’m a big Steven king fan although ‘horror’ is not my genre literally or cinematically.. my faves of his are ‘the stand’ , pet cemetery and ‘dark side’ I’ve seen other commentary that gave screen play writer a great amount of credit for the movie, but I read the ‘ novella’ short story and it seemed to be almost verbatim..
Thanks!
Wow. Thank you so much for this! You really made my day with your generosity and support. ❤️
@@ScriptSleuth your analyses of the movies are more helpful to us wannabe writers than you might know.
A story which extrudes the unexpected. Contrariness at it's best.
Thanks for the great stories Steve.
I think you mean “exudes”, not “extrudes”.
@tookitogo
Thanks for the correction. My vocabulary often beats on my spelling.
I love your videos
I would love to see a video about planet of the apes
Cheers, Fabio!
We all live in Shawshank. Escaping from a system meant to rob us of our agency and autonomy is the redemption Andy actual achieves.
The movie rings true to legions of ex-inmates.
“Get busy living or get busy dying.”
Red later became the president of the USA and later god.
Andy invented the hoola-hoop, but was sadly killed during a Martian invasion.
I love this review. I just want to point out that Warden Norton did indeed violate the commandment, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” When Norton was in Andy’s jail cell after discovering the escape, Norton said, “ Lord it’s a miracle.” As an audience at this point, we know Norton does not believe in miracles and he said that with pure sarcasm and blasphemy.
@@crystalfoster9573 Thanks for the comment! ❤️
@@ScriptSleuthThanks for the reply and thanks for putting this awesome video together. It’s thorough, well-organized and enjoyable. As a huge Shank fan, or a Shankie as I call myself, I am delighted with your analysis. ❤❤
It’s like 22 on WGAs list.
On mine it’s definitely top 10 and probably 5.
Agreed! 🙂
This story works because of the time period. I wonder what the Coen Bros would have done with this story. Great film.
That would have been interesting!
Wundervoller Film💪✌🌎🌍🌏
Which do you prefer?
The Green Mile or Shawshank Redemption
Shawshank, hands down. (Although The Green Mile is still really good!)
@@ScriptSleuth I prefer Green Mile, but love Shawshank too
Two brilliant movies🥰🥰 .. I love❤ both but I prefer The Shawshank Redemption😍!!
One feature is the reversal of the normal and of audience expectation: The protagonists Andy and Red are not handsome, whereas the bad men are: The blond prison guard, the blond abuser prisoner and the Warden.
Man, nothing like Shawshank or The Green Mile to really hit you..
All the rules in the world won't make a mediocre movie great. Shawshank may observe those rules but there is an underlying beauty/tragedy that cannot be defined or quantified.
@@fredkelly6953 True!
What other films would you like to see me cover? Let me know in a comment below!
Pls watch, Bajarangi Bhaijaan Indian movie,
@@bskravivarman Thanks for the recommendation!
@@skp30998 Thanks for the suggestion! Noted.
The Prestige would be a great one
# 47 Grave of the Fireflies (1988) pls
Film is literature.
“Get busy living or get busy dying.”
Morgan is a Free Man 😉
Lol "grab the audience by the throat and never let them go". (Rated PG - Parental guidance suggested)
Heehee... The figurative throat! 🙂
@@ScriptSleuth "mommy ? What's my figurative throat? Why did you bring me here? This is not the zoo..! There are grown-ups in the cages..is daddy really on a long business trip?" Jk - the ratings system is definitely vague.
...it was the beer scene.
because it's the greatest movie of all time. Video ends
@@Nicksta2006 😅
The movie is about hope.