But the 90s were an era of booyah action movies starring the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis. In Shawshank , the story of a decades-long quest for redemption and freedom, the closest things to action sequences involve fighting off buggery or defiantly blasting a Mozart duettino.
That was then. Morgan Freeman relies on less empirical evidence. How did a period prison film running minutes—a life sentence for most audiences—become a global phenomenon capable of rankling a world superpower and stirring a Nobel Peace Prize winner? Pressure and time. Instead, King maintains a policy of granting newbie directors in need of a calling card the rights to his short stories for one dollar. In a something Darabont handed King a buck to make The Woman in the Room , one of the few amateur short films based on his work that the author enjoyed.
Darabont, who had been born in a French refugee camp for Hungarians fleeing the revolution and subsequently grew up poor in L. As if to turn the screws, Castle Rock said it would finance any other movie he wanted to direct if he ceded to Reiner. People get fucked in this business all the time. In an odd way, they unmask Stephen King as a writer of exquisitely observed characters and brilliant dialog. Blumhouse Productions, the company behind Paranormal Activity and Insidious , optioned The Breathing Method , the remaining novella, in With the director in place, casting calls went out.
Interviewing Freeman is like speaking with a favorite uncle who also happens to be God. I was flabbergasted by that. Tom Hanks and Kevin Costner passed. And though Cruise loved the screenplay—even doing a table read with the filmmakers—he balked at taking direction from a green director. Cruise considered signing on if Reiner agreed to keep a watchful eye on the production.
Deakins would go on to shoot the death-row drama Dead Man Walking , which Robbins directed. James Gandolfini passed on playing Bogs, a prison rapist, for a role in True Romance that entailed sucker-punching Patricia Arquette. A bakery in Mansfield now sells Bundt-cake replicas of the Gothic prison, which these days is a tourist attraction that draws Shawshank pilgrims. Wherever he goes till date, people ask him to narrate a few famous dialogues from the film.
Under Frank Darabont's direction, the film bagged seven Academy Award nominations which are till date the highest for any Stephen King film adaptation. However, most of the awards were swept by the other two high rated nominees — 'Pulp Fiction' and 'Forrest Gump'. No doubt these two films have garnered undisputable viewership over the years and are also critically acclaimed, The Shawshank Redemption's legacy stands resolute and larger than life.
The most positive reviews about the film are on the basis of a wider display of existentialism when compared to any other movie in the history of cinema. Is that all about Andy Dufresne who was life sentenced in Shawshank State Penitentiary for the murder of his wife and her lover, a character who keeps proving his innocence by doing everything good inside the prison?
Or may be about Andy becoming friends with Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, and later reuniting after the former manages to escape from the hell, finding himself to be able to live a life he always wanted? Is the film all about the state-of-the-art narrative by Morgan, equipped with meaningful dialogues, followed by a brilliant direction?
The movie has been set during , the time following the end of World War II. I also think its staying power has to do with the overall theme of the movie, which is that there is redemption in holding on to your dream and that regardless of the obstacles in your path, there is a Zihuatanejo for everyone somewhere. Character and theme are what makes a film endure the test of time, and that's what Tim Robbins is speaking to here.
In a film full of perfect moments , the friendship between Red and Andy is truly the heart of the film. Part of why we care so much about the protagonists is because of how much they care for each other. All friendships are important and they define our lives, but friendships forged under trying circumstances can mean even more.
Red and Andy came to know and love one another while suffering the horror, evil, and indignity of life in Shawshank State Penitentiary. This type of bond is unbreakable, and is why it continues to resonate with viewers twenty plus years later.
As Tim Robbins says, the theme of The Shawshank Redemption is also a huge factor in its staying power. While Red worries about Andy throughout the film and discourages him from getting his hopes up, Andy's tale is ultimately one of triumph.
Hope, perseverance and never giving in to despair are messages audiences can always find merit in, and apply to their own lives. This is timeless and universal, whether your Zihuatanejo is a town in Mexico or not.
The Shawshank Redemption 's theme is one that speaks to audiences and shows the value in never giving up hope and continuing to hammer away towards your dream.
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