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The
Shawshank Redemption, 1994, 142 minutes, Rated R
By Ramona Prioleau
Despite a title that may have impeded its theatrical success, The Shawshank
Redemption is a film to watch again and again. With each viewing, subtleties become
apparent and the film's strong story, characters, acting, directing and cinematography are
firmly etched upon the senses.
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Hope Floats
"Get busy living or get busy dying." Shawshank depicts Andy Dufresne's
prison experience, but more importantly it's a story about hope. Before drowning in
despair, Dufresne (Tim Robbins) skillfully carves a comfortable niche within the confines
of the brutal prison in order to survive. Dufresne, wrongfully imprisoned for the murder
of his wife and her lover, is the embodiment of hope for a better tomorrow. His
indomitable spirit is infectuous as he gets busy building a library, teaching cons to read
and appreciate music and generally influencing the hopeless to dream - especially Ellis
Boyd "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman).
The Redemption of Red
Freeman is excellent as Red in this finely crafted cinematic tour de force. Red, a lifer
in Shawshank State Prison, is an operator who excels at getting things for people -
cigarettes, booze, posters and hammers. Compared to Dufresne, Red symbolizes the
institutionalization that accompanies years of imprisonment and years of depending on
prison for a sense of self and place within the world. Prison is a sure thing; its routine
and predictableness are a comfort to Shawshank's inhabitants, long forgotten by and out of
step with the outside world. With time and exposure to Dufresne's philosophy of life and
survival, Red's essence is transformed and he begins to reclaim his humanity. "Hope
is a good thing, no good thing ever dies." Keep hope alive.
M
June 1999
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