The Shawshank Redemption (1994) USA
The Shawshank Redemption Image Cover
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Director:Frank Darabont
Studio:Turner Home Ent
Producer:David V. Lester, Liz Glotzer, Niki Marvin
Writer:Stephen King, Frank Darabont
Rating:5
Rated:R
Date Added:2007-03-06
Purchased On:2007-06-03
ASIN:B0000399WI
UPC:0053939258325
Price:$14.98
Awards:Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 13 nominations
Genre:Buddies
Release:1999-12-20
IMDb:0111161
Duration:142
Picture Format:Widescreen
Aspect Ratio:1.85:1
Sound:Dolby
Languages:English, Dolby Digital 5.1, French, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Subtitles:English, French
Features:Anamorphic
Frank Darabont  ...  (Director)
Stephen King, Frank Darabont  ...  (Writer)
 
Tim Robbins  ...  Andy Dufresne
Morgan Freeman  ...  Ellis Boyd 'Red' Redding
Bob Gunton  ...  Warden Norton
William Sadler  ...  Heywood
Clancy Brown  ...  Captain Hadley
Gil Bellows  ...  Tommy
Mark Rolston  ...  Bogs Diamond
James Whitmore  ...  Brooks Hatlen
Jeffrey DeMunn  ...  1946 D.A.
Larry Brandenburg  ...  Skeet
Neil Giuntoli  ...  Jigger
Brian Libby  ...  Floyd
David Proval  ...  Snooze
Joseph Ragno  ...  Ernie
Jude Ciccolella  ...  Guard Mert
Paul McCrane  ...  
Renee Blaine  ...  
Scott Mann  ...  
John Horton (II)  ...  
Gordon Greene  ...  
Roger Deakins  ...  Cinematographer
Richard Francis-Bruce  ...  Editor
Comments: Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.

Summary: When this popular prison drama was released in 1994, some critics complained that the movie was too long (142 minutes) to sustain its story. Those complaints miss the point, because the passage of time is crucial to this story about patience, the squeaky wheels of justice, and the growth of a life-long friendship. Only when the film reaches its final, emotionally satisfying scene do you fully understand why writer-director Frank Darabont (adapting a novella by Stephen King) allows the story to unfold at its necessary pace, and the effect is dramatically rewarding. Tim Robbins plays a banker named Andy who's sent to Shawshank Prison on a murder charge, but as he gets to know a life-term prisoner named Red (Morgan Freeman), we realize there's reason to believe the banker's crime was justifiable. We also realize that Andy's calm, quiet exterior hides a great reserve of patience and fortitude, and Red comes to admire this mild-mannered man who first struck him as weak and unfit for prison life. So it is that The Shawshank Redemption builds considerable impact as a prison drama that defies the conventions of the genre (violence, brutality, riots) to illustrate its theme of faith, friendship, and survival. Nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, Actor, and Screenplay, it's a remarkable film that signaled the arrival of a promising new filmmaker--a film that many movie lovers count among their all-time favorites. --Jeff Shannon