loading...
City Banker Andy Dufresne is in Shawshank State Prison after receiving a double life sentence for murder. There he meets Red and also forms friendships with the warden and prison guards. Andy soon finds that you either get on with living or you get on with dying. The bonus features stretch over two discs, which are sent out .. Read more
| Starring | Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Robert Gunton, William Sadler |
|---|---|
| Director | Frank Darabont |
| Genres | Audio Descriptive, Drama |
loading...
City Banker Andy Dufresne is in Shawshank State Prison after receiving a double life sentence for murder. There he meets Red and also forms friendships with the warden and prison guards. Andy soon finds that you either get on with living or you get on with dying. The bonus features stretch over two discs, which are sent out together when you add 'Bonus Discs' to your list.
| Starring | Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Robert Gunton, William Sadler, Gil Bellows, Mark Rolston, James Whitmore Jr., James Whitmore |
|---|---|
| Director | Frank Darabont |
| Studio | ITV DVD |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 16 mins Blu-ray: 2 hrs 16 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Collections | 100 must-see movies |
| Genres | Audio Descriptive, Drama |
| Language | English, English Audio Description |
| Released | DVD: 01 Sep 2003 Blu-ray: 29 Sep 2008 Production year: 1994 |
| Format | DVD |
Or you can rent each disc individually:
Ten years ago I reviewed a Tim Robbins movie for London's Time Out magazine. It was written and directed by a man I'd never heard of (Frank Darabont was his name) and it was based read more »
An all time classic. If you haven?t seen this movie yet, ensure that it is top of your list. It tells the story of wrongly accused murderer, Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), and his story of survival inside a maximum security prison, aided by his friendship with 'the only guilty man inside Shawshank', Ellis 'Red' Reddings (Morgan Freeman). Along the way it branches into at least six different side stories that, halfway through the movie, while still entertained, one wonders what they have to do with the plot. The answer is everything, as becomes apparent by the end.
I won't bore you with details of the individual craftsmanship that went into this movie, but I will advise anyone who has not seen it to see it, and as soon as possible. Keep watching until the end, and there is no possible way you can be disappointed. It is absolutely masterly directed by Frank Darabont, and while I thought that his other Stephen King-based film, The Green Mile, was fairly slow and self-indulgent, this isn't. It is drawn out and long, but absolutely impeccable and amazingly inspirational. It delivers the message that even in the face of abject adversity, hope will always prevail. This message was recently hammed up quite terribly in 'The Two Towers', but in The Shawshank Redemption, just one very simple quote sums it up: 'Hope is a good thing. Possibly the best thing. And no good thing ever dies'
This is one for the ages. I cannot imagine that the uplifting effect of this movie will ever die. There is no possible way it could be better. The only possible reason I can think of for not liking or being inspired by this movie is that you just don't want to. There are no two ways about it. Even after nine years, this holds strong as an absolute masterpiece of film-making, and a staggering achievement.
In a way I do actually like this film, but I don't think it deserves all the attention it gets. When people say it's their favourite, or one of their favourite films I always wonder what exactly they want out of a film.
The answer must be exactly what the film makers would have wanted. That it moved them, that they could empathise with the characters, and that it makes them 'think.' There is certainly something about Morgan Freeman's voice that makes you feel that what he is saying must have some relevence and integrity in today's cynical and often harsh society. I defy anyone to go back, watch the film and actually listen to what he is saying, as most of the time it's a lot of meaningless supposed philosophy for the dim witted and easily impressed.
I'm also not impressed by a film that relies entirely on emotional manipulation. This is the easiest possible way of getting a reaction. Who would not feel for characters that include an old man who keeps a bird in his pocket and cannot keep up with a society that has moved on so much since his incarceration? It's obvious, one dimensional and a three year old could have plucked it out of the air.
If you want catharsism and a bit of a weep, which I admit is sometimes what I crave, then this film is perfect. If you want something a little more interesting, imaginative and thought provoking, well, these maintstream epics were never really a good choice in the first place.
My Favourite films (56)
100% from 1 member
