The Shawshank Redemption has become a classic film - it's even IMDb's top-rated movie of all time - but did you know it almost had an entirely different cast behind those legendary bars?
Chronicles the experiences of a formerly successful banker as a prisoner in the gloomy jailhouse of Shawshank after being found guilty of a crime he did not commit. The film portrays the man's unique way of dealing with his new, torturous life; along the way he befriends a number of fellow prisoners, most notably a wise long-term inmate named Red.Written by
J-S-Golden
Voted #1 Must See Movie of all time by listeners of Capital FM in London. See more »
Goofs
Brooks states in his letter that he saw a car once when he was a kid. Brooks went to Shawshank in 1905 and the back story is he was convicted of murder for killing his wife and daughter after losing at poker one night. This would mean he was a young adult when he went away. In the couple of years before he went to prison, he might have seen a car, but as a kid, that would be highly unlikely, but not impossible, as there were several types of automobiles dating back as far as 1890 (the ones before that don't really count as car's), so if he was in his mid 20's when he went to prison he might have seen one of those vehicles when he was 10-15 years of age. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
District Attorney:
Mr. Dufresne, describe the confrontation you had with your wife the night that she was murdered.
Andy Dufresne:
It was very bitter. She said she was glad I knew, that she hated all the sneaking around. And she said that she wanted a divorce in Reno.
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Crazy Credits
The man who cried and was beaten when Andy first arrived is listed and credited as "Fat Ass" -- the other inmates' nickname for him. See more »
Alternate Versions
In the 2004 10th Anniversary release and subsequent releases (including 2010 Blu-ray), a goof where the bullet hole under the warden's chin is in a different location from where he placed the gun barrel a moment before he committed suicide has been corrected. (See Goofs.) See more »
One of the finest films made in recent years. It's a poignant story about hope. Hope gets me. That's what makes a film like this more than a movie. It tells a lesson about life. Those are the films people talk about 50 or even 100 years from you. It's also a story for freedom. Freedom from isolation, from rule, from bigotry and hate. Freeman and Robbins are majestic in their performances. Each learns from the other. Their relationship is strong and you feel that from the first moment they make contact with one another. There is also a wonderful performance from legend James Whitmore as Brooks.
He shines when it is his time to go back into the world, only to find that the world grew up so fast he never even got a chance to blink. Stephen King's story is brought to the screen with great elegance and excitement. It is an extraordinary motion that people "will" be talking about in 50 or 100 years.
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One of the finest films made in recent years. It's a poignant story about hope. Hope gets me. That's what makes a film like this more than a movie. It tells a lesson about life. Those are the films people talk about 50 or even 100 years from you. It's also a story for freedom. Freedom from isolation, from rule, from bigotry and hate. Freeman and Robbins are majestic in their performances. Each learns from the other. Their relationship is strong and you feel that from the first moment they make contact with one another. There is also a wonderful performance from legend James Whitmore as Brooks.
He shines when it is his time to go back into the world, only to find that the world grew up so fast he never even got a chance to blink. Stephen King's story is brought to the screen with great elegance and excitement. It is an extraordinary motion that people "will" be talking about in 50 or 100 years.