The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Director: Frank Darabont
Plot Synopsis[]
Two imprisoned men (Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman) bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency.
Male Deaths[]
- Gil Bellows [Tommy Williams, Inmate 46419]
- Bob Gunton [Warden Samuel Norton]
- Scott Mann [Glenn Quentin]
- Frank Medrano [Fat Prisoners/"Fat Ass"]
- James Whitmore [Brooks Hatlen]
Female Deaths[]
- Renee Blaine [Linda Dufresne]
Trivia[]
- Morgan Freeman's favorite film of his own.
- Although a very modest hit in theaters, it became one of the highest-grossing video rentals of all time.
- Frank Darabont watched Goodfellas (1990) every Sunday while shooting this film, and drew inspiration from it, on using voice-over narration and showing the passage of time.
- Although it is never directly stated in the film, Brooks is in prison for allegedly murdering his wife and daughter after a losing streak at poker.
- Stephen King has said that his original novella was a culmination of all the memories he had from watching prison movies when he was a child.
- Clancy Brown said that he received several offers from real-life corrections officers to work with him to make his portrayal of Captain Hadley more realistic. He turned them all down because Hadley was an evil character and he didn't want to misrepresent real corrections officers.
- Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford, Paul Newman, and Robert Redford were all considered for the part of Red. In the original novel, Red is a middle-aged Irishman with graying red hair. However, Frank Darabont always had Morgan Freeman in mind for the role, because of his authoritative presence, demeanor and deep voice. Darabont alluded to the casting choice, by having Red jokingly reply to Andy's inquiry about his nickname with the line, "Maybe it's because I'm Irish."
