If you go onto Google and type in “The best films of all time” or something similar to that, chances are The Shawshank Redemption is in the Top 10. This is an interesting one to discuss because although it is beloved, it isn’t as revered as a Citizen Kane or The Godfather. I had always heard about it, but it never came up in conversation as much as other Hollywood classics. Even the director Frank Darabont isn’t widely talked about, even though he has had a successful career, writing and directing the 1997 film The Green Mile and several episodes of The Walking Dead (2010-2022). So, after years of putting it off I finally sat down to watch The Shawshank Redemption to find out what all the (very quiet) hype was about.
From the start, I noticed the influence of Citizen Kane in relation to its editing and narrative structure. The opening scene is interspersed with events taking place in the past and the present, very similar to how the story was told in Kane. The opening is the perfect antithesis to the jailbreak scene at the movie’s climax – one, because the audience receives the information from different perspectives intercut with past and present events in both scenes; and two, because they are at two very different moments in Andy Dufresne’s life, when he is incarcerated and when he escapes from jail.
Speaking of Andy Dufresne, Tim Robbins plays the character with such slyness and mystery, which made me question at first if he really did commit the crime he was sentenced for. That lingering thought went away gradually, however, as I realised that he would never have been caught considering how clever he is. This trait is very evident throughout the film, but it culminates in the incredible jailbreak scene, when we see each and every meticulous step in Dufresne’s 19-year plan. Now, of course one can argue that his escape was made easier with the help of some movie magic, like the warden allowing Dufresne to keep posters on his wall or the thunderstorm that prevented any guards from hearing the banging on the metal pipe. Whether or not you want to make that argument, you cannot deny that once Dufresne makes it out of that cack-covered cavity and throws his hands up in salvation, there is an overwhelming sense of joy and relief that moment leaves you with.
Let’s also talk about Red (Morgan Freeman) for a second. Before watching the movie, I thought the events took place in the ‘90s when it was released. Upon hearing in the narration that it was 1947 and knowing that the movie was R-rated I thought, “Here we go, I’m about to hear ‘certain slurs’”, if you understand what I’m saying. However, I was pleasantly surprised that none of these slurs were thrown at any of the coloured characters. The world that this story exists in is one void of racism as it doesn’t drive the narrative forward. It may seem like such a small detail to point out but as a black filmmaker, it is refreshing to watch a period piece where the white authorities are not bigoted amongst their black counterparts.
The Shawshank Redemption definitely deserves its spot on the ‘Top Films’ lists. Although it may take inspiration from movies before it – which is maybe why it isn’t as dissected as other films, these previously established techniques are honed to create this emotional masterpiece.
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