Movie Name: The Shawshank Redemption
Language: English
Genre: Drama
Cast: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman
Director: Frank Darabont
Year Of Release: 1994
In 1947 Portland, Maine, banker Andy Dufresne is convicted of murdering his wife and her lover, and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences at the Shawshank State Penitentiary. He is befriended by contraband smuggler, Ellis “Red” Redding, an inmate serving a life sentence. Red is the man who can get things done in prison and soon he becomes close to Andy. Andy asks Red to procure small things for him, that includes a rock hammer and a poster of Rita Hayworth. A couple of years later, when Andy overhears the captain of the guards, Byron Hadley, complaining about being taxed on an inheritance, and offers to help him shelter the money legally. Soon, Andy finds himself doing the taxes for all the prison guards as well as the warden, Samuel Norton. Norton assigns him to the prison library to assist an elderly inmate Brooks. Andy's new job is a pretext for him to begin managing financial matters for the prison employees.
On the side, Andy begins developing the prison library and helps other convicts study and give their exams. After spending 18 years in prison, Andy gets to know that a new inmate, Tommy claims that an inmate at another prison claimed responsibility for the murders for which Andy was convicted. Andy approaches Norton with this information, but he doesn't believe him. When Tommy is killed soon after, Andy has no choice but to spend the rest of his life in prison. Will he? Will he give up on hope and succumb to his surroundings?
What I loved about it:
Based on Stephen's King's novella, ‘Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption', this movie is one of the best movies I've seen in my entire life. Tim Robbins is brilliant as Andy and he is the epitome of hope in this one. As someone who is expected to spend the rest of his life in prison, he still holds on to hope that someday he will be free. Morgan Freeman is the only one who could have done justice to being Red. He supports Andy, but is still unaware of all his plans. This movie is a story of friendship, survival and most importantly hope.
Like Andy says,
“Remember Red, Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies”.
Andy's escape from Shawshank shows what man can do if he sets his mind to do it. It took him 19 years, but he never gave up. All thanks to a rock hammer and a large poster.
The climax reuniting the two friends on a beach, is a celebration of hope. While one believed it all along, the other is now a fresh believer.
Watch this movie to learn a lot about life, friendship, survival and hope. You will not learn what this movie teaches you from any book or anywhere else on the net.
Runners-up: The Shape Of Water (English), The Social Network (English).
This post is a part of the A To Z Challenge for April, where my theme for this year is Movies I Love.
