Movie Review Shawshank Redemption - Essay Example

The central theme of Shawshank Redemption is Hope. The Shawshank Redemption carries the “innocent man in prison theme” to a dimension that is both unique and inspiring. Director Frank Darabont, in his adaptation of the Stephen King Story “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption,” clearly seems to focus on the miracles that hope can perform and the unbending nature of human spirit.The protagonist, Andrew Defresene or “Andy” (Tim Robbins) as he is referred to throughout the movie, is an honest and successful banker, wrongly convicted of having murdered his wife.

He accepts the punishment with dignity, not bothering about the social stigma associated, for he knows he is innocent. The Shawshank Prison reflects the drudgery and slowness of prison life, as is visible in most prison movie. The striking difference however, is the portrayal of Andy’s free and hopeful spirit, and how one free spirit can bring about a radical change in the environment. Andy has his shares of troubles in prison. The Shawshank prison reflects some of the rawest forms of human rights’ violation including “the Sisters” attempting to get Andy to perform oral sex for them.

The movie is about a determined, hopeful human being with an unbending spirit breaking free from the shackles of misery. Andy, slowly but steadily, inches his way through the walls using a rock-hammer over a period of decades until he finally breaks free. Even during his stay in prison, Andy improves the quality of life of his inmates by helping establish a small prison library. His knowledge of Banking and Taxation help him to initially work with the corrupt warden, finally expose his misdeeds in public and leading him to commit suicide in the end.

The movie perhaps trudges along a trifle slowly in the middle. That could well be a reflection of the leaden passage of time, the years of redemption one has to undergo before achieving salvation and experiencing freedom. The cinematography is near excellent. The damp blue, green, and grey walls, which at times seem like shades of black and white, reflect the characteristic dullness of prison life. The Shawshank Redemption is also a story of friendship between two souls – Andy and Red (Morgan Freeman).

It is a story of how two individuals from contrasting backgrounds – one guilty of murder and the other innocent, come together to help each other. While Red, “the man who can get you anything in prison,” helps him get hold of a rock-hammer – the tool that helps him achieve his goal of freedom, Andy inspires a sea change of attitude in Red as the movie progresses, ultimately leading to his release. The catch line of the movie “Fear keeps you in prison, Hope can set you free” very appropriately summarizes the central theme that the Director has tried to project.

Fear can keep you confined to the bars of one’s mind, the prison of one’s mind. Hope, on the other hand, can help one realize his true worth, make the best use of one’s abilities and help one achieve salvation through determination and righteousness – like Andrew Dufresene.Movie Review Shawshank RedemptionInstructions: 2 page single space paper with a space between every paragraph. Reviews of this movie should focus on a summary and evaluation of the movie,and a discussion regarding its realvence to human rights issues taking care to tie it to any relevants readings.

Movie Shaw Shank Redemption Needs to be complete by 1 pm 12/09/05 CSTDeadline: 2005-12-10 01:58