No wonder it’s been
the top movie on the International Movie Data Base (IMDB) for years – The
Shawshank Redemption is indeed the best ever movie I’ve watched till date.
“Flawless” is the one word comes into my mind when I think about the movie.
There is a strict warning for people who love ‘fast moving movies’ or expects
‘suspense on every scene’ – this movie is not just for you. This movie is in
fact, slow, but never lets you get the feeling that you’re bored. After all,
how would you expect ‘fast moving scenes’ on a movie which spans inside a
Prison?
The movie revolves around Andy Dufresne – our hero,
who was arrested and sent for “Shawshank”, a high security prison, for killing
his wife. Although he did not kill his wife (have you ever seen a movie in
which a hero kills heroine?), he accepts his prison life as he feels he drove
her away and essentially, responsible for her death. In other words, we could
call that a ‘Guilt’. Inside the prison, he makes friends – Ellis Boyd ‘Red’
Redding – the one who has ‘power’ (or source) to get you anything inside a
prison (like a cigarette, wall paper, a hammer etc.). Before his prison life,
Andy used to be a Banker. The movie then progresses on what will happen when an
educated and handsome fellow like Andy is sent to a place where nothing is
‘fair’. His education helps him get a ‘respect’ inside the walls which are very
rare to come by. He starts by helping an officer who faces some tax issues.
Then he helps a senior officer and in no time, he becomes the auditor for all
the officers inside the prison. After a year, he becomes the unofficial auditor
for the nearby prison guards as well! He also earns some benefits by helping
these officers – like setting up a library inside prison. The warden of the
prison however has other ideas for Andy. He uses him to run a scam inside the
prison, by using almost all the prisoners’ work. Money starts flowing and all
Andy has to do is to channel that to the Warden. The day comes when the truth
is revealed – that Andy is actually, not the killer (by this time, Andy would
have spent about 20 years in the prison!). The witness however is also a
prisoner. When the warden comes to know about this, he fears that his scam
might be discovered or stopped short before he could make more money. So, he
kills the witness and makes Andy stay in the prison for life. In the end, you’d
know if Andy accepted the bitter end or fight back to find a new path, when you
watch the movie.
After you finished watching the movie, you’ll have
the impact so hard that it’ll take atleast a week for you to sink in. The
characters, none unwanted, were apt and remember-able towards the end. Although
the hero is ‘Andy Dufresne’, Ellis Boyd ‘Red’ Redding or simply ‘Red’ is the
character that you’ll like most. He’s the one who narrates the movie and I
especially liked for the voice of Morgan Freeman – acted as ‘Red’. The movie
also tells you the hard fact that if one, who spent almost a life time in
prison, and is released towards the end of his life – how he’ll be able to face
the life beyond prison! Brooks Halten’s final letter to ‘Red’ almost wets your
eyes. Don’t worry, the movie isn’t only about the ‘hard’ truth, but it also
talks about ‘hope’ and ‘music’ in their very own way. Following are few
dialogues from the movie which I liked very much. The dialogues below are not
continuous, they’re my favorites.
——–0000——–
Red: “Let me tell you something, my friend. Hope is
a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane. It’s got no use on the inside.
You’d better get used to that idea.”
——–0000——–
Andy: “The funny thing is, on the outside, I was an
honest man, straight as an arrow. I had to come to prison to be a crook.”
——–0000——–
Red: “These prison walls are funny. First you hate
‘em, then you get used to ‘em. Enough time passes, gets so you depend on them.
That’s institutionalized. They send you here for life, that’s exactly what they
take.”
——–0000——–
Andy: “Remember, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe
the best of things. And no good thing ever dies.”
——–0000——–
Red: “I find I’m so excited I can barely sit still
or hold a thought in my head. I think it is the excitement only a free man can
feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain.
I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend, and shake his
hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope.”
——–0000——–
Movie dialogue courtesy: Wiki Quotes.
Image Courtesy: Google
I’d rate the movie 10/10. If you haven’t watched it
yet, I’ve got three words for you – “Go for it!”
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