Film Blog

Plot

The film "Shawshank Redemption" has a deep and compelling plot that is filled with twists. It has different people and situations that are great to watch. It is very similar to the short story but since it is a film it is easier to understand. The film stresses the special ability Andy has to get what wouldn't normally be possible in a prison. In the film he gets the guards to give him and his friends beers in exchange for financial help. Also the movie works to flesh out the feeling of hopelessness and despair in the prison because Andy is innocent but cannot prove it. He is wrongfully convicted and has to deal with a life sentence. The films plot is centered around Andy being exploited, raped, and used as a financial wizard for the corrupt officials at the prison. He wants to get the justice he feels he deserves but it is almost impossible until he finds a way to escape. This escape process takes years and the audience doesn't even know how long he has been working on it until the end. This finale reveal is a great way to complete the plot because it symbolizes Andy finally receiving the justice he has deserved.

Point of View

The movie is also told by a third person limited bases and uses a narrator. The narrator is Red, the same narrator from the short story. His point of view makes the movie seem as more of a first hand experience because Red doesn't know all of what is happening with Andy. Despite the third person point of view, it still shows several scenes that are told in words by Red but are shown with action of what happened to Andy. The movie does a great job of portraying how many years the film spans. It does this by by showing the prison getting different things and the characters also gradually look and act older. Red is shown going through several parole board meetings which only happen every ten years. Also the film does an amazing job of making Red's narrating feel real instead of a fictional character talking about a fictional situation. This use of a good and knowledgeable narrator makes the film so much better and it truly allows the story to become immersing to the audience.

Characterization

The films most important piece is the characters and how they appear to the audience. Andy and Red are the two main characters and they are very deep and satisfying to the audience. They provide a balance of pride, friendship, and desire to leave the prison. Also Red is extremely important because he is Andy's foil in the part that he doesn't really want to get out of Shawshank while Andy wants to leave so badly. Andy in the film is shown as a quiet yet feisty man who will do whatever it takes to get something in the prison. Also he displays his superior patience and guile in his genius escape plan. Even with these two main and incredible characters, the supporting characters also offer a great experience in the prison environment. They display the strong brotherhood between friends in prison and how since they have all the time in the world they work hard to enjoy each others company. Also the characters offer incite into the theme of becoming institutionalized which displays the culture shock of going from prison life to free life. One of the inmates and Andy's friend had been there for fifty years before being released, and when he got out he didn't know what to do. He was so scared and alarmed that he killed himself because he missed the strict and secure feeling of prison. This effect of prison inmates is clearly apparent and allows the audience to have an amount of pity towards the inmates.

Setting

The film is set in the past at Shawkshank Prison in Maine. It is a prison filled with rapists, murderers and the rare innocent person. The inmates there provide a image of the rough yet structured life of the people there. Also the prison provides a sense of isolation since they are not really effected by what is happening on the outside of the walls. This isolation leads to a sense of the characters being totally alone in the prison and this leads to a desperate sense. The prison is filled with corrupt and brutal guards, men who have gone homosexual and take pleasure in raping other inmates, and a corrupt Warden who is willing to kill his charges to keep Andy Dufresne behind bars. This setting of corruption and injustice makes the desire for justice increase exponentially throughout the movie while witnessing the atrocities take place. Andy is taken advantage of so much through out the movie that you feel so bad for him that you can't help but pity his situation. Another part of the setting is the date which is in the past. It is after World War Two but not in the present day. This time setting allows the movie to feel rustic and slightly antiquated when looking at the prison and its security. The date also assists in helping the audience realize how many years the movie spans.

Theme

The theme of the movie is very apparent after watching just the first twenty minutes. The theme is about people working to get justice that they deserve in unjust conditions. Andy Dufresne is a man who was wrongfully convicted for murder and sentenced to life in prison. Despite repeatedly exclaiming that he didn't kill those people he was still thrown in prison. While in prison he was continuously taken advantage of in many ways. This visual evidence of the injustice shows how Andy doesn't belong in Shawshank. Also it shows how corrupt and power hungry people can be and this causes a sense of desperation. When Andy finds out that the Warden knows that he is innocent yet won't allow him to leave, Andy is pushed to the breaking point and goes through with his escape plan. This act was the ultimate act of redemption and allowed the movie to complete its circle of injustice with a final act of redemption.