62 of 67 people found the following review helpful:
profound and powerful. one of the best movies of all times...
Among my ten most favorite movies of all times. I must have seen it about five or six times, and got more and more enjoyment with each viewing. Undoubtedly, "Shawshank Redemption" is a nonpareil piece of cinema on all counts: impeccable cinematography, wonderful story-telling, brilliant casting and flawless directing.
12 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
Don't do it!
About the finest film I have ever seen which makes this DVD all the more heartbreaking. The original Region2 release of this is terrible. Its double sided with a 4:3 pan and scan hatchet job on one side and a grimey, 16:9 version on the other. The menus and features are rubbish and its only got a Dolby 2.0 soundtrack. A terrible way to treat a great film.
Among my ten most favorite movies of all times. I must have seen it about five or six times, and got more and more enjoyment with each viewing. Undoubtedly, "Shawshank Redemption" is a nonpareil piece of cinema on all counts: impeccable cinematography, wonderful story-telling, brilliant casting and flawless directing.
The movie is about life, hope, freedom and friendship. Blending the masterful acting skills of Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, Frank Darabont blends empathy with brutal physical and emotional violence to the best possible effects. The chemistry and bond between Robbins and Freeman is unforgettable.
I recommend everyone who has not seen this to grab it ASAP. This 3-disc edition is really amazing with superb picture and sound quality with lavish extras which are particularly well made and thoughtful, and considerably enrich the viewing experience.
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What can you say about The Shawshank Redemption that hasn't already been said? It must be one of the best loved and indeed greatest films ever made. I do not know anybody that has seen this film that doesn't LOVE it. It really is that superb. Adapted from Stephen King's novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, it tells the story of Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), an outwardly timid man convicted of murdering his wife and her lover and jailed for life. Arriving at Shawshank prison in 1947, Andy becomes the victim of prison brutality in the early part of his stay but he also befriends another lifer, the prison "fixer" named Red (beautifully played by Morgan Freeman) and his buddies. Through his knowledge of taxation and financial transactions he also becomes popular with the prison warden and the guard that runs his brutal regime but Andy also soon realises that in prison life means life and that's what they try to take from him.
This is the most beautiful and ultimately uplifting film you could ever hope to see, whilst recognising the traditional conventions of prison drama (such as brutality and rape), it is really a film that demonstrates that the human spirit can overcome brutality with faith, friendship (and a rock hammer). This is as close to the perfect film as you will ever get. It is perfectly cast from the leads Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins, who give wonderfully understated performances to the supporting cast of Clancy Brown, William Sadler, Bob Gunton and Gil Bellows. It is subtly directed by Frank Darabont who carefully manages to avoid overstatement and oversugaring the cake with sentiment and pathos.
The most amazing thing about this film is that although it was nominated for seven academy awards in 1994 it didn't win any (they were dominated by another great movie, Forrest Gump) and it is described in Leonard Matlin's film guide as "terribly overlong", "hollow and predictable". How wrong could you be? The Shawshank Redemption is a timeless all-time classic that will cast its spell over many people for a long long time to come.
Five stars are often too easily awarded by movie reviewers but this deserves six.
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'The Shawshank Redemption' is by far one of the most brilliant pieces of film in history. That may seem pretty ludicrous but it's pretty near truth! The screenplay is cinematic but real, and Frank Darabont's directing dares to take time telling the story, thus developing the characters onscreen, and providing an emotional bond to be established from viewer to characters. It is a truly satisfying movie that you will not regret buying. If you have already seen it (at the cinema) and are thinking of buying it on DVD, it is well worth it. The special features are excellent (don't watch them all at once though)and provide that extra bit more that an avid film fan wants. Overall, tremendous performances from Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman et al. A must see piece of movie history that will NOT leave you unsatisfied.
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The Shawshank Redemption is a warming tale of the human spirit, friendship and justice. Like so many great films this has been adapted from a Stephen king novel.
The official category is of a prison drama but in my opinion this sells the film short. The prison only provides the backdrop for the heart warming story of humanity that unfolds. The story could be set anywhere. The escape from prison could be a metaphor for any situation which requires courage and strength to escape from, and the friendship and positivity between the two lead characters could build under other circumstances.
Like so many other reviewers I find this film hard to criticise. The narration by Morgan Freeman nudges the story along beautifully, the casting is perfect and the film is paced perfectly and devoid of the usual Hollywood clichés. This film shows just what can be achieved with great acting and a fine script instead of over the top CGI stunts and predictable plot lines. A typical example of this is the final scene in the film. The camera pulls way without cheesy dialogue or over acting, the images say it all.
I have yet to meet anybody who genuinely dislikes it and with good reason, it's a classic.
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Among my ten most favorite movies. I must have seen it about five or six times, and I've got more and more enjoyment with each viewing. Undoubtedly, "Shawshank Redemption" is a nonpareil piece of cinema on all counts: impeccable cinematography, brilliant casting, wonderful story-telling and flawless directing.
The movie is about life, hope, freedom and friendship. Combining the masterful acting skills of Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, Frank Darabont blends empathy with brutal physical and emotional violence to the best possible effects. The chemistry and bond between Robbins and Freeman is unforgettable.
I recommend everyone who has not seen this to grab it ASAP. Contrary to the movie, this edition is such a "bare to bones" disc, with nearly no special features. I must say that 3-disc edition is really amazing with superb picture and sound quality with hours of extras which are particularly well made and thoughtful, and considerably enrich the viewing experience.
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At the heart of this extraordinary movie is a brilliant and indelible performance by Morgan Freeman as Red, the man who knows how to get things, the "only" guilty man at Shawshank prison. He was nominated by the Academy for Best Actor in 1995 but didn't win. (Tom Hanks won for Forrest Gump.) What Freeman does so beautifully is to slightly underplay the part so that the eternal boredom and cynicism of the lifer comes through, and yet we can see how very much alive with the warmth of life the man is despite his confinement. Someday Morgan Freeman is going to win an Academy Award and it will be in belated recognition for this performance, which I think was a little too subtle for some Academy members to fully appreciate at the time.
But Freeman is not alone. Tim Robbins plays the hero of the story, banker Andy Dufresne, who has been falsely convicted of murdering his wife and her lover. Robbins has a unique quality as an actor in that he lends ever so slightly a bemused irony to the characters he plays. It is as though part of him is amused at what he is doing. I believe this is the best performance of his career, but it might be compared with his work in The Player (1992), another excellent movie, and in Mystic River (2003) for which he won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor.
It is said that every good story needs a villain, and in the Bible-quoting, Bible-thumping, massively hypocritical, sadistic Warden Samuel Norton, played perfectly by Bob Gunton, we have a doozy. I want to tell you that Norton is so evil that fundamentalist Christians actually hate this movie because of how precisely his vile character is revealed. They also hate the movie because of its depiction of violent, predatory homosexual behavior (which is the reason the movie is rated R). On the wall of his office (hiding his safe with its ill-gotten contents and duplicitous accounts) is a framed plaque of the words "His judgment cometh and that right soon." The irony of these words as they apply to the men in the prison and ultimately to the warden himself is just perfect. You will take delight, I promise.
Here is some other information about the movie that may interest you. As most people know, it was adapted from a novella by Stephen King entitled "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption." Rita Hayworth figures in the story because Red procures a poster of her for Andy that he pins up on the wall of his cell. The poster is a still from the film Gilda (1946) starring her and Glenn Ford. We see a clip from the black and white film as the prisoners watch, cheering and hollering when Rita Hayworth appears. If you haven't seen her, check out that old movie. She really is gorgeous and a forerunner of Marilyn Monroe, who next appears on Andy's wall in a still from The Seven Year Itch (1955). It's the famous shot of her in which her skirt is blown up to reveal her shapely legs. Following her on Andy's wall (and, by the way, these pinups figure prominently in the plot) is Rachel Welsh from One Million Years B.C. (1966). In a simple and effective device these pinups show us graphically how long Andy and Red have been pining away.
Frank Darabont's direction is full of similar devices that clearly and naturally tell the story. There is Brooks (James Whitmore) who gets out after fifty years but is so institutionalized that he can't cope with life on the outside and hangs himself. Playing off of this is Red's periodic appearance before the parole board where his parole is summarily REJECTED. Watch how this plays out at the end.
The cinematography by Roger Deakins is excellent. The editing superb: there's not a single dead spot in the whole movie. The difference between the good guys (Red, Andy, Brooks, etc.) and the bad guys (the warden, the guards, the "sisters," etc.) is perhaps too starkly drawn, and perhaps Andy is a bit too heroic and determined beyond what might be realistic, and perhaps the "redemption" is a bit too miraculous in how beautifully it works out. But never mind. We love it.
All in all this is a great story vividly told that will leave you with a true sense of redemption in your soul. It is not a chick flick, and that is an understatement. It is a male bonding movie about friendship and the strength of character, about going up against what is wrong and unfair and coming out on top through pure true grit and a little luck.
Bottom line: one of the best ever made, currently rated #2 (behind The Godfather) at the IMDb. Don't miss it.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
A wonderful film, 10 Nov 2005
By A Customer
I'd heard a great deal of hype about this film, so 10 years after its release, I finally caved in and watched it. I'm so glad I did. I found it difficult to watch at first because of the portrayal of the brutal conditions inside Shawshank prison. But the film then develops into a moving and inspiring portrayal of how these prisoners win little victories against the system. The ending is one of the best I've seen in any film. I warmly recommend you rent it.
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By far the best film of the 1990s. I remember going to see this on its cinematic release after recommendation by word of mouth. Sitting in a cinema with 90%+ of seats unoccupied I imagined that the "word of mouth" might have been a little misplaced. However, what followed was the first viewing of a masterpiece.
Shawshank follows the friendship between Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) and Red (Morgan Freeman) for a period of over twenty years following Dufresne's imprisonment for the murder of his wife. The growing friendship forms the backbone of the film though never hangs in the forefront until the finale. The film tells the story through subplots including the brutality of inmates and guards and the corruption of the warden played superbly by Bob Gunton. The film relates a beautiful tale of the triumph of hope in adversity and has a magnificent moving finale.
This is without doubt one of the greatest movies ever made and is all the more remarkable for having been a relative flop when it was first released. A must see and I heartily recommend buying the DVD if you haven't seen it.
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Shawshank redemption is certainly a film that everyone must see,its a film that has universal appeal,a film that creates the strongest emotions from within the viewer.A film that is a journey of time,a reflection of change and the struggle to stay alive when the world appears to have turned against you and how some crumble and how some burn brighter for the challenge.
Its a film that is adapted from stephen kings short story rita hayworth and shawshank redemption.The story revolves around a character called andy dufresne (tim robbins) who is sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife and her aquaintance,and in prison he makes friends with red (morgan freeman),but prison isnt all about friends and before long he makes enemies who wish to hurt him and along with a crooked guard and callous prison governer,his world is harder than it should ever be.
Along the way there are moments of madness,joy,violence and words of wisdom,and the brilliance of the movie lies in a script thats sharper than t rexs teeth,and the ability to make the characters likeable and realistic.
The film was a cinema flop and has gained its fan base through video and dvd so if you havent seen this then maybe you are lucky as all the joys await but im certain that if you have seen this you will watch it again.
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The Shawshank Redemption is one of my all time favourite films. Based on a Stephen King short story, it follows the story of one man who is convicted of murdering his wife and her lover. The film follows him through the many years he spends in prison and the people he meets.
A heart-warming story with a fantastic ending. A film everyone should watch at least once
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