A gift I got for my recent birthday (it's official: I've outlasted Elvis) was a copy of The Shawshank Redemption on DVD. This was the first time I've seen the uncut version of the film since it first came out in the mid 90s. It was as good as I remembered it being.
As I've said in other postings, I'm no movie critic so if you want to read a good review of the film click here. However, I like just about everything regarding this film.
I've read some reviews that criticized it for having a slow pace. I completely disagree. The key to this film is its dialogue (both from the interaction of the characters and the narrator), and the film's pace lets us get to know the characters before the main plot action begins. Director Frank Darabont used a similar technique when he made The Green Mile.
Though the film is set in a prison, it has a real family feel to it. Especially gratifying is watching the development of the friendship between Andy (played by Tim Robbins) and Red (played by Morgan Freeman). The film avoids all the clichés that one often associates with prison films. The characters are three-dimensional, and the talented actors do a nice job of bringing them to life.
A couple of years ago, it seemed like the edited version of the film was on TV almost every night (especially on TNT). Since then, it seems to have disappeared so seek it out. It deserves to be part of your collection.
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3 comments:
A good film, one of my favorites, though brutal and dark at times. One of the few soundtracks I own.
The guys on the Bob & Tom radio have an ongoing bit in which a guy who sounds JUST LIKE Morgan Freeman calls in and gives a progress report on Andy Dufresne's escape tunnel. Hee-lary-us!
"One of the few soundtracks I own."
I don't own the soundtrack, but I agree, the score is excellent.
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