When this popular prison drama was released in
1994, some critics complained that the movie was
too long (142 minutes) to sustain its story.
Those complaints miss the point, because the
passage of time is crucial to this story about
patience, the squeaky wheels of justice, and the
growth of a life-long friendship.
Only when the film reaches its final,
emotionally satisfying scene do you fully
understand why writer-director Frank Darabont
(adapting a novella by Stephen King) allows the
story to unfold at its necessary pace, and the
effect is dramatically rewarding. Tim Robbins
plays a banker named Andy who's sent to
Shawshank Prison on a murder charge, but as he
gets to know a life-term prisoner named Red
(Morgan Freeman), we realize there's reason to
believe the banker's crime was justifiable. We
also realize that Andy's calm, quiet exterior
hides a great reserve of patience and fortitude,
and Red comes to admire this mild-mannered man
who first struck him as weak and unfit for
prison life.
So it is that The Shawshank Redemption builds
considerable impact as a prison drama that
defies the conventions of the genre (violence,
brutality, riots) to illustrate its theme of
faith, friendship, and survival. Nominated for
seven Academy Awards including Best Picture,
Actor, and Screenplay, it's a remarkable film
that signaled the arrival of a promising new
filmmaker--a film that many movie lovers count
among their all-time favorites.
Directed by: Frank
Darabont
Written by: Frank
Darabont
Produced by: Liz
Glotzer & David V. Lester Original music by:
Thomas Newman
Cast:
Tim Robbins .... Andy
Dufresne
Morgan Freeman .... Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding
Bob Gunton .... Warden Norton
William Sadler .... Heywood
Clancy Brown .... Captain Hadley
Gil Bellows .... Tommy Williams
Mark Rolston .... Bogs Diamond
James Whitmore .... Brooks Hatlen
Jeffrey DeMunn .... 1946 D.A.
Larry Brandenburg .... Skeet
Neil Giuntoli .... Jigger
Brian Libby .... Floyd
David Proval .... Snooze
Joseph Ragno .... Ernie
Jude Ciccolella .... Guard Mert
Paul McCrane .... Guard Trout
Renee Blaine .... Andy Dufresne's Wife
Scott Mann .... Glenn Quentin
John Horton .... 1946 Judge
Gordon Greene .... 1947 Parole Hearings Man
Alfonso Freeman .... Fresh Fish Con
V.J. Foster .... Hungry Fish Con
John E. Summers .... New Fish Guard
Frank Medrano .... Fat Ass
Mack Miles .... Tyrell
Alan R. Kessier .... Laundry Bob
Morgan Lund .... Laundry Truck Driver
Cornell Wallace .... Laundry Leonard
Gary Lee Davis .... Rooster
Neil Summers .... Pete
Ned Bellamy .... Guard Youngblood
Joe Pecoraro .... Projectionist
Harold E. Cope Jr. .... Hole Guard
Brian Delate .... Guard Dekins
Don McManus .... Guard Wiley
Donald Zinn .... Moresby Batter
Dorothy Silver .... 1954 Landlady
Robert Haley .... 1954 Food-Way Manager
Dana Snyder .... 1954 Food-Way Woman
John D. Craig .... 1957 Parole Hearings Man
Ken Magee .... Ned Grimes
Eugene C. DePasquale .... Mail Caller
Bill Bolender .... Elmo Blatch
Ron Newell .... Elderly Hole Guard
John R. Woodward .... Bullhorn Tower Guard
Chuck Brauchler .... Man Missing Guard
Dion Anderson .... Head Bull Haig
Claire Slemmer .... Bank Teller
James Kisicki .... Bank Manager
Rohn Thomas .... Bugle Editor
Charlie Kearns .... 1966 D.A
Rob Reider .... Duty Guard
Brian Brophy .... 1967 Parole Hearings Man
Paul Kennedy .... 1967 Food-Way Manager
