The Shawshank Redemption


2h 22m 1994
The Shawshank Redemption

Brief Synopsis

A man discovers himself after he is sentenced to life in prison.

Film Details

Also Known As
Cadena Perpetua, Nyckeln till frihet, Shawshank Redemption, évadés
MPAA Rating
Genre
Adaptation
Drama
Period
Release Date
1994
Distribution Company
Sony Pictures Releasing
Location
Ohio State Reformatory, Mansfield, Ohio, USA; St. Croix, US Virgin Islands

Technical Specs

Duration
2h 22m

Synopsis

Andy Dufresne, a mild mannered New England banker, is convicted of murdering his wife and her lover. Despised at first by the other inmates because of his introverted manner, Andy slowly forges an unlikely friendship with Red, a seasoned lifer and his gang. Soon, Andy also becomes popular with the prison guards, including the vicious Captain Hadley who offers him protection against the jail's rougher convicts in exchange for financial counseling. The prison warden also takes advantage of Andy's banking knowledge by exchanging privileges for creative bookkeeping. Over a twenty year period, Andy is able to maintain his sanity and dignity in prison not by physical force but by mental force. His smarts and confidence keep him going and he is able to teach the other prisoners that hope is the ultimate means of survival.

Crew

Peter Allen

Other

Therese Amadio

Animal Wrangler

Kokayi Ampah

Location Manager

Kokayi Ampah

Production Supervisor

Tim Amstutz

Lighting

Deborah Aquila

Casting

John Archibald

Grip

Petra Bach

Adr Supervisor

Lee Baird

On-Set Dresser

Bobby Baker

Set Decorator

Dennis Baker

Special Thanks To

Kelley L Baker

Accounting Assistant

Johnny Barbera

Other

Robert L Barnett

Assistant

Daniel W. Barringer

Stunt Player

Kevin Bartnof

Foley Artist

Cookie Beard

Wardrobe Assistant

David Behle

Other

Bruce Bell

Sound Editor

Bill Bernstein

Music Editor

Earl Betts

Props

Glen Blanton

Other

Brian Boggs

Craft Service

Mike Boudry

Adr

Kevin P. Boyd

Other

Julian Bratolyubov

Music

Robin Brown

Camera Assistant

Roy Bryson

Hair Stylist

Rex Buckingham

Grip

Carol Buckler

Wardrobe

Keith Bunting

Best Boy Grip

James Burke

Lighting

Richard Burton

Assistant

Willie Burton

Sound Mixer

Brian Buzzelli

Grip

Jeff W Canavan

Apprentice

Rick Canelli

Adr

Manny Centeno

Special Thanks To

Michael Cerone

Adr

Don Cerrone

Key Grip

Jorgen Christensen

Grip

Jeff Clark

Sound Editor

Kelley Collopy

Other

Robert Conrad

Driver

Tony Corapi

Best Boy

Tom Cotter

Assistant

Chris Cozzi

Location Assistant

Fred Culbertson

Transportation Captain

Fred Culbertson

Stunt Player

William Culbertson

Driver

Gerrit Dangremond

Steadicam Operator

Frank Darabont

Screenplay

William P Davis

Driver

Zack Davis

Sound Editor

Roger Deakins

Dp/Cinematographer

Roger Deakins

Director Of Photography

Eugene Depasquale

Grip

Jeni Lee Dinkel

Makeup Artist

James Ellis

Script Supervisor

Chick Elwell

Driver

Jane Estocin

Assistant Production Accountant

Jack Evans

Assistant Art Director

Barrett Fleetwood

Production

Richard Ford

Rigging Gaffer

Susan Fraley

Other

Richard Francis-bruce

Editor

Alfonso Freeman

Assistant

Dick Furr

Driver

Patricia A Galvin

Assistant Editor

Carlos Garcia

Caterer

Harold Garnsey

Driver

Jerry Gatlin

Stunt Coordinator

Max Gerber

Lighting

Blair Gibeau

Other

David Gilby

Lighting

Sally Givens

Driver

Liz Glotzer

Executive Producer

Chad Goodrich

Props

Antoinette Gordon

Set Designer

Marilyn Graf

Foley Mixer

Ron Grafton

Foley Recordist

James Graham

Driver

Ray Greene

Driver

Michael Greenwood

Assistant Director

James Gribbins

Other

Thomas Guidugli

Grip

Mickey Guinn

Driver

Ed Gutentag

Assistant

Richard Hall

Special Thanks To

Bruce Hamme

Dolly Grip

Dexter Hammett

Lighting

Dick Hancock

Stunt Player

Kevin Haney

Makeup Artist

James Harrington

Grip

Andy Harris

Camera Assistant

Barbara Harris

Adr Voice Casting

Carey Harris

Propman

Scott E Hart

Animal Trainer

Todd Hatfield

Other

James Hawthorne

Other

Robert Hawthorne

Other

Jim Henry

Props

Michael Herbick

Rerecording

Jack Hering

On-Set Dresser

John M Heuberger

On-Set Dresser

Ellen Heuer

Foley Artist

Beth Hickman

Production Coordinator

Anne Hilbert

Office Assistant

Shelley Rae Hinton

Adr Editor

Joe Hodges

Set Designer

Ronald Hogle

Driver

Philip Ivey

Hair Stylist

David Leslie Johnson

Editorial Assistant

Jesse V. Johnson

Set Production Assistant

Dale Johnston

Sound Editor

Doc Kane

Adr Mixer

Kris Kearney

Costumes

Michael Kelem

Other

Jack Keller

Other

Stephen King

Source Material

Stephen King

Special Thanks To

William Kingsley

Other

Jeremy Knaster

Best Boy

Neil Knoff

Driver

Quincy Koenig

Other

Eve Lapolla

Special Thanks To

Taneia Lednicky

Wardrobe Supervisor

Alan Michael Lerner

Stunt Player

David V Lester

Executive Producer

David V Lester

Unit Production Manager

Larry Lester

Sound Editor

Marvin E. Lewis

Boom Operator

Robert J Litt

Rerecording

Jose Lopez

Caterer

Robert Lusted

Assistant Editor

James C Makiej

Music

Bobby Mancuso

Camera Assistant

Bill Manger

Sound Editor

David Mardner

Transportation Coordinator

Terence Marsh

Production Designer

Bill Martin

Lighting

Lori Martino

Assistant Sound Editor

Niki Marvin

Producer

Roland Maurer

Driver

Elizabeth Mcbride

Costume Designer

Ken Mccahan

Grip

Donnie Mcfinely

Costumes

Frank Mckeon

Other

David Mcquade

Set Production Assistant

Karin Mercurio

Accounting Assistant

D Lynn Meyer

Casting

Sebastian Milito

Construction Coordinator

Douglas G Miller

Driver

Russell Milner

Grip

Gary Mishey

Driver

Scott Mizgaites

Props

Mark Moelter

Craft Service

Sue Bea Montgomery

Production Supervisor

Bill Moore

Other

Tom Morga

Stunt Player

Leslie Morris

Music Contractor

Adam Moyer

Extras Casting Assistant

Glen Murphy

Driver

Christopher Neely

On-Set Dresser

Ken Nevin

Driver

Thomas Newman

Music

Hope Nielsen

Camera

William R Nielsen

Camera Assistant

Thomas J. O'connell

Adr Mixer

Billy O'leary

Gaffer

Margaret J. Orlando

Assistant Production Coordinator

David Orr

Color Timer

Richard L Oswald

Sound Editor

Tom Park

Driver

Thomas Pasatieri

Music

Eva L. Prappas

Costumes

Pamela Priest

Hair Stylist

Charley Quinlivin

Grip

Mickey Quinn

Stunt Player

Chuck Ramsey

Driver

Isadoro Raponi

Props

Judity Reed

Driver

Sioux Richards

Script Supervisor

Scott Ruetenik

Driver

Dennis Sands

Music

Judy Scarboro

Video Assist/Playback

Van Scarboro

Video Assist/Playback

Brent Scarpo

Extras Casting Assistant

Thomas Schellenberg

Assistant Director

Joe Schultz

Caterer

Ben R Scott

Stunt Player

Michael Seirton

Set Decorator

Jane Shannon

Casting Associate

Tom Shaw

Property Master

Joseph Short

Other

Janelle Showalter

Assistant Sound Editor

David Smith

Driver

Peter Lansdown Smith

Art Director

Donald Snyder

Driver

Don Speakman

Craft Service

Film Details

Also Known As
Cadena Perpetua, Nyckeln till frihet, Shawshank Redemption, évadés
MPAA Rating
Genre
Adaptation
Drama
Period
Release Date
1994
Distribution Company
Sony Pictures Releasing
Location
Ohio State Reformatory, Mansfield, Ohio, USA; St. Croix, US Virgin Islands

Technical Specs

Duration
2h 22m

Award Nominations

Best Actor

1994
Morgan Freeman

Best Adapted Screenplay

1994

Best Cinematography

1994

Best Editing

1994
Richard Francis-Bruce

Best Original Score

1994

Best Picture

1994

Best Sound

1994

Articles

The Shawshank Redemption (2 disc Special Edition) - The Shawshank Redemption (2 Disc DVD Edition)


Hollywood history is dotted with those instances in which films that only received middling-at-best critical and box-office response upon their initial release wind up growing in stature and acclaim with the passage of time. Maybe the fastest such ascension on record has been enjoyed by the screen adaptation of the Stephen King prison novella The Shawshank Redemption (1994). Fueled by the phenomenon of home video, this story of enduring hope has gained enough of a fervent following that it's currently ranked as the third-best film by users of the popular film buff's web destination, the Internet Movie Database. Warner Home Video has chosen to mark the film's tenth anniversary with a two-disc Special Edition DVD laden with more than enough extras to satisfy its fan base.

The scenario is set in the late 1940s at a foreboding Maine penitentiary known as Shawshank, and is told through the eyes of Ellis "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman), a lifer with a valuable knack for smuggling contraband into the prison, and who has just come off a fruitless parole hearing. Amongst the latest arrivals to the prison community is Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), a youngish bank executive who has wrongly taken the fall for the double murder of his wife and her lover. Red presumes that this unprepossessing figure will be the first of the "fresh fish" to crack under the strain of confinement.

To Red's initial consternation, and eventual admiration, Andy adapts to his circumstances without a whimper, even in the face of homosexual assault by a cluster of cons that has targeted him. Circumstances lead to his using his skill with finances to get in the good graces of the prison administration, including its corrupt, bible-toting warden (Bob Gunton) and brutal head guard (Clancy Brown). The course of the narrative follows Andy through nearly twenty years within Shawshank's walls, as he tries to keep his dreams of eventual freedom alive and to spur morale amongst the prison's populace. Events are brought to a head when the warden, eager to keep his gifted money manager close at hand, brutally squelches evidence that could mean Andy's exoneration. Dufresene's efforts to return the "favor" take the story to its conclusion.

With its somber scenario, a daunting running time at two hours and twenty minutes plus, plus a title that defied commercial exploitation (King's literary title of Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption had initially been retained), the film struggled to find a theatrical audience, and reviews were mixed. Its five subsequent Oscar nominations started its original word-of-mouth push, and VHS rentals and cable took care of the rest over the coming years. Screenwriter Frank Darabont very capably realized the King story--part of the same anthology that inspired Rob Reiner's Stand By Me (1986) and Bryan Singer's Apt Pupil (1998)-- and made one of the most assured directing debuts in recent memory.

Freeman had the daunting task of propelling this somber story, and he acquitted himself brilliantly, vesting Red with the requisite weight and depth to involve the viewer from start to finish. His efforts in the triad of decades-spanning sequences involving Red's parole hearings are genuinely unforgettable. Robbins also does a remarkable job, making Andy necessarily opaque and inscrutable, yet wholly aware of his and others' need to hang on to some sense of humanity in the most dehumanizing of situations. The supporting cast is uniformly fine, notably Gunton and Brown, as well as an inmate population including James Whitmore, William Sadler, Gil Bellows, and David Proval.

The extras package leads off with a pair of documentaries that celebrate the creation of the film and its subsequent phenomenon. Hope Springs Eternal: A Look Back At The Shawshank Redemption, was created for the DVD, and Shawshank: The Redeeming Feature, had been lensed for British television in 2001. Between these offerings, and the 2004 appearance on TV's Charlie Rose by Darabont, Freeman and Robbins to mark the theatrical re-release, you'll find a certain amount of repetition of the same anecdotes, so don't take them in on the same sitting. An amusing change of pace is provided by the inclusion of The Sharktank Redemption (2000), an independently made, 24-minute satire short that transposes the situation to trapped interns at a high-powered West Coast talent agency. (The surrogate Red is played by Freeman's son Alfonso, and the parody works in no small measure due to his pronounced physical and vocal resemblance to his father.)

The supplemental materials are rounded out by an entertaining full-length audio commentary from Darabont, a stills gallery, storyboarding sequences, promotional artwork, a DVD-ROM weblink, and the original and re-release theatrical trailers. The image quality and Dolby 5.1 audio are essentially unchanged from the high quality of Warner's earlier single-disc, no-frills release.

For more information about The Shawshank Redemption: Special Edition, visit Warner Video. To order The Shawshank Redemption, go to TCM Shopping.

by Jay S. Steinberg
The Shawshank Redemption (2 Disc Special Edition) - The Shawshank Redemption (2 Disc Dvd Edition)

The Shawshank Redemption (2 disc Special Edition) - The Shawshank Redemption (2 Disc DVD Edition)

Hollywood history is dotted with those instances in which films that only received middling-at-best critical and box-office response upon their initial release wind up growing in stature and acclaim with the passage of time. Maybe the fastest such ascension on record has been enjoyed by the screen adaptation of the Stephen King prison novella The Shawshank Redemption (1994). Fueled by the phenomenon of home video, this story of enduring hope has gained enough of a fervent following that it's currently ranked as the third-best film by users of the popular film buff's web destination, the Internet Movie Database. Warner Home Video has chosen to mark the film's tenth anniversary with a two-disc Special Edition DVD laden with more than enough extras to satisfy its fan base. The scenario is set in the late 1940s at a foreboding Maine penitentiary known as Shawshank, and is told through the eyes of Ellis "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman), a lifer with a valuable knack for smuggling contraband into the prison, and who has just come off a fruitless parole hearing. Amongst the latest arrivals to the prison community is Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), a youngish bank executive who has wrongly taken the fall for the double murder of his wife and her lover. Red presumes that this unprepossessing figure will be the first of the "fresh fish" to crack under the strain of confinement. To Red's initial consternation, and eventual admiration, Andy adapts to his circumstances without a whimper, even in the face of homosexual assault by a cluster of cons that has targeted him. Circumstances lead to his using his skill with finances to get in the good graces of the prison administration, including its corrupt, bible-toting warden (Bob Gunton) and brutal head guard (Clancy Brown). The course of the narrative follows Andy through nearly twenty years within Shawshank's walls, as he tries to keep his dreams of eventual freedom alive and to spur morale amongst the prison's populace. Events are brought to a head when the warden, eager to keep his gifted money manager close at hand, brutally squelches evidence that could mean Andy's exoneration. Dufresene's efforts to return the "favor" take the story to its conclusion. With its somber scenario, a daunting running time at two hours and twenty minutes plus, plus a title that defied commercial exploitation (King's literary title of Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption had initially been retained), the film struggled to find a theatrical audience, and reviews were mixed. Its five subsequent Oscar nominations started its original word-of-mouth push, and VHS rentals and cable took care of the rest over the coming years. Screenwriter Frank Darabont very capably realized the King story--part of the same anthology that inspired Rob Reiner's Stand By Me (1986) and Bryan Singer's Apt Pupil (1998)-- and made one of the most assured directing debuts in recent memory. Freeman had the daunting task of propelling this somber story, and he acquitted himself brilliantly, vesting Red with the requisite weight and depth to involve the viewer from start to finish. His efforts in the triad of decades-spanning sequences involving Red's parole hearings are genuinely unforgettable. Robbins also does a remarkable job, making Andy necessarily opaque and inscrutable, yet wholly aware of his and others' need to hang on to some sense of humanity in the most dehumanizing of situations. The supporting cast is uniformly fine, notably Gunton and Brown, as well as an inmate population including James Whitmore, William Sadler, Gil Bellows, and David Proval. The extras package leads off with a pair of documentaries that celebrate the creation of the film and its subsequent phenomenon. Hope Springs Eternal: A Look Back At The Shawshank Redemption, was created for the DVD, and Shawshank: The Redeeming Feature, had been lensed for British television in 2001. Between these offerings, and the 2004 appearance on TV's Charlie Rose by Darabont, Freeman and Robbins to mark the theatrical re-release, you'll find a certain amount of repetition of the same anecdotes, so don't take them in on the same sitting. An amusing change of pace is provided by the inclusion of The Sharktank Redemption (2000), an independently made, 24-minute satire short that transposes the situation to trapped interns at a high-powered West Coast talent agency. (The surrogate Red is played by Freeman's son Alfonso, and the parody works in no small measure due to his pronounced physical and vocal resemblance to his father.) The supplemental materials are rounded out by an entertaining full-length audio commentary from Darabont, a stills gallery, storyboarding sequences, promotional artwork, a DVD-ROM weblink, and the original and re-release theatrical trailers. The image quality and Dolby 5.1 audio are essentially unchanged from the high quality of Warner's earlier single-disc, no-frills release. For more information about The Shawshank Redemption: Special Edition, visit Warner Video. To order The Shawshank Redemption, go to TCM Shopping. by Jay S. Steinberg

Quotes

Trivia

Miscellaneous Notes

Frank Darabont was nominated for the 1994 award for Best Adapted Screenplay by the Writers Guild of America (WGA).

Niki Marvin was nominated for the 1994 Golden Laurel Award by the Producers Guild of America.

Roger Deakins won in the feature film category of the Outstanding Achievement Awards (1994) sponsored by the American Society of Cinematographers.

Winner of the seventh annual Scripter Award, given by the Friends of the University of Southern California Libraries, for the best film adaptation of a book.

Released in United States Fall September 23, 1994

Limited Release in United States September 23, 1994

Expanded Release in United States September 30, 1994

Wide Release in United States October 7, 1994

Expanded Release in United States October 14, 1994

Expanded Release in United States October 21, 1994

Re-released in United States February 17, 1995

Re-released in United States February 24, 1995

Expanded re-release in United States March 31, 1995

Released in United States on Video April 11, 1995

Released in United States May 1994

Released in United States September 1994

Released in United States February 1995

Shown at Cannes Film Festival (market) May 12-23, 1994.

Shown at Deauville Film Festival September 2-11, 1994.

Shown at Berlin International Film Festival (Panorama) February 9-20, 1995.

Based on the novella "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" written by Stephen King and published in the collection entitled "Different Seasons," published by Viking Press in 1982.

Feature directorial debut for Frank Darabont whose screenwriting credits include "The Fly II" (USA/1989) and "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" (USA/1994).

Completed shooting September 10, 1993.

Began shooting June 16, 1993.

Released in United States Fall September 23, 1994

Limited Release in United States September 23, 1994

Expanded Release in United States September 30, 1994

Wide Release in United States October 7, 1994

Expanded Release in United States October 14, 1994

Expanded Release in United States October 21, 1994

Re-released in United States February 17, 1995 (New York City and Los Angeles)

Re-released in United States February 24, 1995

Expanded re-release in United States March 31, 1995

Released in United States on Video April 11, 1995

Released in United States May 1994 (Shown at Cannes Film Festival (market) May 12-23, 1994.)

Released in United States September 1994 (Shown at Deauville Film Festival September 2-11, 1994.)

Released in United States February 1995 (Shown at Berlin International Film Festival (Panorama) February 9-20, 1995.)

Frank Darabont was nominated for outstanding directorial achievement by the Directors Guild of America (1994).