Tom Robbins plays
Andy Dufresne, a prominent banker
unjustly convicted of murder who spends many years
in Maine's Shawshank
prison. He is
befriended
by "Red" Redding (Morgan
Freeman), a convict who knows the ropes and helps him to cope with the
frightening realities of prison life. Andy's unconquerable will
earns Red's friendship; his resourcefulness brings hope and change
to the entire prison. Andy is full of surprises, and he saves his
best for last.
CRITIQUE
The Shawshank
Redemption is a great film, one among few great films of the
1990s. Frank Darabont's direction is so precise, smooth, and fluid
that every scene is important and every line of dialogue furthers
the understanding of the characters and events. I haven't read
Stephen King's short story on which the film is based, but
Darabont's script is excellent. He gives us two different
characters, Andy and Red, who form a relationship that probably
couldn't exist outside the Shawshank walls, but really Andy and
Red are the same person with the same aspirations, such as freedom
and harmony.
Tim Robbins and
Morgan Freeman elevate their material to a high level, making
their characters transcend the fictional notion and creating
realistic people. The supporting cast is excellent, too,
especially Bob Gunton and Clancy Brown who make their malevolent
characters believable, and William Sadler and James Whitmore are
great also. Aside from the acting, The Shawshank Redemption
is beautifully photographed by Roger Deakins, composed by Thomas
Newman, edited by Richard Francis-Bruce, and designed by Terence
Marsh. This film is one for the ages, and it rightfully earns it's
status as a classic among fans and professionals.
THE VIDEO
Warner Bros. presents The
Shawshank Redemption in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen.
Beautiful widescreen transfer. Colors are bright and
well-saturated. There are no major issues with the presentation.
Grain is very minimal, while sharpness and detail look very
good.
THE AUDIO
Warner Bros. presents The
Shawshank Redemption in English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround.
Dialogue is clear and easy to understand, while the sound
effects and Thomas Newman's wonderful score can be heard with
clarity across the speakers.
THE EXTRAS
I was one of the
many consumers who picked up the barebones DVD release a couple
of years ago, but at the time I didn't think a special edition
would come out. Well, the film celebrated its ten year
anniversary a few weeks ago, and with that comes a two-disc
special edition filled with good bonus material.
First up is the
great audio commentary by director Frank Darabont. He
offers a wealth of information that is insightful and fun to
listen to. This is his first time doing a commentary and he
excels admirably.
The second disc
holds all the new bonus materials. Hope Springs Eternal
(30:59) is presented in fullscreen; this new documentary looks
at the characters, specifically the relationship between Andy
and Red, comments on the acting through interviews with the
major cast members (Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bon Gunton,
William Sadler, Clancy Brown, Gil Bellows, and James Whitmore),
references the film's production design, recounts the scene on
the prison rooftop, discusses the theme of institutionalization,
remembers the Newman's score, and shows pictures and some
behind-the-scenes footage.
The second
documentary is Shawshank: The Redeeming Feature (48:13),
hosted by Mark Kermode, which attempts to answer the question,
"what is so great about the film and what makes it so great?"
The docu features interviews with Robbins, Freeman, Frank
Darabont, and some other personalities, including the playing of
taped confessionals and/or testimonies from fans of the film who
briefly give their personal thoughts on how the film connected
with them. Mark Kermode does a good job hosting this docu from
inside the walls of the real Shawshank prison. There's also a
good amount of on-set footage as well as footage form the film's
casting session in the town where the film shot.
Next is a
segment of The Charlie Rose Show (42:18) featuring Darabont,
Robbins, and Freeman discussing the film and all sorts of things
in honor of the film's ten-year anniversary. Some information is
repeated in the documentaries, but the input of all three men
makes for a good discussion.
The most
surprising extra is the short film The Sharktank Redemption
(24:43), shown in widescreen, which sort of spoofs the film but
actually sets up a really good story (people surviving inside a
Hollywood talent agency) that parallels the memorable events and
dialogue from the film, and features two main characters based
on Andy and Red. This short film is dedicated to assistants
everywhere who dream of something better, and it's great to have
this film on the DVD.
Rounding out the
extras is a Storyboards section (8:36), two scenes (New
Fish Arrive and Bogs Takes A Fall) set to the score
with art by Peter Von Sholly, a stills gallery showing
photos set to the film's score, and a Collectibles
montage (1:04).
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Shawshank
Redemption is one of my favorite films - this special edition DVD
does the film a great service, especially the insightful commentary by
Darabont, and therefore it is highly recommended.
