Why do we love the shawshank redemption

Undoubtedly, but spirituality might be a better word, given that the film is so firmly anti-religion. The Jesus story form remains one of the most powerful in movies. Spartacus is a Jesus film, complete with crucifixions.

In Shawshank , Red and his cohort are the disciples, left behind to talk about the things Andy taught them — the importance of books, the beauty of Mozart, the power of hope. Like Star Wars , Shawshank repackaged its religion in a new ish form for a new generation — and they're the ones voting for it on IMDb. It condemns the fake man of God and offers a new one, who doesn't die.

He escapes to Mexico — the place where Americans fantasise about being free of their own society's constraints. The redemption of the title is Red's, not Andy's.

Red learns to hope, and to speak the truth to the parole board. Great escape movies are always popular. Steve McQueen made a specialty of them. This one offers earthly salvation as the ultimate form of escape, and maybe that is what audiences love. No waiting required. On twitter: ptbyrnes. Why we love the Shawshank Redemption. Please try again later.

The Sydney Morning Herald. By Paul Byrnes October 5, — Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size.

To have that perspective of time take place is kind of surreal—I turned 60 this year. I was 34 when we shot this movie. Before he influenced all those fans through his film, Frank Darabont was just another Hollywood screenwriter with dreams of directing.

After establishing a foothold writing B-horror flicks, Darabont had written a screenplay based on the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. The script quickly became the talk around studios. Now, he needed somewhere to shoot his film, which was of vital importance.

After asking a few state film commissioners at the L. Indeed they did. She handed him a black-and-white photograph, an aerial shot of the Ohio State Reformatory. It looked like Castle Dracula. The prison closed for good in December , after operating for nearly years. Cleveland planner Levi T. But when the Shawshank production team visited Mansfield in March , they discovered the Reformatory in a state of disrepair and decay.

Windows were smashed, and no one had bothered to pick up the glass. Tendrils of paint, long and wide as party streamers, were peeling off the walls. Thick layers of ice covered entire rooms. Of course Darabont loved it. He dashed about, imagined blocking scenes and camera movements.

The Shawshank team had found their lead—and just in time. Shawshank faithful ambled about, most of them proudly wearing the burnt orange commemorative T-shirts that came with their 25th-anniversary ticket. A line gathered around Mansfield local Torrey Davis , who, in a three-piece suit and his hair pushed back, bore a glancing resemblance to Tim Robbins.

For his effort, Davis became a hot commodity. Schindler's List is a wonderful film, but far from an easy watch. The Shawshank Redemption 's tale of justice, hope, friendship and humanity transcends genre and age, while bridging the divide between the mainstream and hardcore film buffs. These themes age far better than most films manage. So many of The Shawshank Redemption 's rivals in and around IMDb's top 10 rely on a period setting or special effects that have since been surpassed. Others have been affected by lesser sequels or genre saturation, but none of that applies to The Shawshank Redemption.

The "best movie of all time" discussion is inherently subjective, but of all the possible contenders, The Shawshank Redemption is the film in which most people will find something to enjoy. Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in , several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig's interest soon turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own.

Craig has previously been published on sites such as Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work eventually turned into a full-time career covering everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS.

Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but now works predominantly as a features writer. By Craig Elvy Published Jun 20,