The Shawshank Redemption

BFI Film Classics

by Mark Kermode

This study traces the history of "The Shawshank Redemption" and draws on interviews with writer/director Frank Darabont and leading players Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. The book also explores the near-religious fervour that the film inspires in a huge number of devoted fans.

Genres: Film, Fiction, Media Tie In, Novels

96 pages, Paperback

First published August 26, 2003

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

This needs to be said in capital letters so that it will grab people's attention and hopefully stop them from rating this book what they would have given King's novella:

THIS BOOK IS NOT KING'S NOVELLA (RITA HAYWORTH AND SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION), WHICH THE MOVIE WAS BASED ON. IT IS A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE FILM WRITTEN BY MARK KERMODE AND RELEASED BY BFI MODERN CLASSICS.

With that said, on with my actual review.

This is well written, in terms of actual writing style and readability, but ultimately lacking. Mark Kermode basically goes through the movie from beginning to end and attempts to translate a lot of the scenes and actions into symbols and themes. A lot of the conclusions he draws seem like a bit of a stretch to me. For example, Kermode writes, "Although Darabont has subsequently informed me that no such parallels were intended, it is possible (should one so wish) to find powerful echoes of the Last Supper in [the roof-tarring scene:]...a head-count of the inmates depicted in this sequence clearly reveals thirteen prisoners on the roof...More strikingly still, both King's source and Darabont's adaptation make it clear that, having provided the blessed beer, 'Only Andy didn't drink', a detail which fits neatly with the biblical descriptions of Jesus blessing, giving, but crucially not partaking of the wine..." (32). It seems to me that these two, what more likely are coincidences, don't provide enough substantial evidence to open up this scene to any necessary parallels between it and the last supper. I understand that Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is, I guess in some way -- maybe time and effort -- sacrificing himself to do the paperwork to get the beers that he hands out. And that because of his sacrifice they are all able to celebrate and enjoy the reward together, ultimately giving hope that there is life amongst the death of the prison. And that that event leads to the beginning of him being seen as a sort of legend that lives on through the passing of his story from one person to another (or as Kermode would say, from one disciple to another). However, when you study this scene in terms of the bigger-picture impact it has on the course of the film in comparison to what the last supper meant, and how it impacted the bigger-picture ministry of Jesus Christ, the parallels break down (and to be noted, some of the parallels that I listed above Kermode doesn't even go into.) Excuse me for getting theological, but some clarification on the first communion need to be made. The last supper was about Jesus Christ breaking bread and taking wine as a symbol for the giving over of His body and blood (meaning his death on the cross) for the disciples, and essentially the world, and the promise that we too would have to go to this cross if we were to believe in Him. As Christ's blood bound together the disciples in that moment, so would Christ's blood, shed through the giving of his follower's lives by way of the cross, bind together the Church in the future. None of this is evident in the roof-tarring scene. Andy's sacrifice is merely a way through which he can work the system in order for him and a couple guys to feel more human again. His sacrifice doesn't provide the way through which the other disciples will learn to live: other prisoners don't start trying to subvert the system and undermine authority because of him. And also, Kermode's second claim that Jesus didn't drink from the cup at first communion isn't as clearly stated in the gospels as he would have you believe. A lot of the gospels give slightly different accounts of this event, and even the gospels that he cites, Matthew and Mark, don't clearly state that Jesus didn't drink from the cup. Jesus's language about not drinking from the wine again until his second coming, leads me to believe that he drank from the cup the first time. There is the possibility that he drank wine during the meal, and then didn't drink wine during communion, being that some gospels list him saying he passed the cup after the meal, but there is no way of really telling. At best, we could say that it isn't conclusive whether he did or didn't. I don't mean to get overly religious, but I wanted to give an in-depth critique of one of his claims to show what I meant when I said many of his claims are a stretch. Much of the book gives analysis in the same way: concentrating on very specific, seemingly correct, but ultimately superficial connections between the movie and the Christian worldview. Kermode never really connects the dots between a lot of his claims which leaves the reader with great things to throw out at someone if your citing off references as to what this movie is "really" about, but leaves them paralyzed to offer any serious, well-thought out and congruent arguments. It's as if Kermode didn't have an all encompassing thesis for the book, but instead decided to analyze each scene individually and make connections where he could. If one knows a little something of the bible and what's in it, it becomes more obvious that Kermode's argument is lacking. I don't want to act like religious parallels cannot be made. I do believe there are some religious themes in the movie (an innocent man, condemned for a crime he didn't commit, is placed into a world he never belonged in, and helps the other guilty prisoners, through what he does and how he lives, see that humanity and another life are still possible if we learn to subvert the system and always continue to have hope.) However, Kermode doesn't do a great job of presenting these themes. Also, I don't want to act like there is nothing I took from this book (I did give it three stars, not one). Kermode gives an interesting interpretation having to do with the church of cinema and how Dufresne escapes through that and also gives a lot of little interesting tidbits about the movie along the way. Overall, the book is a short read, and a pretty easy one at that, and even with it's problems it might be worth reading just to get thinking more critically about the movie. However, if you're looking for a thorough and insightful analysis of this movie, especially in terms of why it worked, you might have to look elsewhere.

[Mohammed omran · Rating 4 out of 5]

“الخوف يبقيك أسيراً، أما الأمل فيحرّرك”
لا يقترب الناس مع الأفلام التي تدور أحداثها حول «الخلاص» إلّا بحذرٍ شديد، إلا أن هناك توق مستمر لرسائل الأمل، وحين يمنح الفيلم واحدة من هذه الرسائل، تظّل قوتّها تجبر المشاهدين على الجلوس.

عُرض “الخلاص من شاوشانك” لأول مرة في خريف 1994، وتدور أحداثه حول آندى دوفرين (تيم روبنز)، موظف البنك الذي زُج في السجن بتهمة قتل زوجته وعشيقها، وتم الحكم عليه بعقوبة السجن مدى الحياة في سجن شاوشانك، ليقابل هناك مجموعة من الأصدقاء أهمهم مهرب ممنوعات يُدعى ريد (مورغان فريمان)، الذي يقضي عقوبة سجن مدى الحياة هو الآخر. فتتحول علاقتهما إلى الخيط الدرامي الأساسي والمحرك الأهم لباقي أحداث الفيلم، بل يمكننا القول أنّ الفيلم يحكي قصة ريد أيضاً بقدر ما يحكي قصة صديقه. ثم تدور معظم أحداث الفيلم هناك، في ذلك السجن العتيد.. سجن شاوشانك.

خلال خمس سنوات فقط أصبح الفيلم «ظاهرة» وتهافتَ الناس على اقتنائه أو تأجيره من متاجر البيع إلى أن وصل الفيلم لأعلى رتبة عند الجماهير، وتصدّر المرتبة الأولى لأعظم فيلم في تاريخ السينما ولا يزال في الصدارة إلى اليوم، وذلك حسب الموقع الإلكتروني الشهير imdb.

الفيلم موزون ومتهمّل وعميق التفكير بقدر سرد الراوي ريد، وقد أدّى دوره الفنان «مورغان فريمان» الذي أصبح اليوم من عمالقة النجوم. تقمّصه الرائع للشخصية وصوته الهادئ أمران ليس لهما مثيل. الفنّان «تيم روبينز» يجعل من آندي رجلاً هادئاً لا يتحدث كثيراً، ويبدع في ذلك.

يتميّز الفيلم خصّيصا باحتوائه على العديد من الحوارات الفلسفية العميقة، وتناوله لمواضيع مختلفة تمسّ كل فرد منّا، ومقولاته المؤثرة التي ما زالت تقتبس إلى اليوم. فيبدو العرض كتجربة روحية أكثر من كونه فيلماً سينمائياً. نرى العديد من اللحظات المرحة، ولكن معظم الأحداث تنطوي على الهدوء والوحدة والنقاشات الفلسفية حول الحياة.

هذا الفيلم تقليدي جداً وأقل تشويقاً. لكنه يثير تساؤلات حول هذا الرجل، هل قام حقّاً بإقتراف جريمة قتل شخصين؟؟ لماذا نشعر بأنّه يخفي الكثير من الأسرار؟؟ كيف يستطيع التجول في باحة السجن مثل رجلٍ حر في نزهة، في حين نجد الآخرين لا تخترق عقولُهم قضبانَ السجون؟؟

غالبا ما تعطي المقدمة انطباعاً عن الفيلم بأكمله، افتتاحية “الخلاص من شاوشانك” تعتبر من أفضل البدايات السينمائية، مختصرة ومؤطرة للحدث العام كما أن المشهد الإفتتاحي في الفيلم يرصد لنا لحظة الحكم على أندي بالسجن المؤبّد، ثم ننتقل وبشكل دائم إلى وجهة نظر تمثّل جميع نزلاء السجن، وخصوصاً السجين ريد. إنّه صوته وهو يتذكّر أول مرّة رأى فيها أندي، حيث يقول:

«يبدو أنّ أيّة نسمة هواء في هذا المكان كفيلة بتدميره»

ويتوقّع بشكل خاطئ أنّه لن يستطيع الصمود في السجن.



في أول وجبة جماعية في السجن وجد آندي دودة في السلطة، فعرض عليه النزيل المسن بروكس بأن يأخذها، فأعطاها له بلطف، تبع ذلك سلسلة من التصرفات مع أصدقائه، جعلتهم متعاونين معه، ومؤمنين به للغاية، آندي كان محبوباً ومحاطاً بالأصدقاء الذين كان لهم دوراً كبيراً في دعمه.

يدخل ريد في بداية الفيلم للجلسة الأولى وهو يحاول أن يقنع مجلس إعادة التأهيل بأنّه أصلح من نفسه ليطلقوا صراحه، وفي الجلسة الثانية بعد عشر سنين يحاول ريد مرة أخرى، وفي الجلسة الثالثة بعد عشر سنين أخرى يستنكر المفهوم العام لإعادة التأهيل، وبشكلٍ ما تتحرر روحُه. بمجرد مشاهدة المشاهد الثلاثة الموزعة على طول الفيلم والمتشابهة تقريباً بنفس طريقة الدخول والخروج هناك مغزى مهم ومفارقة جميلة مستخلصة: تأتي الرياح بما لا تشتهيه السفن.

يقول ريد

«حين تسحقنا هذه القضبان، عندئذٍ نعرف أنّ كل هذا حقيقي. الحياة القديمة تسير في غمضة عين، ولا شيء يبقى سوى «وقت العالم كلّه» للتفكير بهذا الأمر».



يقضي آندي أيامه محاولاً استيعاب حقيقة أنه لم يعد رجلاً حُرّاً وأن حياته السابقة ذهبت في طرفة عين حسب تعبيره، حيث رسم المخرج دارابونت شخصية آندي وهي تحمل بداخلها بذور خلاصها، شخصية مستقيمة ومتزنة نفسياً ونستطيع أن نعرف ذلك منذ مشاهدتنا لردة فعله في بداية الفيلم نحو خيانة زوجته.

نتعلّم من أندي أن نكون صادقين مع انفسنا وألّا نفقد الأمل ونقدّر الوقت، وأن نبحث عن الفرصة المناسبة لتحقيق الهدف.

في احدى الأيام يجلب ريد لـ آندي مطرقة للتسلية فيتمكن من صنع قطع شطرنج صخرية، ثم جلب له ملصقًا كبيرًا يحوي صورة ريتا هيوارث ثم بعد سنوات صور لمارلين مونرو ثم راكيل ويلش، كان آندي يعمل في مغسلة السجن، حيث تم مهاجمته باستمرار من قِبل عصابة شواذ وقائدهم باجز.

في عام 1954م تم إطلاق سراح صديقهم العجوز بروكس الذي لم يستطع التأقلم مع العالم الخارجي بعد أن قضى خمسين عامًا في السجن، فما كان منه إلا أن قتل نفسه شنقًا، وأخيرًا تلقى آندي إمدادات للمكتبة تضمنت مقطوعة موسيقية، وقام آندي بتشغيلها على المذياع العام مما أودى به إلى السجن الانفرادي، وبعد خروجه منه برر فعلته بأن سيظل متشبثًا بالأمل وهو الشيء الوحيد الذي لا يستطيع السجن أن يسلبه إياه .
في 1965م تم سجن تومي ويليامز بتهمة السرقة، وانضم إلى دائرة أصدقاء آندي وريد وساعده آندي في اجتياز اختبارات محو الأمية، وذات يوم بعد أن سمع تومي تفاصيل قضية آندي صرح تومي أن شريكه في الغرفة في سجن سابق أخبره بشأن هذه القضية، واعترف أنه قاتل الزوجة وعشيقها، مما يثبت براءة آندي .
نقل آندي هذه المعلومات لحاكم السجن نورتون، الذي رفض الاستماع وأودع آندي في السجن الإنفرادي، ثم أمر بقتل تومي، فرفض آندي الاستمرار في عملية غسيل الأموال لكن نورتون هدده بتدمير المكتبة وحرمان آندي من الحماية ضد عصابة الشواذ.

وفي اليوم التالي وجدوا زنزانة آندي فارغة، فاشتاط نورتون غضبًا ملقيًا إحدى صخور آندي على ملصق راكيل ويلش المعلق على الحائط، فاخترقت الصخرة الملصق كاشفة عن النفق الذي حفره آندي بمطرقته خلال العشرين عامًا المنقضية، حيث هرب آندي في الليلة السابقة، خلال النفق ثم ماسورة الصرف الصحي الخاصة بالسجن حاملًا دفتر حسابات نورتون، الذي يحوي تفاصيل الأموال المغسولة، وفي الصباح التالي قام آندي باستخدام الاسم المستعار راندال ستيفنز وسحب كل الأموال المغسولة من البنوك .

بالطبع لا يمكن تجاهل الأمل، هناك مشاهد كاملة تتحدث فيها الشخصيات الرئيسية عن هذا الشعور السحري والطاغي في وجدان آندي، إن الأمل هو الذي كان يصبّره لاجتياز يوم بائس آخر، الأمل هو ما كان يجعله يحتمل نحت أحجار الشطرنج، وغلاظة المأمور، والأشغال الشاقة، والمعاملة الرديئة، والوجوه الجافة، والإحساس المهوّل بالقهر.

في مفارقة مذهلة يقول «ريد» لـ «أندي»:

«الأمل شيءٌ خطير.. الأمل يقود الرجل إلى الجنون»

ولاحقاً «أندي» يقول لـ «ريد»:

«تذكّر يا ريد أنّ الأمل هو شيءٌ عظيم، وقد يكون أعظم الأشياء، والأشياء العظيمة لا تموت أبداً».

آندي وبعد 19 عاماً، من الأمل والبراعة والموهبة والشيطنة، يخرج حراً طليقاً ويغرق نفسه تحت وابل المطر، في مشهد آسر استحق دموع المشاهدين وتصفيقهم أيضاً، إنه فيلم The Shawshank Redemption الذي اتفقت عليه الأذواق التي تختلف في العادة، والفيلم الذي يمثل بجدارة أحد أشكال السينما حيث السحر الذي لا يخفت.



ومن خلفيات الفيلم المهمّة التي تميّز بها، حديثه عن قضية “المأسسة”، وهي أن تصبح بعد فترة من الزمان، منتمياً لمكان معين بصورة لا تستطيع فراقه أو حتى تخيل فراقه (بعد أن كنت ربما تكرهه!)، أي ببساطة أن تصبح جزءاً من المؤسسة التي أنت فيها. وهو أمر نستطيع إسقاطه حقيقة على حياتنا بشكل واضح وقصورنا الذاتي واعتيادنا على المحدّدات والمقيّدات المحيطة بنا والتي تمنعنا إلى أن تشلّنا بعد فترة من الزمن عن اكتشاف أنفسنا الحقيقية وقدراتنا وإيماننا بأنفسنا واختياراتنا وحرّيتنا الواسعة. وقد بقي أندي عصيّا على هذه المأسسة وحالما آملاً بالحرية مقاوماً طوال الوقت، حتى في أشدّ الظروف حلكة.

إذاً لا بأس من المسايرة والادعاء أحياناً، وعموماً هذه نقطة تُحسب لهوليوود وللسينما الأجنبية عموماً، وهو أن البطل خليط من الشر والخير، حسب سياق الفيلم يغلب أحد الجانبين على الآخر بطريقة طبيعية ومتسقة مع الواقع، لا تجافيه ولا تتعالى عليه.



آندي لم يكن ملاكاً خالصاً، كان يعرف متى يكون متلاعباً إذا كان ذلك يخدم منفعته، فقد كان يعرف أن المدير يختلس أموالاً ولكنه ساعده في ذلك، وقد قال ذلك بصراحة في أحد المشاهد وكيف أنه كان خارج السجن مستقيماً كالسهم ولكنه تغيّر عندما دخل “شاوشنك”، وبسبب هذه الشيطنة استطاع آندي تعويض نفسه بنفسه عندما أخذ الملايين وهرب بها ليجاور البحر والسماء.

لم يتحدث الفيلم فقط عن الأمل وإن كان هذا موضوعه الرئيسي ربّما. الفيلم تحدّث عن كثير من المواضيع، ووضعنا في ميادين وأفكار ومشاعر وصراعات كثيرة، منها الحرّية والصّداقة والظلم والعدل والتّصميم والإرادة واليأس والحبّ والخيانة والفرح والنّدم والشّوق والإحباط والإنسانيّة والحزن والسعادة والخير والشرّ والجمال .. والأمل.. وغيرها أيضا. هذا هو أجمل شيء في شاوشانك، بساطته مع تناوله لكلّ هذه القيم والأفكار والمشاعر دفعةً واحدة.. هو سهل ممتنع!

منقول

[Biplav Adhikari · Rating 5 out of 5]

wish I had read this before watching the movie but nevertheless equally amazing :)

[Jude Xu · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are all being industrialized.
When we first came into a place we did not like, we may try to escape. However, when hope gradually disappeared, we would finally get accustomed to the life there and gave up the idea to escape.
That is why hope is so important.
Hope may bring you trouble. Because of it, you may be different with others. While others are thinking about what to do in the night, you may dream of you life ten years later on the sunny beach of Florida.
You may be laughed at or even forced by others to stop your day-dreaming.
Still, you have your hope.
You may have no one accompanying you. When every one tells you to give up and accept the fate, you have to firmly hold your hope and that will lead you to succeed.
When later you can actually stand on the beach of Florida, laughing at those when once laughed at you.
Congratulations.
You win.
You are not industrialized.

[t · Rating 3 out of 5]

esaretin bedelinin stephen king'in bir kitabından filmleştirildiğini biliyordum ve niye hala çevrilmedi diye kızarken bu kitaba rastladım önsözünün oluşturduğu beklentiye uymayıp filmle kitap ve senaryodaki farklılıklar üzerinden karakterler ve hikayedeki dini ve politik göndermeler eşliğinde bol miktardaki güzel karelerle filmi tekrar izletmiş oldu bu arada kitaptan esaretin bedelinin kuşku mevsimi adlı kitaptan alındığını da öğrenmiş oldum king'in bu adla çevrilmiş bir kitabı var ama piyasada yok

[Rinda Elwakil · Rating 5 out of 5]

علي الرغم من إلحاح الجميع عليّ حتي أشاهد هذا الفيلم إلا أني لم اشاهده إلا قريباً..
من الروائع، أحب أعمال ستيفن كينج إلي قلبي ..

[kutingtin · Rating 5 out of 5]

best movie ever!

[Rêbwar Kurd · Rating 5 out of 5]

بندهای زنجیر اگرچه نامرئی‌اند، اما صدای شکست‌شان بلندتر از شلیک گلوله است. «رستگاری در شاوشنگ» نه فقط داستانی درباره زندان، که مرثیه‌ای‌ست بر امید، بر زمان، و بر آن چیزی که در درون آدمی می‌جوشد حتی اگر دیوارها سال‌ها تنگش کنند.

فیلمنامه فرانک دارابونت، اقتباسی است درخشان از داستان کوتاه استیفن کینگ، با لحنی آرام اما کوبنده. در این متن، آنچه بیشتر از هر چیز می‌درخشد، نه کنش‌های هیجانی که سکوت‌های خردکننده، رنج‌های ناگفته، و آرامشی است که گاه تنها با چشمک زدن یک فانوس در تاریکی معنا می‌یابد.

فیلم نیز مانند متنش، تکه‌ای جاودانه از سینمای امید و پایداری‌ست. تیم رابینز با چهره‌ای از جنس تفکر و خویشتن‌داری، و مورگان فریمن با صدایی که مثل نسیم روی دیوارهای سلول حرکت می‌کند، شخصیت‌هایی را می‌سازند که بیشتر به سمبل می‌مانند تا آدم‌های معمولی. صدای مورگان فریمن در فیلم، مثل کتاب مقدسی بی‌دین است؛ راهنماست بی‌آن‌که ادعا کند.

«رستگاری در شاوشنگ» نه پیام اخلاقی می‌دهد، نه شعار می‌دهد. تنها در گوشه‌ای از زمان ایستاده، با صبری رنج‌آلود، تا به ما نشان دهد که "امید" گاهی آخرین زندانی است که از سلول آزاد می‌شود.

[Harry H]

This was a good book followed by an awesome film with tim robbins and morgan freeman which followed the same story

[Cheryl Durham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why would I revisit something like this? I don’t know. Typically, I read a book before the movie; this time I read the book years after seeing the movie. This time as opposed to being entertained I looked for the life lessons. I must be feeling my age😂😂. Nevertheless, I was able to walk away with lessons I couldn’t have gotten previously.

I never knew The Shawshank Redemption was based on a short story by Steven King. I never get off into his work because I am the scary type and he masters scariness. Yes, I was not sure if he killed his wife and her lover. Yes, I hated the manner in which the inmates hurt Andy. Yes, when I saw the movie I marveled at the relationship developed between Red and Andy. Yes, I detested the corruption by those in charge at the prison.

But, the lessons were too many to recall. One lesson was: no matter what state you are in....when people look with their heart...they see YOU. The same inmates who took advantage of Andy came to see how knowledgeable and necessary he was for them (i.e renovating the library and helping them to finally have a place of solace....even while being incarcerated). To their detriment, his banking knowledge helped the corrupt warden and his cronies.

Another lesson: birds are meant to be free. Adam knew he was innocent and confinement was robbing him. So, for years, with that Little Rock hammer, he dug his way to freedom and he took his assurance with him (all the original documents of the alias Randall Stephens and takes out all the money the he had submitted under that name for the warden).

Red’s character illuminated hope. In the boarding room he occupied there was an etching “ get busy living or get busy dying.” That etching was carved by a previous parolee who had a hard time adjusting. Situations and circumstances can appear to be hopeless but it’s all in how you look at it and if the necessary support/resources are available. It’s my hope that our criminal justice system gets better at preparing individuals for return to society and soon to be released inmates take advantage of the opportunities afforded them.

I could go on about the lessons but will wrap it up. All in all, the author illustrated that life is never fair...that there will be pain and suffering....but also growth and beauty as well as wonderful relationships formed. So, be hopeful regardless of wherever you are or however circumstances treat you....you will indeed reap a harvest!

[Michael Lebet · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Shawshank Redemption is an incredible story of the struggles while in prison. Eventually getting to how Andy Dufresne pulled of the greatest prison escape of all time. This book doesn't exactly fall into a specific genre but it can be called a horror, suspenseful, or just interesting story. Its not scary in the sense that the reader would be scared but its scary in the sense that this could actually happen. You could be locked in Jail for a crime you didn't commit. For Andy he decided to escape on his own after losing all hope to the warden. He was able to create a fake identity for himself, steal the warden's money, and walk out of the prison as a free rich man. The ultimate plan and an incredible escape.



I loved reading this book and definitely would read it again. The biggest stregnth was the character development. Because its told in the second person, Andy's thoughts aren't given right to you. You as the reader get to see Andy through the eyes of those around him and the story makes this workincredibly well. You don't get to know what Andy was thinking and thats why the payoff is so rewarding at the end of the story.



Anyone who isn't much of a reader or just really likes a revenge story should definitely give this a read. I went into this class thinking that I'm not going to love it because I will have to read all the time but really this book completely changed my mind. Its full of exciting turns, a great payoff, and incredible character development. If I were to rate this book it would easily receive five out of five stars.

[Gareth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mark Kermode offers a thoughtful analysis of The Shawshank Redemption, highlighting its religious themes which range from the obvious (Christ-like poses) to the fancifully inferred (Andy’s victory on the licence plate factory roof as an allegory for The Last Supper). He even leaves a little money on the table, not quite underscoring the spiritual disappearance of Andy Dufresne and its Christian parallel.

As in his BFI book on The Exorcist this is much more essay than behind the scenes account, so it’s best enjoyed as an interpretation only. I greatly enjoyed some of the observations I’ve never spotted before which are certainly intentional (such as Red’s reference to “a shitty pipe dream” being a very literal piece of foreshadowing) as well as a few that at best argue the possibility (like the use of Gilda audio during the final attempted rape scene).

Kermode is surprisingly curmudgeonly about the film, bemoaning that it “eschews subtlety” at times (perhaps forgetting what kind of source material we’re dealing with) and ending the book on quite a sour note as he disapproves of the film’s reshot ending, grumpily riding roughshod over the director’s own objection and then agreement that it works. Still, keeping his rhapsodies strictly to the realm of religious symbolism at least lends the book some objectivity; there’s the feeling of an author looking in slight amazement at the movie’s glittering reception, then putting in the work to understand it.

3.5

[Paul Carr · Rating 2 out of 5]

The good parts of this short book recap the film, comparing it to the source material (Stephen King’s novella), telling behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and dissecting what makes the film great, both emotionally and cinematically. However, the author overanalyzes the movie by drawing questionable parallels and overstretched analogies. This film is one of my all-time favorites, and I like analyzing and thinking about movies more than most people. This book left a sour aftertaste, and I don’t recommend except perhaps to the biggest Shawshank fans.

[Sean Chick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Shawshank Redemption is one of the most beloved movies of all time. Its appeal is truly broad because it speaks not just to one kind of person but to everyone. Kermode is good at discussing its themes and symbols without getting too theoretical. His distaste for the Mozart scene and finale is well reasoned, but he does fail to understand why both scenes were so beloved by viewers. Other wise, this is another good book in a great series

[Jonny Via · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my favorite movies so feel obligated to read the book. In the book it kind of let me down in that it didn’t touch on everything movie did which is going to upset with how those things go when a movie is also a book vice versa. It lacked some pretty big parts that the movie did an amazing job on but nonetheless was a great book that I enjoyed reading after seeing the movie. Would traduce starting ninth grade.

[Lydia L · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to read, just look at how many schools have recommended. This irrepressible, striking short story by Stephen King is about people who believed are criminals, but by revealing their are good for the society in some ways, we can feel the positivity in the book about good people who refuse to let evil things and become their way of life. By reading this book, you will have a brand new view for our world, and see the humanity inside dark shadows.

[Nate]

When I picked this up, I thought it was a behind-the-scenes "making of" type book. Instead, it's a critical analysis of The Shawshank Redemption, going through the movie from beginning to end while drawing parallels and pointing out imagery. It's well-written with some interesting insights, but I think Kermode overanalyzes the movie.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read so I could chat to my son about his school work. But a joy to read ahead of the next time I watch the movie in needs of a little ‘film as therapy’. I'll go into that with a much better idea that although Andy is the central figure in the unfolding drama, the true hero of the story is Red, a naive innocent (though guilty) in life.

[Gennady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good text for the excellent movie
The text is very close to the movie script. or is it a movie script?

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This rarely happens... but the movie was better.

[Kevin Shilling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the original story, and the film. This book give some great insights, and a few of those 'I never thought of it like that' moments.

[Tahra Rashid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a brilliant book. Read it twice.

[Pat Bay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read!

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have never seen this movie

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book, The Shawshank Redemption there were many exciting, breath taking, and thrilling parts. The story is about a guy named Andy getting accused about killing his x-wife and her boyfriend. He was sent to prison for two life sentences, one for his x wife and the other for the death of her boyfriend. In prison Andy meets a guy named red. He could get anything for you, such as weed or some cigarettes as long as you pay a good price. Anyway Andy asks for a stone pick so he could cut stone to make things like stone chess people or cool sculptures. He makes some more friends and keeps making stone structors. He gets a poster from red and hangs that up. By this time he has been in prison for almost a year. He gets a small little job with a nice old man named Brooks. Andy thinks he should help build a better library. He asks the government to send more books. Every week he would send one letter, and every night he would keep making a little sculpture. About five years went by like this when a new guy came. He was sent for two years because of stealing tv's out the back door of peoples houses and selling them. He is immediately liked by the "Elders" and he tells this true story about a guy who had found a golfer that his friends hated so he followed him home and killed him and the girl she was with. Andy finds out it was his wife and her boyfriend so he asks the warden if he can take this to court with the new guy but sadly the warden and his workers killed him that night so Andy couldn't get out. Andy was so mad he asks red for a rope about six feet long. The next morning Andy doesn't come out of his sell. Red obviously thought he had killed himself but when the guards look for Andy in his sell he wasn't there. the warden walks in and throws one of Andy's sculptures at the poster and it goes strait through without stopping for about a second. The warden took the poster off the wall and there was a tunnel so far you couldn't see the end. The investigators find out that andy made a tunnel to the sewers where he broke in by hitting the sewer pipe whenever the lightning would go off and then crawled through almost four football fields of pure poop only to find himself free after the longest twelve years of his life paying someone else's life sentence.

[Gjermund · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dødsfet slutt

[Eva Thieme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Almost everyone knows The Shawshank Redemption from the movie starring Morgan Freeman, but I suspect few know that Stephen King is the author of the book it is based on. Interestingly, it isn’t an entire novel, but rather a novella, much shorter in length. This doesn’t detract from the character development nor from the plot, both masterfully crafted in true Stephen King fashion. But it makes for quick reading. I listened to the audio version of it and it was just 4 CDs long. It just shows what a great writer Stephen King is - most writers will attest that it is harder to make it short.

I loved the suspense, and sort of knowing from the start what was going to happen yet sitting on the edge of my seat to find out how it was going to play out. The characters are wonderful, from Andy Dufresne, who is unjustly imprisoned for life, to Red, they guy who runs the prison black market, to all the guards and prison wardens who are more or less corrupt. The story gives you a new appreciation of what guilt and honor and freedom mean, and that they have nothing to do with what circumstance of life you find yourself in. Great book by a master storyteller, and the movie did it justice, as it is equally great.

[Lou Sytsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very even handed review by the British Movie Reviewer even if he tends towards parsing his viewpoints in that literary manner that King has mocked, from time to time.

Kermode makes some insightful connections ie Andy and Red bus rides as well as the Warden looking into the safe and then into Andy's escape route that seem so obvious now.

He takes exception with the ending believing the movie should have ended with Red's bus driving towards the border. Kermode feels that fate of the two men and what 'freedom' looks like should be left to the imagination. I've felt that way myself from time to time but in the end find the movie ending does not diminish my vision in any way.

The imagery, and lack of dialogue and closeups on the actors, of the ocean and the boat are symbols that further spark the imagination of the viewer rather than limit it.

Interesting and worthy read for Shawshank fans.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like reading books like these, this book was good for me to read cause i loved watching the movie and how he gets charged but didn't do anything is like everyday life people get convicted and sometimes they didn't do anything and just how he escapes and then goes and has a happy life off some where just great he was a intelligent person that didn't belong there and figured a way to escape i would recommend people to read this book.

[Levi Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book wasn't as good as the movie. The movie showed it a lot better as the cinematographer gave visual clues and evidence on the movie. As the book proceeds, there is a deeper and deeper mood shift to the book, first fear and brutality, then a "no-escape" then a hope but finally the ending threw me off! Read/watch to learn!