'The Shawshank Redemption,' over 30 years, has grown to become a modern classic
You know a movie or TV show has achieved true iconic status when generations of fans flock to certain filming locales, or there’s a touring exhibit dedicated to a particular title. Think of the “Field of Dreams” experience in Dyersville, Iowa, the guided tours of Highclere Castle where “Downton Abbey” was filmed, the various exhibits related to “Titanic.”
The Shawshank Prison & Shawshank Museum in Mansfield, Ohio.
Wait, what? Given the systematic, horrific, decades-long abuse endured by Tim Robbins’ Andy Dufresne in “The Shawshank Redemption,” it might seem a bit incongruous to turn filming locations into a tourist attraction (complete with school field tours), but as shawshanktrail.com puts it, you can “do time in the Shawshank Museum, where you’ll immerse yourself in props, set pieces, costumes and other treasures in the movie ... bring home souvenirs from the Museum Store ... check out Brooks’ hotel room ... the warden’s office, the tunnel Andy crawled through to freedom, and so much more.”
Actually, that sounds kinda great. Who is up for a road trip!
“The Shawshank Redemption" turns 30 this fall, and a 4K Ultra HD version of the film is available from digital retailers or on a Blu-ray disc. It's also streaming on Tubi. In honor of the anniversary, here are some notes, thoughts and observations:
The captives’ audience
Pop culture lore says the movie was a bomb when it was first released and only gained widespread popularity after becoming a VHS hit, followed by TBS airing the movie over and over and over again.
It’s true that “Shawshank” was a box office disappointment, in part because it went into wider release on Oct. 14, 1994, the same day “Pulp Fiction” came out, and prison dramas are a notoriously tough sell, and then there was that rather strange title — but it earned a total of about $29 million worldwide in theaters, just a little more than the original budget of $25 million. Not even a mild hit, but hardly a disaster.
Of course, “Shawshank” went on to become one of the most popular movies in modern home viewing history, routinely making lists of the Top 100 films of all time, and to this day is ranked as the most popular movie of all time by IMDB voters.
Well-rounded Robbins
From 1992 to 1995, Tim Robbins had an incredible run as an actor, writer and director, with credits including:
• “Bob Roberts” (star, writer and director) — 1992
• “The Player” — 1992
• “Short Cuts” — 1993
• “Ready to Wear,” “The Hudsucker Proxy” and “The Shawshank Redemption” — 1994
• “Dead Man Walking” (writer and director) — 1995
All’s well that ends well
It’s not uncommon for a movie to get a more “Hollywood” ending than a book, e.g., Roy Hobbs hitting the magical, game-winning home run in the movie version of “The Natural,” whereas the book ends with Hobbs ending up broken and ruined. Stephen King's “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption” ends with Red setting out to Mexico in HOPES of finding his friend Andy. The filmmakers wisely added that famous final scene on the beach. After all Andy and Red had been through, they deserved that reunion — and so did the viewer.
A wicked warden
Rankings of the top movie villains of all time almost always include the shark in “Jaws,” the Alien, the Wicked Witch of the West, Darth Vader and the T-1000 from “Terminator 2.” All great choices, but for me the most chilling villains are the human beings who are capable of unspeakable evil. Hannibal Lecter, of course, but also Nurse Ratched in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” Amon Goeth from “Schindler’s List” — and Bob Gunton’s Warden Norton from “Shawshank.” Norton cloaks himself in the word of God and is hailed for his supposedly progressive policies, but in reality, he’s a vile and corrupt monster, who presides over a theater of pain and misery, looks the other way when prisoners are abused, sends Andy into the hole for calling him “obtuse,” and orders the assassination of an inmate who said a former cellmate of his had claimed responsibility for the murders for which Andy had been wrongly convicted.
‘A movie about hope’
The seven Academy Award nominations "Shawshank" received included best cinematography for Roger Deakins — the first of 16 such nominations for Deakins, with wins for “Blade Runner 2049” and “1917.” In a recent conversation, I asked Deakins about the film's lasting popularity.
“I don’t really know what makes a movie endure," he said. "I guess it shows the power of word of mouth since it wasn’t a highly publicized movie. Then it gained a [bigger] audience after it went to VHS.”
Added wife James Deakins, longtime partner and collaborator with Roger: “It’s a movie about hope, friendship and overcoming adversity. That’s ... what people can relate to.”
When I think of films that are universally beloved, a number of titles jump to mind: “The Godfather.” “Jaws.” “It’s a Wonderful Life.” “Rocky.” “Groundhog Day.” “Coming to America.”
And “The Shawshank Redemption.”