He is befriended by Ellis "Red" Redding, an inmate and prison contraband smuggler serving a life sentence. [147] Lasting fan appreciation has led to it being considered one of the most beloved films of all time. [48] The low box office was also blamed on a lack of female characters to broaden the audience demographics, the general unpopularity of prison films, and the bleak tone used in its marketing. The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont, based on the 1982 Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. But inside Andy Dufresne is a completely different man. When life kicks you down hope will raise you up. Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency. [84] Howe said that while the character is "cheesily messianic" for easily charming everyone to his side, comparing him to "Forrest Gump goes to jail", Robbins exudes the perfect kind of innocence to sell the story. Many movies following The Shawshank Redemption have tried and failed in their attempts to recreate this behemoth of a movie. He eventually saw one but seeing it was so high up, he became dejected when the bed sightly bounced. [89] The film has been nominated for, or appeared on, the American Film Institute's lists celebrating the top 100 film or film-related topics. [26] Film critic Roger Ebert argued that The Shawshank Redemption is an allegory for maintaining one's feeling of self-worth when placed in a hopeless position. [46] In 1996, the rights to The Shawshank Redemption were passed to Warner Bros., following the merger of its parent company Time Warner with the Turner Broadcasting System. Freeman referred to Darabont's requiring multiple takes of scenes, which he considered had no discernible differences. A general audience trend towards action films starring the likes of Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger was also considered to work against the commercial success of The Shawshank Redemption. [44] As of 2019, Destination Mansfield operates the Shawshank Trail, a series of 15 marked stops around locations related to the film across Mansfield, Ashland, Upper Sandusky, and St Croix. [48] Freeman's son Alfonso has a cameo as a young Red in mug shot photos,[40] and as a prisoner shouting "fresh fish" as Andy arrives at Shawshank. [41] Many of the rooms and props remain there, including the false pipe through which Andy escapes,[55] and a portion of the oak tree from the finale, after it was damaged in 2011. The Shawshank Redemption is a very human story with a lot of powerful, and emotional scenes that have captivated millions of viewers. [46] In 2015, the film was selected by the United States Library of Congress to be preserved in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". [32] Then in the end of the film, Andy passes through a hole in his cell hidden by a movie poster to escape both his cell and ultimately Shawshank. [13] Frank Medrano plays Fat Ass, one of Andy's fellow new inmates who is beaten to death by Hadley,[5][14] and Bill Bolender plays Elmo Blatch, a convict who may actually be responsible for the crimes for which Andy is convicted. With Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler. [20] Director Frank Darabont responded that this was not his deliberate intention,[21] but he wanted people to find their own meaning in the film. 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