Last night I watched Shawshank Redemption for the first time.....

Adamantium

And I'm thinking about watching it again.
I put it off for years :eek:, but jesus there was something magical and utterly powerful about it. Its not even necessarily a type of film I'd normally enjoy. Really showed great male friendships with little nihilism, and having them being just that, pure friendship

Really,completely deserved its spot at No1 in IMDB for over a decade.

There were floods of tears in a few particular scenes.

No wonder this film has made lives and the world a little better.
Its...perfect. What a gratifying gift to Darabount and King and co to bring something like this to audience.

Watching something like this makes you forget all the churlish, pretensions, that I build up over the years, and reminded me why I loved movies in the first place AKIN to Jurrasic Park in a way.

Lingua Franca

It's also one of the very few from-the-book-by- films that arguably surpasses the original source. It's also very faithful to the original story. It's an amazing film and you're very lucky - I'd love to see it again for the very first time!

I rewatched The Mist last night, which is another Darabont adapation of a Stephen King story (The Green Mile is another one) and although it's no Shawshank it's also remarkably good. Toby Jones especially is outstanding in it.

Basically, Frank Darabont and no one else should film Stephen King stories until one or other dies.

e_e

Capably made, entertaining and memorable film. I can see why it's endured so well for so many people though and more power to it for it gathering such a following.

Although personally it's veering just a teeny tiny bit towards the bland/safe side for me and I can't say it's impacted me in the way many other films have. It's just a nice film to me, one I can rely on to keep my attention for 2 hours but it doesn't really wow me all that much. It was almost exactly what I expected it to be, for both better and worse.

Adamantium

I liked that they knew what to leave and leave out in terms of violence and that, the way it comes together. I was lead to believe it was a very tame Disney-like movie, so for me it was far darker than I expected

The warden plunging his hands through the poster and the tracking shot down the hole as he looks into it. I got to say I'm sure many saw it coming and predictable, but I didn't, I thought "this is brilliant/genius!!", all the clues in hindsight, the discipline involved

And it goes on and on,a simple story executed perfectly.

Lingua Franca

Adamantium wrote: »

I liked that they knew what to leave and leave out in terms of violence and that, the way it comes together.

It's actually so faithful to the novella that the few changes are a lot more subtle than that. The only actual noticable change is that in the book Red actually is Irish.

And the novella ends

with Red on the Greyhound to the Mexican border having found the letter and money and thinking all of the "I hope" dialogue. The heartwarming Mexican beach reunion scene was an addition.

Norma_Desmond

Lingua Franca wrote: »

It's also one of the very few from-the-book-by- films that arguably surpasses the original source. It's also very faithful to the original story. It's an amazing film and you're very lucky - I'd love to see it again for the very first time!

I rewatched The Mist last night, which is another Darabont adapation of a Stephen King story (The Green Mile is another one) and although it's no Shawshank it's also remarkably good. Toby Jones especially is outstanding in it.

Basically, Frank Darabont and no one else should film Stephen King stories until one or other dies.

Rob Reiner also did a good job I would have to say with Stand by Me and Misery.

johnny_ultimate

It's a good film, but the hyperbole that has built up around it has gotten out of all proportion at this stage.

It is a gentle crowd pleaser and it manages its undeniable sentimental streak with care. It's well made and acted. But it's also safe and obvious in so many ways, IMO lacking the vision, subtlety and ambition of a truly great film (those one or two iconic moments aside). Freeman's narration, now the source of so many parodies and copycats, is pretty much a crime against the 'show, don't tell' rule of filmmaking and should be sent back to the printed page where it belongs :pac: Overall it's inoffensive in ways both positive and negative. And that's fine - it does what it does very well for the most part, and it's not at all hard to see why it is so universally appealing (it's extremely accessible and wears its heart on its sleeve). It is proud and confident of what it is, and that's definitely to its credit, and yeah credit to it for reaching such a wide audience (especially after its modest theatrical launch). But it's one of the rare films where I feel its reputation no longer remotely fits with what it actually is, and the conversations around this solid little film have it punching far above its weight.

One of the greatest films ever made? Not a ****ing chance, and honestly part of me wishes that wasn't a necessary disclaimer when talking about this film. An entertaining, well crafted and likeable crowd pleaser? Absolutely.

byronbay2

Lingua Franca wrote: »

It's actually so faithful to the novella that the few changes are a lot more subtle than that. The only actual noticable change is that in the book Red actually is Irish.

And the novella ends

with Red on the Greyhound to the Mexican border having found the letter and money and thinking all of the "I hope" dialogue. The heartwarming Mexican beach reunion scene was an addition.

Funny you should say that - I always thought that the movie should have ended with the bus (containing Red) driving off into the distance with all the possibilities this implied, especially with the voice-over apparently confirming this. The subsequent meeting on the beach always seemed tacked-on to me - I assumed it was aimed at Americans who insisted on a definitive "happy" ending!

Its a really good movie but I think there is much better movies out there than it...The green mile,Pulp Fiction,Downfall just offhand

I think I was expecting more because its been at the top of the IMDB for so long and people rave about it.

as was said there its a real crowd pleaser!

Adamantium

byronbay2 wrote: »

Funny you should say that - I always thought that the movie should have ended with the bus (containing Red) driving off into the distance with all the possibilities this implied, especially with the voice-over apparently confirming this. The subsequent meeting on the beach always seemed tacked-on to me - I assumed it was aimed at Americans who insisted on a definitive "happy" ending!

Darabount wanted to end that way, but the studio said

you can't have them come this far and

.... so the ending was filmed begrudingly at first.

In hindsight, he said was wrong with the initial decision, had a change of heart and the film wouldn't have felt complete without the ending that we now have. I'm glad the studio nudged him in that direction

The pacific really did look blue like in his dreams

ScrubsfanChris

byronbay2 wrote: »

Funny you should say that - I always thought that the movie should have ended with the bus (containing Red) driving off into the distance with all the possibilities this implied, especially with the voice-over apparently confirming this. The subsequent meeting on the beach always seemed tacked-on to me - I assumed it was aimed at Americans who insisted on a definitive "happy" ending!

You're right.
Frank Darabont talks about it in the audio commemtary. The shot of the bus going of into the distance, thats where he wrote and wanted the film to end, but the studio (Castlerock?) over rulled him and told him to write an ending where they meet.

john the one

Adamantium wrote: »

Really,completely deserved its spot at No1 in IMDB for over a decade.

still is as far as i know???

Vito Corleone

AKIN to Jurassic Park, really?

Much much better IMO.

Ipso

Lingua Franca wrote: »

It's also one of the very few from-the-book-by- films that arguably surpasses the original source. It's also very faithful to the original story. It's an amazing film and you're very lucky - I'd love to see it again for the very first time!

I rewatched The Mist last night, which is another Darabont adapation of a Stephen King story (The Green Mile is another one) and although it's no Shawshank it's also remarkably good. Toby Jones especially is outstanding in it.

Basically, Frank Darabont and no one else should film Stephen King stories until one or other dies.

It's funny how he adapted two books with ambiguous endings, but created two endings in completely different directions for the films.

pixelburp

e_e wrote: »

Capably made, entertaining and memorable film. I can see why it's endured so well for so many people though and more power to it for it gathering such a following.

Although personally it's veering just a teeny tiny bit towards the bland/safe side for me and I can't say it's impacted me in the way many other films have. It's just a nice film to me, one I can rely on to keep my attention for 2 hours but it doesn't really wow me all that much. It was almost exactly what I expected it to be, for both better and worse.

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

It's a good film, but the hyperbole that has built up around it has gotten out of all proportion at this stage.

It is a gentle crowd pleaser and it manages its undeniable sentimental streak with care. It's well made and acted. But it's also safe and obvious in so many ways, IMO lacking the vision, subtlety and ambition of a truly great film (those one or two iconic moments aside). [...]

I'll be honest, I kinda laugh at the use of those terms above, because like words such as 'nice', what should be a compliment is phrased as a minor pejorative, loaded with damnation. Equally 'crowd pleaser'. There's nothing wrong with playing to the cheap seats if it's executed with a little brio and craftmanship. It may not push the envelope of what cinema can be as an artistic medium yada yada, but equally I think it shouldn't be forgotten than cinema can also be about basic entertainment; simple stories told well (though I acknowledge Shawshank's slightly shonky delivery on that front) with a solid emotional core and impactful payoffs

I would disagree that the film is 'safe' anyway: with Shawshank I'm not sure what else the film could have done to make the leads struggles more overt and terrible; ostensibly a tale of (what we think is) an innocent man locked away from 40 years in one of cinema's worse prisons: often raped (the one we see was how he eventually ended the problem); frequently beaten and abused; his friends either leave and commit suicide or get killed by a corrupt staff - 'safe' seems like an unfair criticism.

As the title plainly suggests, it's a tale of redemption and Robbins' character is given more than enough suffering to make his eventual bid for freedom seem well earned. A touch disingenuous I just feel, and wonder if this is a classic case where because the movie has an inherently optimistic streak and ending it therefore feels less dramatically potent and legitimate? I agree that the coda at the end leaves little to the imagination, but again, given what the movie sets up I think it was a fair reward for Andy and Red.

edit: I will admit it's been a few years since I last saw Shawshank, so maybe my opinion of it has cooled with these older, more cynical eyes of mine

Tipsy McSwagger

If you want to watch a gritty and arguably better prison film then check out A Prophet.

johnny_ultimate

pixelburp wrote: »

I'll be honest, I kinda laugh at the use of those terms above, because like words such as 'nice', what should be a compliment is phrased as a minor pejorative, loaded with damnation. Equally 'crowd pleaser'. There's nothing wrong with playing to the cheap seats if it's executed with a little brio and craftmanship. It may not push the envelope of what cinema can be as an artistic medium yada yada, but equally I think it shouldn't be forgotten than cinema can also be about basic entertainment; simple stories told well (though I acknowledge Shawshank's slightly shonky delivery on that front) with a solid emotional core and impactful payoffs

I would disagree that the film is 'safe' anyway: with Shawshank I'm not sure what else the film could have done to make the leads struggles more overt and terrible; ostensibly a tale of (what we think is) an innocent man locked away from 40 years in one of cinema's worse prisons: often raped (the one we see was how he eventually ended the problem); frequently beaten and abused; his friends either leave and commit suicide or get killed by a corrupt staff - 'safe' seems like an unfair criticism.

As the title plainly suggests, it's a tale of redemption and Robbins' character is given more than enough suffering to make his eventual bid for freedom seem well earned. A touch disingenuous I just feel, and wonder if this is a classic case where because the movie has an inherently optimistic streak and ending it therefore feels less dramatically potent and legitimate? I agree that the coda at the end leaves little to the imagination, but again, given what the movie sets up I think it was a fair reward for Andy and Red.

'Safe' can comes in more ways than just the literal mechanics of the plot though, and more the way its made. The narration, for example. It strips the film of many of its nuances, and really oversells a lot of the drama in quite a cheap way - and it's incessant to the point where you can't ignore or forgive it, as its effectively the entire backbone of the film. There are points when I really wished Darabont would let the images speak for themselves, as that tends to be my personal preference when it comes to cinematic storytelling. Ditto things like the music and characterisation - the film's divisions between the 'good' and 'evil' prisoners / wardens doesn't offer many shades of grey, especially given the fact its set in such an unpredictable place as a prison (although I've always liked how the question of Andy's guilt or innocence is left hanging a bit). Most of the time there is a shade of grey, Red will pop in to comment on it. It's not really a film remotely open to interpretation, and at times that can given the impression of being lectured to - you should feel this right now, and we're going to make damn sure you do!

I fully agree "simple stories told well... with a solid emotional core and impactful payoffs" have their place, and I was at odds to stress that in my first post. I like the film for what it is, and even with the above criticisms the film is self-confident and consistent to an admirable degree. But is the film, as the OP suggested, "perfect" and deserving of a greatest film ever crown? It's that I'd contest. It is, in a way, an unfair whipping boy in that kind of conversation - it's such a hard film to truly dislike, because it is moving and engaging even in spite of itself at times. It's also not the type of film that makes me fall in love with cinema all over again, though.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

Tipsy McSwagger wrote: »

If you want to watch a gritty and arguably better prison film then check out A Prophet.

dat razor blade

e_e

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

I fully agree "simple stories told well... with a solid emotional core and impactful payoffs" have their place

Films like Groundhog Day, It's a Wonderful Life and 12 Angry Men fare a lot better than Shawshank in that regard to me.

Padraig Mor

Cynics be damned, I love it! Best film version of a King story along with Stand By Me (which of course came from the same novella collection). I would have loved if they had managed to include a reference to the previous guy to break out of the prison though - who just walked straight out the front gate pushing a pitch line painting machine at guard shift change in the book.

byronbay2 wrote: »

Funny you should say that - I always thought that the movie should have ended with the bus (containing Red) driving off into the distance with all the possibilities this implied, especially with the voice-over apparently confirming this. The subsequent meeting on the beach always seemed tacked-on to me - I assumed it was aimed at Americans who insisted on a definitive "happy" ending!

I've always thought that the beach ending was supposed to be Red dreaming on the bus (he goes to sleep before it's shown) - both Darabont and the studio get their visions that way.