Written By: Jenna Moloney
The Shawshank Redemption is a movie about a banker who is set to serve two life
sentences in jail for murdering his wife and her lover. However, this is a false accusation. The
banker, Andy, starts to handle the police officer’s and the warden’s money to help them avoid
paying taxes. This is illegal. So, when the warden finds out Andy is innocent, he does everything
in his power to make sure Andy stays in the prison for the rest of his life, even going to the
extent of killing a man who becomes aware of Andy’s innocence.

This film captured friendship,
secrets, internal and external struggles, false accusation, and mapped out an overall theme of
respect. The bond between Andy and Red was gained through respect. Examples of this include
how Red was said to be the only man in the prison to admit to his crime, and how Andy let the
men drink the beers he had earned for them. This established a level of brotherhood between the
prison mates. Secrets led to struggles, such as how the warden would not let Andy be free
because he wanted him to continue handling his money. This prompted Andy to plan his escape,
and over the course of many years he executed it with such precision that he was soon able to
call himself a fugitive (but still, a “free man”).

The director did a phenomenal job at projecting the mood of the prison through colors.
Everything in the prison was dark and gray. At the end of the movie, those colors sharply
contrasted with the color of the ocean and Andy’s red car. The high angle shot of Andy in the
pouring rain when he realized he finally escaped communicates to the audience the sense of
triumph Andy must have felt in that moment. This contrasts to the shot that slowly zoomed in on
him at the beginning of the movie, when he was falsely accused. That communicated to the
audience a sense of intimidation. These two shots contrast greatly with each other to
communicate opposite atmospheres: one of confinement verses one of freedom. The violence in
this movie was either shot from a far away angle, or it was not shot at all (showing a wall as the
audience can hear the sound effects of punches and yelling.) Either way, the stillness of the
camera emphasized intimidation and often sadness.

Thinking back on this movie, no music stuck out to me (which is off for someone so
passionate about music). Perhaps the director could have incorporated a song celebrating his
freedom toward the conclusion of the film. It is hard to critique much else from this film,
because everything was done for a specific reason. For example, the prisoners were not allowed
to listen to music, therefore the lack of music in those scenes was emphasizing their lack of
freedom. This is why a cheerful, loud song during the scenes where Andy is free may have been
a good choice. The ending was very enjoyable as everything came together perfectly: from Red
sharing the same room Brooks did, to discovering the money and letter Andy left him, to finding
Andy in Mexico. There are dramatic sub-plots within the film that just make the overall plot that
much more attention-grabbing. This movie is a must-see