Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 film which stars Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman and is based on Stephen King’s novelette Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.
Log line: the film chronicles a young banker’s prison sentence which he is serving for the murder of his wife and his wife’s lover and his eventual escape from prison.
Protagonist: the protagonists of the film are Andrew “Andy” Dufresne and Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding.
The major theme: perseverance is the major theme in the film. This is evidenced by the lengthy periods of time that Andy takes to meet his goals; from small goals like getting books for the library to his major goal of escaping prison.
Inciting incident: the event that sets the story rolling is the sentencing of Andy Dufresne to two life sentences to be served back to back in Shawshank State Prison.
Forces against them: major forces against the protagonists are the prison administration and the changes that come with life in prison. The prison guards are especially brutal towards the prisoners and do not respect the prisoners’ rights.
Act structure: the film has a 3 act structure. The first act covers Andy’s trial, his introduction to prison life and his initial interaction with Red, Brooks, Heywood and “The Sisters”. Act two covers Andy’s tribulations brought on him by “The Sisters”, his time doing taxes for the guards, Andy laundering money for Warden Norton, Red developing a friendship with Andy, the release and suicide of Brooks and the murder of Tommy by the warden. Act three comprises Andy’s escape, Red being released on parole and the two of them meeting in Zihuatanejo as Andy had planned.
Act climaxes: the climax of the first act is Andy getting sentenced to two life sentences to be served back to back. The climax that ends the second act is the death of Tommy after he is shot by Captain Hadley and the climax of the entire film is Andy and Red meeting in Zihuatanejo.
Complications: the first complication is Andy’s encounters with “The Sisters” who are a prison gang that rapes and beats Andy. The second complication is Warden Norton’s unwillingness to let Andy appeal his case.
Physical symbol: Zihuatanejo is an island in the Pacific Ocean and it is a symbol of hope and freedom in the movie. The Pacific Ocean in this film is used as a symbol too. Andy regards the Ocean as having no memory and this is a symbol of him leaving behind the past and having a fresh start, free of his past.
A moment that shows character through action: Andy is calculating and this trait is clearly shown in the scene where he is explaining how he launders Warden Norton’s money using accounts in the name of someone who only exists in his imagination. After escaping prison Andy uses the identity he created to withdraw the money he was laundering for Warden Norton.
Interesting narrative techniques: the story of Brooks is a subplot in the main plot that supports Red’s hopelessness about getting out of prison but juxtaposes Andy’s hope that he will one day leave prison.