“SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION” REVIEW

Posted: October 23, 2014 in Uncategorized
Tags: Andy, red, Shawshank

SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION

Release date: September 23, 1994 (USA)

Director: Frank Darabot

Story by: Stephen King

The Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio is were the movie filmed most its scenes.

Back in 1947, Andy Defresne (Tim Robbins) is convicted of killing his wife and her lover landing him two life sentences. The movie begins by showing Andy’s travel into his new “life sentence”, prison. The director uses low key lighting and all natural lighting to set the tone and mood of each scene and character. While the bus is moving into the prison Natural light is used to show the gloomy day. The director uses almost no lighting and dark lighting, allowing for the grey and blues to show the equalization of the inmates. All the inmates come running to the fence almost like a heard wanting to see their “new meat”. This scene almost looks as if the color has been de-saturated only allowing the grey misty feeling and the inmate and guards blue uniforms.

The bus traveling toward the prison, this scene is using natural lighting. If any other lighting had been used here the mood could have never been set and the movie itself may have began differently.

Inmates herding like animals to the front gate to she and bid on the fresh “new meat”. The natural, no lighting in this scene allows it to set the tone to a gloomy, misty evening within the prison. If lighting would have been used differently in this scene the gloominess would not be there and would not allow the audience to feel excitement or fear for the new inmates.

In this scene Andy just exited the bus and starting his walk into the prison yard. The lighting is a little brighter using low-key lighting to allow the viewer to feel the immense realization of the character in prison. Any lighting used in this scene would not make a difference as the viewer has already adapted their feelings for the character.

Many scenes throughout the movie are shot with no lighting or dark lighting so the audience can feel the gloomy tone. Additional scenes were shot in natural lighting or with low-key lighting inviting the audience to feel like brighter times are being conveyed through the character.

The Lighting in this clip is low-key lighting from the front. This allows the audience to realize just how dark Andy’s cell truly is but also allow the audience to see that his is using this tool to carve into the brick wall. If the lighting was changed in this scene it would not really make sense as Andy would not be carving in bright light, as he may get caught easily.

Two years into his sentence Andy overhears head officer Hadley talking about being taxed on an inheritance and offers to help legally shelter his money for him. The warden meets with Andy and reassigns him to the prison library where he is to help elderly inmate Brooks. Andy’s new job is to help prison employees with their finances. The warden eventually begins having Andy handle matters for other people including guards from other prisons and even the warden himself. This leads Andy to start writing letters to help the library financially overcome its debt and improve the library itself.

Once again, in this scene Andy is helping elderly inmate Brooks in the library. The lighting in this seen is low-key dark lighting allowing the viewer to see what is happening but still knowing the scene is gloomy and dark. The lighting could have been changed in this shot either way the viewer knows Andy is in a library and he is there to help Brooks.

In this scene Red, Andy and other inmates were awarded a movie day due to good behavior and the warder feeling so relieved of his finances. The movie they watch has the famous Rita Hayworth and the crowd goes wild. There was dark low lighting again in this scene to project that they were in a theater and the movie was the only light. This allows the characters faces to be lit up and show their grateful emotion. If this scene was lit any differently the viewer would not know that the characters are becoming the audience in a movie theater setting.

In 1954, Brooks was paroled, he tried to works and live life as a rehabilitated individual. After fifty years of being imprisoned, Brooks could not adjust to the outside world and decides to hang himself.

In this scene Brooks is in his half way home after being released. The lighting is minimal and low-key allowing the audience to feel as though they are lonely, scared, and full of thought in this dusty little room. If the lighting was done differently in this scene, the audience could not put themselves into Brooks situation as well.

This is the shot right after brooks hung himself, there is no light other than the street light coming through the window. The lighting in this scene could be changed to anything because the viewer is already immensely connected to the death that had just occurred.

In 1965, Tommy Williams became incarcerated and became friends with Andy and Red. He explained that a individual in another prison claimed responsibility for Andy’s murders. Andy goes to the warden to tell him of this news and was sent to solitary confinement. While in solitary confinement the warden had Tommy killed. After coming out of solitary, Red becomes worried about Andy because he starts talking about living in Zihautanejo, Mexico. Andy wants Red to promise him that if and when he was released he would visit a hay field near Maine, and find a package that is buried in a wall by beautiful tree.

In this scene the lighting is all natural sun, lighting up the mood when Andy, Red and the buys get to work on a job to re-tar the roof. They all are joking around and in good moods. If the lighting here was dark the viewer would not be able to sense the good mood of the characters.

The boys are being rewarded with beers for their hard work, again all natural sun is lighting the shot.

That night Andy escaped through the tunnel he had been digging in his cell, he used the prisons sewage pipe to reach freedom. Andy escapes with the warders suit, shoes, and the ledger containing all the money laundering details.

This is Andy crawling through the sewage pipe the only light is that of his flashlight gleaming off the wall. If the lighting were bright in this scene it would not make sense as Andy is in a tight sewage pipe crawling through sewage. The high intensity light would overdo the scene and cause it to be out of place.

The next day when role call was made the guards found Andy’s cell empty. As the warden is irate and wondering how Andy could disappear into thin air he threw a rock at the poster of Rita Hayworth hanging on the wall. When the rock tore through the paper and falls into the wall the warden is in disbelief. He removes the poster to discover the amazing tunnel that Andy had been digging over the last two decades.

In this shot The warden is looking into the wall realizing the tunnel Andy had carved out. The light is appearing to come from the right side allowing the shadowing of their faces and the tunnel. If the lighting were different in this scene the tunnel may not appear to have as much depth as it does and the shadowing on the warden face would not allow the viewer to see his emotion.

Andy posed as Randall Stephens and visits several banks to withdraw all the laundered money. Finally, he mails the ledger and evidence of the corruption and murders within the prison to a local newspaper. The police arrive at the prison and take head officer Hadley into custody, The warden commits suicide to avoid arrest.

In this scene there is natural and High-key lighting to show the audience the surreal suicide getting ready to happen. The warden commits suicide to escape arrest and prison time. The lighting in this shot could have been anything as the viewer is so immensely engaged in the suicide that is getting ready to happen with the warden, that anything surrounding that would not matter.

After serving forty years, red gets paroled. As he struggles to adapt to the rehabilitated lifestyle he remembers his promise to Andy. He visits Maine only to find a box containing money and a letter asking Red to come to Zihuatanejo, Mexico.

This shot is where Red find the money and letter Andy had left for him. The shot allows natural sun to brighten not only the scene but the mood as well. If the lighting was brighter it could lead the viewer to believe that Red is doing well, and if the lighting were any darker the shot would make is seem as though it was a gloomy mood.

Red decides to admit he feels hope and violates his parole to travel to Zihuatanejo, Mexico where he find Andy on a beach sanding a boat. Once reunited they become very happy friends again, this time full of hope and freedom.