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Shawshank Prison will break a man, drive him crazy or force him to break out. Hope is a dangerous thing, but Andy Dufresne uses it as a tool to gain his freedom. Cory and John close out the Prison Breaks triple with this great movie written by Stephen King.
Shawshank Redemption:
Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is sent to Shawshank after his wife and her lover were murdered. Red (Morgan Freeman) and his buddies make a bet on which of the fresh fish will break first. It is not Andy and he quickly starts a friendship with Red and Brooks (James Whitmore) an old timer who runs the prison library. Warden Norton (Bob Gunton) runs a tight ship. He expects the inmates to fall in line and we quickly discover he will play favorites to get what he wants.
Andy is attacked by a group in the prison but stands strong. He also helps the meanest guard Captain Hadley (Clancy Brown) and earns beers and a chance to relax for the guys on the work crew. Red and Heywood (William Sadler) start to admire him. He gets to work for Brooks in the library and starts to do the taxes for the guards. Thanks to his relationship with Hadley and the guards, his issue with Bogs (Mark Rolston) is resolved. Warden Norton recognizes his ability with numbers and gets him to cook the books on the prison’s Inside Out program. Andy helps funnel money to a bogus person complete with bank accounts and ID.
Andy is a rock hound and gets Red to procure a rock hammer and a Rita Hayworth poster. He makes a chess set and hangs the poster, but discovers the wall is a bit weak. So over the years he begins to chip away at the wall and dispose of the evidence. Andy and Red’s friendship grows over the years and Red genuinely believes him when Andy says he is innocent.
Shawshank looses Brooks when he is released. He has been institutionalized and takes his life on the outside. That is a danger Red talks about with Andy and worries about for himself. But Tommy arrives at Shawshank and distracts them all with his youthful enthusiasm. Andy takes him under his wing and helps him study for his G.E.D. Tommy is grateful. He is sharing about his stints in other places and shares about one cellmate that sparks Andy’s attention. This cellmate brags about his crimes and shares how he offed a woman and her lover and the woman’s husband was convicted for it. That was Andy’s wife. Andy and Tommy come forward to the Warden with the info. The Norton calls for a meeting with Tommy outside and has Tommy shot “while trying to escape.” Norton does not want to give up his accountant and book cooker. This death pushes Andy’s rebellious streak into overdrive.
Andy plans and works. He tunnels his way out of his cell, gets clothes and all the paperwork on the fake person that he created to hold the Norton’s skimmed funds. He breaks out of Shawshank, collects the money and makes his way to Mexico. But doesn’t forget Red. He sends Red a post card letting him know he made it. Red is released from Shawshank and is working outside. But he is having issues. Andy’s post card and a conversation from earlier sends him to a hidden cache. That gives Red the info, the means, and directions to find him. He gives Red hope. He considers Andy’s offer and runs away to find him. The friends re-connect in Zihuatanejo, Mexico.
Summary:
This movie is one I watch any time it is on TV, even tough I own it. Shawshank Redemption is a classic. Stephen King wrote the bones movie in a short story, but it took a group to make it what it is. So take the time to watch and soak it all in! Much of this movie is about hope and having hope in a very dark place. So I’ll leave with you with a few quotes from the movie.
Red: “Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.”
Andy: “there are places in this world that aren’t made out of stone. That there’s something inside… that they can’t get to, that they can’t touch. That’s yours.”
Red: “What are you talking about?”
Andy: “Hope”
Andy: “Remember, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”
Add It To Your Library:
Get the movie on iTunes
Get the movie from Amazon
Music:
The score was done by Thomas Newman. Here is the Shawshank Prison (Stoic Theme) from the film. I love the soundtrack and the way Newman’s score adds to the movie in ways that may be subtle, but powerfully add to the scenes.
Buy the score here (from Amazon) or on iTunes.
Name That Movie:
The clue this week was: L.A. Confidential co-starred Guy Pearce. Guy had an early film role in this Australian road movie with a twist.
Which lead us to the following movie: The movie is “The Adventures of Pricilla, Queen of the Desert.”
The next Triple: The next TripleCast is “Drag Queens”. We’ll be discussing “The Adventures of Pricilla, Queen of the Desert”, “To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar” and “Kinky Boots.”
Support:
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Feedback:
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