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The Shawshank Redemption. Just saying the title will conjure up memorable lines, poetic cinematography, amazing storytelling, and great acting. Based on Stephen King’s 1982 short story, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption (Wonkette commission link!), it tells the story of Andy Dufresne and his years-long stay in a Maine state prison starting in 1947.
Stephen King is known as the king of horror, but it’s often his stories written as dramas that make the best movies. Because in those books King hides the horror in the everyday life of his characters. In Shawshank the evil is not a rabid Saint Bernard or a possessed 1958 red Plymouth Fury, the real terror is surviving what seems to be endless days of suffering, escaping the inescapable with just the strength of your own intellect. King gives us a life raft to hang onto as we follow Andy’s battles. It’s Andy’s skill at seeing the light at the end of the tunnel that keeps him moving forward. No matter how much it seems like the darkness will swallow him up, prisoner number 37927 finds his freedom in the ability to imagine a better life beyond the guards and steel bars.
A movie like Shawshank means different things to different people. Some have found the character of Andy Dufresne to be a Christ-like figure, with the story of an innocent man punished for the sins of others and his ability to improve the lives of those around him. And of course “redemption” is right in the title.
I prefer to see the story as one of inner strength and survival. A tale that shows how powerful a positive mindset can be, that it can carry you through the worst of times simply by imagining a different future. It reminds us that even though the odds may appear to not be in our favor, as long as we keep fighting we can find that light at the end of the tunnel just like Andy did. If the stresses of present day have you feeling imprisoned, just remember the words sung by En Vogue in 1992.
“Free your mind
And the rest will follow”
The Shawshank Redemption stars Morgan Freeman, Tim Robbins, Clancy Brown, Gil Bellows, and James Whitmore. Directed by Frank Darabont.
The Shawshank Redemption is available for free on YouTube and in the usual places for $3.99.
To make requests and see the movie lists and schedules, go to WonkMovie.
Tonight’s cartoon is some trippy animation created by combining the artistic genius of Salvador Dali and Walt Disney. Work on Destino began in 1946 and was finished in 2003 by Disney Animation Studios. It features music composed by Armando Dominguez and sung by Dora Luz.
Join me tomorrow on ziggy’s stack for Series Sundays, watching Firefly episode 7.
