The Shawshank Redemption [Special Edition] [2 Discs]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

In 1946, a banker named Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is convicted of a double murder, even though he stubbornly proclaims his innocence. He's sentenced to a life term at the Shawshank State Prison in Maine, where another lifer, Ellis "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman), picks him as the new recruit most likely to crack under the pressure. The ugly realities of prison life are quickly introduced to Andy: a corrupt warden (Bob Gunton), sadistic guards led by Capt. Byron Hadley (Clancy Brown), and inmates who are little better than animals, willing to use rape or beatings to insure their dominance. But Andy does not crack: he has the hope of the truly innocent, which (together with his smarts) allow him to prevail behind bars. He uses his banking skills to win favor with the warden and the guards, doing the books for Norton's illegal business schemes and keeping an eye on the investments of most of the prison staff. In exchange, he is able to improve the prison library and bring some dignity and respect back to many of the inmates, including Red. Based on a story by Stephen King, The Shawshank Redemption was the directorial debut of screenwriter Frank Darabont. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 2
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
• Screen: Soft-Matted WSE for 16x9 TV
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen)
• Features:
  • cc
  • Commentary by writer/director Frank Darabont
  • Two documentaries: (The Making-of) "Hope Springs Eternal: A Look Back at the Shawshank Redemption" and "Shawshank: The Redeeming Feature," which examines the movie's enormous impact and following
  • The Charlie Rose Show segment featuring Darabont, Tim Robbins, and Morgan Freeman
  • Comic spoof "The Sharktank Redemption"
  • Stills gallery
  • Storyboards
  • DVD-ROM web link
  • Theatrical trailer
  • Languages: English & Francais
  • Subtitles: English, Francais, & Espanol

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Nominated Best Actor - 1994 (Morgan Freeman)
•     Nominated Best Adapted Screenplay - 1994 (Frank Darabont)
•     Nominated Best Cinematography - 1994 (Roger Deakins)
•     Nominated Best Editing - 1994 (Richard Francis-Bruce)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1994 (Niki Marvin)
•     Nominated Best Score - 1994 (Thomas Newman)
•     Nominated Best Sound - 1994 (Robert J. Litt, Willie D. Burton, Elliot Tyson, Michael Herbick)

• American Society of Cinematographers

•     Won Best Cinematography - 1994 (Roger Deakins)

• Directors Guild of America

•     Nominated Best Director - 1994 (Frank Darabont)

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comed - 1994 (Morgan Freeman)
•     Nominated Best Screenplay - 1994 (Frank Darabont)

• National Board of Review

•     Nominated Best Picture - 1994

• Screen Actors Guild

•     Nominated Best Actor - 1994 (Morgan Freeman, Tim Robbins)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Tim Robbins - Andy Dufresne
       Morgan Freeman - Ellis Boy "Red" Redding
       Bob Gunton - Warden Samuel Norton
       Bill Sadler - Heywood
       Clancy Brown - Capt. Byron Hadley
       James Whitmore - Brooks Hatlen
       Gil Bellows - Tommy Williams
       Mark Rolston - Bogs Diamond
       Jeffrey DeMunn - D.A.
       John R. Woodward - Bullhorn Tower Guard
       Dion Anderson - Head Bull Haig
       Gordon Greene - 1947 Parole Hearings Man
       Rohn Thomas - Bugle Editor
       Larry Brandenburg - Skeet
       Paul McCrane - Guard Trout
       Jude Ciccolella - Guard Mert
       Joe Ragno - Ernie
       Donald Zinn - Moresby Batter
       Neil Giuntoli - Jigger
       Neil Summers - Pete
       Bill Bolender - Elmo Blatch
       Ken Magee - Ned Grimes
       Gary Lee Davis - Rooster
       David Proval - Snooze
       Joe Pecoraro - Projectionist
       Steve Eastin
       Deborah Aquila
       Ned Bellamy - Guard Youngblood
       Brian Libby - Floyd
       Frank Medrano - Fat Ass
       Brian Brophy - 1967 Parole Hearings Man
       Don McManus - Guard Wiley

• Director:

  Frank Darabont

• Producer:

  Niki Marvin

• Screenwriter:

  Frank Darabont

• Cinematographer:

  Roger Deakins

• Composer (Music Score):

  Thomas Newman

• Editor:

  Richard Francis-Bruce

• Production Designer:

  David Lester, Terence Marsh

• Art Director:

  Peter Smith

• Executive Producer:

  Liz Glotzer, David Lester

• Set Designer:

  Michael Seirton, Antoinette J. Gordon, Joseph Hodges

• Costume Designer:

  Elizabeth McBride

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Willie D. Burton, Michael Herbick, Robert J. Litt, Elliot Tyson

• Makeup:

  Kevin Haney, Monty Westmore

• Special Effects:

  Bob Williams

• First Assistant Director:

  John R. Woodward

• Casting:

  Deborah Aquila

• Short Story Author:

  Stephen King

• Foley Artist:

  Kevin Bartnof

• Pilot:

  Robert "Bobby Z" Zajonc

• Second Second Assistant Director:

  Michael Greenwood

REVIEW:

• Adapted from a Stephen King novella, The Shawshank Redemption takes a prison drama and twists it into a fascinating existential treatise on how to approach the business of day-to-day life in the face of a desperately Sisyphian reality. As the film's signature line suggests, "Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'." Filmed on location in an Ohio prison, the film occasionally lapses into familiar formulas and well-known stereotypes of the prison-drama genre, but overcomes them due in no small part to a pair of transcendent performances by Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins. Director Frank Darabont and cinematographer Roger Deakins (a Coen brothers collaborator) recreate the drudgery and hopelessness of prison life in both the look and the details of dreary rituals of daily life. Spanning twenty years in the lives of its protagonists, Darabont's screenplay and direction allow us the luxury of getting to know these men -- hardened criminals, with little hope for the future -- through a series of quietly captivating scenes that slowly build atmosphere and tension without sacrificing characterization and thematic integrity. A critical success but a box office failure when it was first released, the film was nominated for seven Oscars, but won nary a one. Only when Shawshank was released on video did it steadily garner full-fledged public reverence. ~ Dan Jardine, Rovi