Actors - The Shawshank Redemption

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	Actors - The Shawshank Redemption

The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 movie, written and directed by Frank Darabont, based on the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. The film stars Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne and Morgan Freeman as Ellis "Red" Redding.

This movie is primarily about Andy Dufresne's life in prison after being convicted of the murder of his wife and her lover, despite his protests of innocence.

The Shawshank Redemption has repeatedly been voted as one of the greatest movies ever made. According to the Internet Movie Database , it is one of only two movies with at least a 9.0 average rating (the other being The Godfather). Rated over 180,000 times, it has the most votes of any of the 250 movies on the IMDb list, and had previously secured the #1 position for quite some time. This list is derived from the votes of IMDb registered users.

In the 1994 Academy Awards the movie was nominated for seven awards (Best Picture, Best Actor–Morgan Freeman, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Original Score, and Best Sound) but failed to win a single one.

Darabont secured the film adaptation rights in 1987 from Stephen King after impressing the author with his short film adaptation of "The Woman in the Room" in 1983. This is one of the more famous Dollar Deals made by King with aspiring filmmakers.

Surprisingly, the film performed poorly in its theatrical run, but it is now one of the most famous examples of a film becoming a major success via the home video market. The poor box office performance was partially a result of competition from other films.

Plot

The movie begins with Andy Dufresne on trial for the murder of his wife and her lover. He is sentenced to serve two consecutive life sentences at Shawshank Prison. In Shawshank he eventually befriends Red (Morgan Freeman) and several other prisoners (including Brooks Hatlen, played by James Whitmore).

In his first few years in prison, Andy endures injustice and mistreatment by the guards and repeated rapes at the hands of fellow prisoners. Andy's pre-prison, professional life as a banker, and his knowledge of accounting and income taxes brings him to the attention of the captain of the guard, Byron Hadley (Clancy Brown), and eventually, Warden Sam Norton (Bob Gunton). Andy's financial knowledge earns him some freedom from mistreatment, but he also becomes involved in Norton's illegal money-laundering operations.

Time passes, and the life goes on for the men. Brooks is eventually released from prison, but after spending over 50 years behind bars, the elderly convict finds that the normal world holds no place for him, and, in a letter to his friends at the prison, declares he's 'tired of being afraid all the time. I've decided not to stay.' He then hangs himself in his room.

A young prisoner enters Shawshank in the 1960's, and tells Andy that he has information that could free Andy, or at least get him a new trial. Andy approaches the warden for help, but the warden is unwilling to lose Andy's financial assistance with his illicit schemes, and sends Andy to solitary confinement. While Andy is in solitary, the warden has the young prisoner killed.

Unknown to everyone, Andy has been working on his escape. Each night he has chipped away at the rock in his cell to form an escape tunnel that eventually leads to a 500-yard-long sewage pipe and freedom. Once outside Andy retrieves all the illegally obtained money he has laundered for the warden and escapes to Mexico. He also sends information to the local newspaper implicating the warden and chief guard. The warden commits suicide before he can be arrested.

Red is eventually paroled and sent to a halfway house (the same used by the late Brooks). While Red is initially as despairing as Brooks, he decides to take Andy up on the offer made to him in prison. Red finds a box, hidden by Andy in a wheatfield, that contains enough money for him to leave Maine and join Andy in Mexico.

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