Shawshank
The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption directed by Frank Darabont in 1994, is a story about Andy Dufrene, a man accused of murdering his wife and her lover and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. He is shipped to Shawshank Maximum Security Prison in Maine. He finds his way to inner peace and holds on to great hope in the midst of the terror of the prison regime. It is a story of hope, friendship, and perseverance. The film is an allegory about holding on to a personal worth in the face of dire hardship. The opening scene ‘Welcome to Shawshank’ conveys the important idea of the loss of hope. The Director uses a variety of techniques to convey this theme, such as lighting, camera angles, confront in color and dialogue.
An important technique the Director, Frank Darabont uses in this sequence of Andy’s arrival at Shawshank is that of lighting. Darabont uses this technique to show the viewer hopelessness when the men are standing in a line while being addressed by head officer Hudley. When Darabont used this technique of lighting the viewer can realize the loss of identity because the men’s faces are shadowed.
Andy arrives at Shawshank in a bus. The men exit the bus and walk in a single file through the main entrance towards the entrance of the prison. Red and three other prisoners are seen leaning against the prison wall, and they are discussing which of the new ‘fish’ are going to ‘break’ first. An important technique that the director uses is that of color. Darabont uses this technique to show the audience the men’s loss of identity when the men’s uniform is shown to be the same color as the prisons wall, implying that the men have become a part of the prison itself. The use of this technique of color makes the audience understand the lack of hope because the men are no longer free, it’s almost as if they have been swallowed up by the prison itself. Through the use of this technique, Darabont wants the viewer to realize that there is no
The Shawshank Redemption directed by Frank Darabont in 1994, is a story about Andy Dufrene, a man accused of murdering his wife and her lover and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. He is shipped to Shawshank Maximum Security Prison in Maine. He finds his way to inner peace and holds on to great hope in the midst of the terror of the prison regime. It is a story of hope, friendship, and perseverance. The film is an allegory about holding on to a personal worth in the face of dire hardship. The opening scene ‘Welcome to Shawshank’ conveys the important idea of the loss of hope. The Director uses a variety of techniques to convey this theme, such as lighting, camera angles, confront in color and dialogue.
An important technique the Director, Frank Darabont uses in this sequence of Andy’s arrival at Shawshank is that of lighting. Darabont uses this technique to show the viewer hopelessness when the men are standing in a line while being addressed by head officer Hudley. When Darabont used this technique of lighting the viewer can realize the loss of identity because the men’s faces are shadowed.
Andy arrives at Shawshank in a bus. The men exit the bus and walk in a single file through the main entrance towards the entrance of the prison. Red and three other prisoners are seen leaning against the prison wall, and they are discussing which of the new ‘fish’ are going to ‘break’ first. An important technique that the director uses is that of color. Darabont uses this technique to show the audience the men’s loss of identity when the men’s uniform is shown to be the same color as the prisons wall, implying that the men have become a part of the prison itself. The use of this technique of color makes the audience understand the lack of hope because the men are no longer free, it’s almost as if they have been swallowed up by the prison itself. Through the use of this technique, Darabont wants the viewer to realize that there is no