Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8665 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-09-10
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review

When The Shawshank Redemption was released in 1994, some critics complained that this popular prison drama was too long (142 minutes) to sustain its plot. Those complaints miss the point, because the passage of time is crucial to this story about patience, the squeaky wheels of justice and the growth of a life-long friendship. Only when the film reaches its final, emotionally satisfying scene do you fully understand why writer-director Frank Darabont (adapting a novella by Stephen King) allows the story to unfold at its necessary pace.

Tim Robbins plays a banker named Andy who is sent to Shawshank Prison on a murder charge, but as he gets to know a life-term prisoner named Red (Morgan Freeman), we soon realise his claims of innocence are credible. We also realise that Andy's calm, quiet exterior hides a great reserve of patience and fortitude, and Red comes to admire this mild-mannered man who first struck him as weak and unfit for prison life. So it is that The Shawshank Redemption builds considerable impact as a prison drama that defies the conventions of the genre (violence, brutality, riots) to illustrate its theme of faith, friendship and survival. Nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, Actor and Screenplay, it's a remarkable film (which many movie lovers count among their all-time favourites) that signalled the arrival of a promising new filmmaker. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Get busy watching...
The Shawshank Redemption is a warming tale of the human spirit, friendship and justice. Like so many great films this has been adapted from a Stephen king novel.

The official category is of a prison drama but in my opinion this sells the film short. The prison only provides the backdrop for the heart warming story of humanity that unfolds. The story could be set anywhere. The escape from prison could be a metaphor for any situation which requires courage and strength to escape from, and the friendship and positivity between the two lead characters could build under other circumstances.

Like so many other reviewers I find this film hard to criticise. The narration by Morgan Freeman nudges the story along beautifully, the casting is perfect and the film is paced perfectly and devoid of the usual Hollywood clichés. This film shows just what can be achieved with great acting and a fine script instead of over the top CGI stunts and predictable plot lines. A typical example of this is the final scene in the film. The camera pulls way without cheesy dialogue or over acting, the images say it all.

I have yet to meet anybody who genuinely dislikes it and with good reason, it's a classic.

One of THE Masterpieces!
Whoever said that this film was too long for its plot must have been so inpatient as to find running slow. It is long, in that they were right, but it is gripping, dramatic and brilliantly acted, every minute of it. The brutality of '30s American prison life is convincing, shocking, powerful and the sinister nature of the officers and their sadism encapsulates and emulsifies the utter despair of the inmates, particularly the innocent Andy Du Fraine, making the prevelance of hope and goodness all the more uplifting, wondourous and majestic. This is one of those films that you must see before you die.

"Get busy living, or get busy dying!"
There have already been so many reviews of this film on this site alone that, even if you haven't yet seen the film for yourself (in which case, where have you been for the last 10/15 years? Mars?!), you should, by now, have an idea of what happens in it! So straight to my analysis and opinion of the film.

"The Shawshank Redemption" can be seen as an allegory about life and the human condition. Many people feel trapped in their daily lives, often because life has dealt them an unlucky card at some point. So they struggle on in occupations and relationships that give them very little mental stimulation or personal satisfaction, working for managers or living with partners who appear to care little, if anything, for them, their morale or their aspirations.

Red (Morgan Freeman) warns Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) that hope, especially for the inmates at Shawshank prison, can be a dangerous thing. However, for Andy, hope is the only thing that keeps him alive. Hope that he WILL get out of Shawshank, alive, so that he can fulfill his dream of moving to the Mexican coast, buying a boat and doing it up, and getting revenge on the prison warden and senior guard. In this respect, Andy Dufresne acts as an inspiration and unlikely hero, encouraging the rest of us to take responsibility for our own lives.