The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American drama film that starred Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman and was written and directed by Frank Darabont.
Despite his constant claims that he is innocent, banker Andy Dufresne (played by Tim Robbins) is sentenced to life in Shawshank State Penitentiary for the killing of his wife and her lover. He becomes friends with Ellis "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman), a fellow prisoner and contraband smuggler. He plays a key role in a money laundering scheme run by prison warden Samuel Norton (Bob Gunton) over the next 20 years.
It received seven Academy Award nominations, among others, and a theatrical re-release that, when combined with international sales, raised the movie's gross to $73.3 million.
List of awards won by The Shawshank Redemption
While the film was nominated for several Oscars and other awards, it only managed to win a few of them:
Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture for Morgan Freeman
Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay for Darabont
American Society of Cinematographers award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for Roger Deakins
The Shawshank Redemption's list of nominations
Given below are the awards nominations for The Shawshank Redemption:
Academy Award for Best Picture (Marvin)
Academy Award for Best Actor (Freeman)
Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Darabont)
Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Deakins)
Academy Award for Best Film Editing (Richard Francis-Bruce)
Academy Award for Best Sound (Robert J. Litt, Elliot Tyson, Michael Herbick, and Willie D. Burton)
Academy Award for Best Original Score (Newman, his first Academy Award nomination).
Robbins and Freeman for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role at the inaugural Screen Actors Guild Awards
Darabont for a Directors Guild of America award for Best Director of a Feature Film and a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Also read about: Cast of The Shawshank Redemption
How well received was The Shawshank Redemption?
The film has an 89% approval rating from 146 critics, with an average rating of 8.30/10, according to the modern review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes. According to 22 critics, the movie has received "universal acclaim" with an 82 out of 100 rating on Metacritic.
A number of publications, including Paste and NME (2012), Complex (2013), CHUD.com (2014), MSN (2015), TheWrap, Maxim, and Rolling Stone (2017), listed The Shawshank Redemption among the best movies of the 1990s.
The movie was screened to the public in advance of its release. According to Glotzer, these were "through the roof" and among the greatest she had ever seen. Since the company hoped to appeal to a "more prestigious audience" that would turn down a movie from a writer best known for pulp fiction films like The Shining and Cujo, it was decided to remove Stephen King's name from any advertising.
The Shawshank Redemption started a limited North American run on September 23, 1994, after having its premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Renaissance Theatre in Mansfield in early September. At an average of $22,040 per theatre, the movie made $727,327 from 33 theatres during its first weekend of release.
FAQs about The Shawshank Redemption
According to film reviewer Roger Ebert, The Shawshank Redemption is a metaphor for preserving one's sense of value in the face of hopelessness. Particularly in prison, where integrity is weak, Andy's integrity is a key aspect in the plot.
No, The Shawshank Redemption isn’t a real story. The film is simply based on Stephen King’s novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.
The Shawshank Redemption was released on September 23, 1994, in the U.S. after its premiere on September 10, 1994, at the Toronto International Film Festival.
