The Shawshank Redemption receives critical acclaim, flops at the box office

The Shawshank Redemption revolves around the character "Andy", played by Tim Robbins, who is accused of killing his cheating wife and her lover. He is transferred to Shawshank Prison, where he meets a group of prisoners, including "Red", played by Morgan Freeman, a prisoner who has served 20 years and is being considered for release, but is denied every time.

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Is Shawshank Redemption a true story?

The Shawshank Redemption movie is inspired by the true story of the famous writer Stephen King, who is known for selling the rights to his novel to turn it into a movie for only $1,000. The Shawshank Redemption grossed $16 million at the box office, and after being nominated for the Oscars, it grossed $73 million. After being nominated for the Oscars more than 7 times, it did not win any awards.

Shawshank Redemption Movie Facts

The Shawshank Redemption was filmed in a real Ohio prison, which added more authenticity to the story. The reformatory buildings have been used in other films such as Harry and Walter Go to New York, Air Force One, and Tango and Cash. Most of the outdoor courtyard was recently demolished to make way for new rehabilitation buildings, but the old main building, built in the style of a Gothic castle, still stands and, due to its fame, has become a tourist attraction.

The real-life commander of Mansfield Correctional Facility has a brief cameo in the film as one of the inmates on the bus.

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The first scene in which Morgan Freeman throws a baseball was very difficult to film, as it took 9 full hours to shoot, and Freeman kept throwing the ball non-stop the entire time.

The Shawshank Redemption is Morgan Freeman's favorite movie of his entire career. The role of "Andy" was initially offered to Tom Hanks, but he turned it down due to his involvement in the film Forrest Gump.

Shawshank Redemption movie story After Andy is imprisoned for the murder of his cheating wife and her lover, the prisoners bet on his collapse, but they lose the bet due to his determination and strength that appear with the events. In his first years in prison, Andy is beaten and harassed by the Sisters gang. Andy tries to isolate himself until he befriends a group of prisoners. A friendship develops between "Red" who meets the needs of the prisoners from outside and "Andy" who asks him for a hammer to carve stones and a picture of the American actress Rita Hayworth to hang inside his cell.

With this small hammer, Andy begins to dig a path to his freedom and exit, and changes everyone's fate. The person sentenced to 50 years in prison can complete his project and reach freedom after 19 years, and Andy changes the fate of the embezzling prison warden by reporting him.

Some have interpreted the film differently, with some asserting that it is based on Christian mysticism, as Andy is a Christian character whom Red describes at the beginning of the film as having an aura that protects him from Shawshank Prison.

Also, the scene where Andy and several inmates smear the roof of the prison resembles the idea of the Last Supper, where Andy gives beer (wine) to the twelve inmates, and director Frank Darabont responded that this was not his intention, but that he wanted people to find their own meaning in the film.

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The secret to the success of the movie Shawshank Redemption after 30 years The Shawshank Redemption has been on the throne of the best films in history for many years and even to this day, and it was able to surpass films by giant actors and directors in the world of cinema. Despite its financial failure 30 years ago, it has become today one of the most famous classic films in history. The Shawshank Redemption has been added to the Library of Congress Film Collection, cementing its place at the top of the list. In 2019, the film became the most highly rated film on IMDB, with a rating of 9.2, with 2 million and 170 thousand votes on the film.

The film's director, Frank Darabont, confirmed in statements on global platforms that the reason some people were not enthusiastic about watching the film was because of its name, and that the publicity was not very successful, as it was based on the prison story and the names of the heroes participating in the work, such as Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins, and this method does not encourage the audience to watch it, although there are other methods that would have been more creative.

Darabont added that the audience usually does not go to see a movie known for being full of depressing and sad events, even if it is one of the greatest movies in history, explaining that the phrase “the most exciting or controversial movie” should have been used by the advertising makers, and then the situation would have been different.

The Shawshank Redemption receives critical acclaim, box office flop

The Shawshank Redemption was praised by many critics and received great acclaim from critics, and many positive reviews and notes were written about it immediately after its release in cinemas, but the biggest disappointment that the makers of the Shawshank Redemption faced was at the box office, as it earned only $16 million during its first showing. Some critics explained the reasons that led to its failure. Some explained that the first reason was the fierce competition between the films that were being shown at the time, such as Pulp Fiction and Forrest Gump. Some also suggested that prison films were not popular with the public. Critics confirmed that the lack of a female element in the film was one of the most important reasons for the film's financial failure, while others added that the title was confusing to the public.

The Shawshank Redemption received numerous awards, including seven Academy Award nominations, and was bought worldwide, all of which increased the film's box office total to $58.3 million. Over 320,000 videotapes of the film were copied and toured across the United States, and over time it became one of the most rented films of 1995. Beginning in 1997, The Shawshank Redemption was shown regularly on the Turner Television Network, and Turner Broadcasting acquired the rights to the film from Castle Rock. All of these things made The Shawshank Redemption one of the greatest films of the 90s, and it is still popular in many countries, and has become a source of citation for the public and a source of inspiration. In 2015, the film was preserved in the National Film Registry and described as the most important film culturally, historically, and aesthetically.

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Shawshank Redemption Movie Cast In the following lines, we review the heroes of the movie Shawshank Redemption. Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne, a banker sentenced to life in prison in 1947 for the murder of his wife and her lover. Morgan Freeman as Ellis, a prison smuggler who befriends Andy. Bob Gunton played Samuel Norton, a tough-tempered warden at Shawshank Prison. William Sadler played Haywood, a member of the Red Gang. Clancy Brown as Byron Hadley is the brutal leader of the prison guards. Gil Bellows as Tommy Williams, a young man convicted of robbery in 1965. James Whitmore as Brooks Hatlin, an elderly man who works as a librarian in the prison. Mark Rolston as Box Diamond, the gang leader and prison rapist. Jeffrey Damman, the prosecuting attorney in Dufresne's trial. Ned Bellamy as prison guard Youngblood Don McManus as Prison Guard Willie Dion Anderson played the role of Paul Haig's boss. Renee Blaine as Andy's wife. James Kisike as the National Bank Manager. Claire Slimer as the teller.