Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2373 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-10-05
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 142 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
When this popular prison drama was released in 1994, some critics complained that the movie was too long (142 minutes) to sustain its story. 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, and the effect is dramatically rewarding. Tim Robbins plays a banker named Andy who's sent to Shawshank Prison on a murder charge, but as he gets to know a life-term prisoner named Red (Morgan Freeman), we realize there's reason to believe the banker's crime was justifiable. We also realize 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 that signaled the arrival of a promising new filmmaker--a film that many movie lovers count among their all-time favorites. --Jeff Shannon

DVD features
Fans who made this box-office dud a very popular and cherished film should eat up the 10th anniversary edition. Filmmaker Frank Darabont took a week to record the commentary track so it would be packed with the best stories and information. Of course, some of these stories are repeated in the two and a half hours of extra content. The new retrospective documentary has interviews with all the key talents a decade later. There's also a good amount of info about the ominous setting of the film--a soon-to-be demolished prison in Ohio--that was transformed, and it in turn transformed the members of the cast and crew after months of filming. "The Redeeming Feature" is a refreshingly candid, British-produced TV program examining the phenomenon of the film. Another neat addition is the short parody The Sharktank Redemption, starring Morgan Freeman's son Alfonso as a "prisoner" of a Hollywood talent agency. The feature film looks and sounds great, and the only change is a very slight tinkering to fix a continuity error (pointed out on the commentary). --Doug Thomas

From The New Yorker
Tim Robbins returns to his best form with his haunted, cunning portrayal of Andy Dufresne, a young banker sentenced to life imprisonment. It's the nineteen-forties, and he is sent to Shawshank, a dark and doomy jail where the inmates protest their innocence and the satanic warden (Bob Gunton) brandishes a Bible. Frank Darabont's movie never grabs at you, preferring to work patiently on your sympathies and nerves while finding time for casual jokes. What at first seems like a plotless tale of companionship-principally between Andy and a fixer named Red (Morgan Freeman)-tightens into excitement. There are moments of hokey togetherness, and way too much voice-over, but the picture stays on track and leaves you, appropriately enough, with a surging sense of release. -Anthony Lane
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

A great, solid drama
I only recently watched this for the first time. I know people and critics rave about it constantly, and I was curious to see if all that praise was justified. Well, I saw it and yes, its an extremeely good film. The acting is flawless, the script hole-free and really keeps you interested throughout the whole film. The story is a simple, but engaging one and I really could find no fault with it whatsoever. That said, I'm not sure if I would call this the greatest film ever, or even in the top three, but its certainly up there. I was debating whether to give it 4 stars or 5. While I loved the film, I didn't REALLY love it, but for such a flawless film, I finally settled on the 5 star rating, which is something I don't do that often. If there is anyone who has not seen this yet(like me up til a few days ago) I would definately recommend you watch this.

A brilliant adaptation of King's short story.
The performances are amazing.
I read Different Seasons and I never really cared for the book.
The movie however is better than the book for once.
The directing is spot on.
The movie is a very heart warming tale, well..........the end is anyway.
The prison scenes are ............disturbing.
It's one of the better "strange" movies out there.
I recommend Shawshank for a great story, great acting, and great directing.
Not for kids though.
Recommended!!!

Greatest Movie in the 21st Century
MASTERPIECE - HOPE FRIENDSHIP GOOD and EVIL

I do not review movies but I felt like I had to for Shawshank. This is the best movie ever made. Outstanding story which have elements of hope friendship and love. If you are ever down watch this. By the end you will better.

Director Darabont did this without almost any CGI that we come to expect from movies these days. He gives us this by giving strong characters and excellent story which is hard to come by these days.

Newman's soudtrack goes hand in hand. Without it it could not have been a strong as it is.

People will remember Shawshank 20 years from now but will not the ones that got the awards during its run. In my opinion Shawshank was not awarded by the Academy like it should have been.