Why do you ask? What would make a movie so good to rank #1 out of all the movies you've ever seen?
For me, I enjoy all kinds of movies from comedy to drama to musicals. Going to movies is one of my favorite things to do. I volunteer to take my kids to the movies just so I have an excuse to go. I think I'm a lot like my mom when it comes to most movies.......that even if they are bad, I still enjoy the experience. Renting a movie...not so much. For some reason it's not the same.
Anyway, I digress. Why is "Shawshank Redemption" my favorite movie of all time? The movies that rank up high on my list are movies that actually have some redeeming value in them. Movies that I feel comfortable showing my students because of the message the movie is trying portray.
I LOVE those type of movies.....not because I can show a movie in class but because I believe we are in the "Microwave Generation" where most students learn more in a 2 hour movie then they do in a week of me lecturing to them. Granted I only show 3-4 movies a year but they generate great conversation and hopefully an application to their lives.
I believe there is a Christian element in "Shawshank" where hope, sin, faith, salvation, and ultimately "redemption" are all intertwined. Andy (the main character) makes the best out of every situation he is presented with no matter how grave or how unjust. How many times have we heard the refrain, "Life ain't fair" yet to Andy that didn't matter. He surged on making his life as good as it could be even as he spent 2 months in the hole and 20 years in jail for something he didn't do.
You don't think a high school student or even us as adults can learn from this theme? As Andy quotes, "HOPE is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies." Finally Red (his friend in jail) learns the valuable lesson and ends the movie with these words: (as he takes it upon himself to make his life "as good as it can be with the situation he is placed in")
"I HOPE I can cross the border. I HOPE I see my friend and shake his hand. I HOPE the ocean is as blue as it is in my dreams. I HOPE."
2 comments:
Dro, I told my wife about your post on Shawshank yesterday, which led to quite the discussion. She's in agreement with you that it's one of the best movies of all time. I, on the other hand, think it's a nice movie, but I also think it's one of the most overrated films ever. My wife says it's because I see films like a film critic, not like the average Joe.
It's interesting because Shawshank is usually one of those films that I hear a lot of people say is one of their favorite films ever, yet I've never seen a film critic give it their highest rating. So I started thinking about what audiences get out of the film and where the film is lacking for critics.
On the positive side, the story of Red really is superbly told. The harrowing experiences he has while trying to be rehabilitated and then trying to assimilate back into society are extremely compelling. His story works for me in every way. To me, he is the true hero of the film, the guy who was able to deal with his demons, find a mentor to hope for a better life, and then be true to his convictions, and in the process changing his life for the better.
The problem with the film for me, and I would imagine for most critics, comes in Andy's character and story. I see him as a flat character, a one note caricature. He is faced with tremendous adversity and deals with it perfectly, yet it all rings hollow for me. I don't know this guy, I've never met anyone like him. He seems too perfect, too polished, and we never see inside him to find out what he struggles with, where he finds the strength to cope with the horrific injustice he faces. I realize he can be viewed as a source of inspiration for many, but for me without him being a three dimensional character, his story rings hollow.
Then there is the escape. It is utterly preposterous and does not work for me. I can see why audiences love the way Frank Darabont withholds information from them so they can be “shocked” by the escape. Audiences love to be shocked and fooled, and they love to antagonist (in this case the warden) to be fooled along with them. They love to see the bad guy get his at the end. However, for me this is all smoke and mirrors with little to no substance. It does not hold up to analysis because it could never happen the way it does. I can’t even take the warden seriously because he just seems too evil. I find antagonists who are a dark shade of grey to be much more intriguing and believable than ones that are jet black.
I’m not going to bore you with more, but the bottom line is you, my wife, and millions of others see this as one of the greatest films of all-time. However, while I think it’s a fun film that is entertaining, I find that most of it doesn’t hold up to a deeper analysis. The story of Red does, but unfortunately his story is clouded by the Andy storyline and causes this film to completely miss out on greatness for viewers like me.
Personally, I see Andy as someone who has made mistakes in life (ie Spending all his time trying to be successful and make money at the expense of his wife/family).
He realizes the mistakes he has made, he overcomes the obstacles in his life, he makes the best out of every situation he is faced with, helps others do the same, and in the end is forgiven and redeemed.
In the spiritual sense, I see it as a method of repentence and a great lesson we all can learn.
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