I don’t even remember when or where I watched the Shawshank Redemption for the first time. So it was a bit of surprise for me that as the movie started, I found myself remembering details to a great extent; how Boggs looked like, what kind of bird Brooks had, and even how many bottles of beer Andy asked for on the roof. Frankly speaking, if I hadn’t read the book, I wouldn’t have enjoyed watching it again.
It was quite amazing how the director made the book into the film. Not only did the movie include important details in the book, but it also heightened the message by adding some more episodes. I especially liked the music part in which everyone stands in awe as a beautiful song fills the whole prison, and Andy leisurely listens while the warden is infuriated. Though a minor event, I think it was an interesting mixture of tension and peace; while Andy and the prisoners are peacefully appreciating the music, the audience cannot resist feeling worried lest Andy be harshly punished. At the same time, however, the audience can still laugh because of Andy’s reaction, which effectively reveals his character.
Another notable difference between the book and the film was Tommy’s fate. I think this slight difference actually gives different insight into human nature. First, in the book, Tommy ends up going to a less rigorous prison under the condition that he mentions no single word about Andy’s false charge. Tommy, by compromising with the warden, is depicted as a betrayer. However, if I were to ask myself what decision I would’ve made had I been in his situation, I think I would have made the same decision, and I believe most people would have. Remaining faithful to Andy meant turning down an opportunity to see his wife and a young daughter, and risking his own life. Although he liked Andy, it was too great a loss to remain faithful to him.
In the book, however, Tommy is depicted as a faithful, heroic character. The warden takes an extreme measure of shooting him. The ordinary conception of prisoners as base and the rest as moral is completely reversed in this scene. In fact, when we think about the movie as a whole, people who act cruelly are the guards and people who seem to be unjustifiably slaved are the prisoners. While prisoners may have committed extreme violence driven by an impulse, some people out there are committing crimes but are only free because they are crafty and powerful enough to defend themselves.
And just to mention a minor point about Andy, I felt that he wasn’t considerate enough of other people’s security when he escaped. According to a book, Andy didn’t escape right away after he was done with digging a hole. Then, wouldn’t Andy, a meticulous man to forge a new identity, have predicted that his escape could risk the people close to him, especially Red? Certainly, the guards would suspect that Red may know something. Red’s denying knowing nothing of Andy’s escape could have confined him to solitary, for instance. Considering the cruelty of guards and the warden, I think Red being released was a rather unrealistically fortunate ending.
In general, the movie was a success in delivering the atmosphere and the theme of the book!
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