· 1940’s music playing during titles and first scene.
· The main characters are played by Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman.
· The film is directed by Frank Darabont.
· The film is based on the short novel “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” by Stephen King.
· The film is set in 1947.
The film opens at night outside a house and the camera pans to Tim Robbins (Andy Dufrane) sitting in an old car. He may be drunk, he looks upset and his hair and clothes are dishevelled. It looks like he may have been sitting in the car for quite a while. He reaches into the glove compartment and removes a wrapped object; he slowly unwraps it and reveals a revolver and bullets. He then has a swig of whiskey.
The action now switches to a courthouse where Andy is being questioned by a lawyer - he’s on trial. We learn that his wife has been murdered, that she has been having an affair and wants a divorce from Andy, however, Andy has refused to give her one. His wife leaves him to go and live with her lover.
The action now switches to a very passionate scene where a woman (his wife) and a man (her lover, Glen Quentin) are kissing.
The action switches back to the courthouse where we learn through the lawyer’s questioning and Andy’s answers that he had been to a couple of bars before following his wife on the night she and her lover were murdered. Andy admitted he was waiting for them both outside their house.
The action switches rapidly between courthouse and car. However, when challenged by the lawyer that he murdered his wife and her lover, Andy insists that he drove away and threw his gun into the Royal River.
Back in the courthouse the lawyer sets out his case saying that Andy’s wife and her lover were brutally murdered, “their bodies riddled with .38cal bullets”. Despite the Royal River being dragged, Andy’s gun has still not been found. Whilst the lawyer is summing up, the camera pans across the faces of the jury. Andy still protests his innocence.
The action switches back to the car. Andy has a swig of his whiskey before turning off the lights in the car. He gets out of the car and the bottle of whiskey smashes to the ground, plus a few bullets. He walks slowly towards the house. During this scene we hear the lawyer’s voice summing up with lots of hard evidence against Andy.
This opening five-minute sequence is very important in setting up the rest of the film. It establishes that two people have been murdered (a woman and her lover), possibly by the husband, although he claims he’s innocent. Nevertheless he is convicted of the murders and sent to jail to serve two life sentences back two back.
This opening five-minute sequence is very important in setting up the rest of the film. It establishes that two people have been murdered (a woman and her lover), possibly by the husband, although he claims he’s innocent. Nevertheless he is convicted of the murders and sent to jail to serve two life sentences back two back.
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