Though this list may change (soon) because they’re (thankfully) forever being asked to talk about The Shawshank Redemption, here are our top 5 favorite comments (as of today) about the movie, from the men who made it:
Bob Gunton: "Driving up to the prison, I think the audience gets the same sort of feeling most of us had, when they see that helicopter shot, pulling over the prison, when Andy’s little white bus takes him there for the first time. This was the most imposing and frightening looking edifice. But now, to fans all over the world, it’s treated like Lourdes, like a place where some miracle happened. There is a spiritual quality to the movie, as it tells of hope, and the transformation of lives, because of friendship." – WKSU Radio interview
Morgan Freeman: "When I read the script, it was so well done, such a good script, I said to my agent, “Ok! I’ll do anything in here! What do they want me to do? So he told me they want me to be Red. Hell… that’s the movie! I can’t walk down the street without someone telling me, “It’s my favorite movie.”" – Late Night with Seth Myers
Tim Robbins: "I don't think a lot of happy endings are particularly earned. They're obligatory add-ons, requirements for the genre, and you're like, “Oh, well, now I'm just being manipulated.” Shawshank gets there through such an honest path. The uplift at the end has to do with patience and belief — the idea that no matter what circumstance you're in, if you hold onto yourself and to hope and live your life in generosity towards others, there may well be a spot on the beach in Zihuatanejo for you. People want to believe no matter what jail we've created for ourselves or has been created for us, there's always the possibility of redemption." – AARP interview Frank Darabont: "Andy is basically the Joseph Campbell hero. He’s the mysterious western hero who rides into town, cleans up the place, and rides off in the end. He enters an enclosed society, fundamentally changes it, and leaves. I think Morgan has described it the best, saying that it’s basically a very pure love story. It’s two people who connect, and in a sense, complete each other. It’s what the best friendships will give you in life, a person you can count on, who is your rock. I think that’s one of the things about the film that people find so reassuring. It’s a very comforting thought, to think that we could make a friend like that." – Paste Magazine
Stephen King: "When I first saw it, I realized he'd made not just one of the best movies ever done from my work, but a potential movie classic. That turned out to be the case, but he continued working almost up to the moment the film was released.
"I hate Tim [Robbins's] makeup," he fretted as we watched the last scene. "It looks too liquid, or something. I need to fix that."
"Frank," I said, "people aren't going to notice the makeup, because they'll be crying."
Frank is mostly right, but that time, I was. He's gone on to make other great films, two from my work, I'm happy to say, but Shawshank is its own thing -- an American icon -- and I'm delighted to have been a part of it." – OSCARS.org
What are your favorite comments about the movie? Please share in the comments section down below.
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