The Shawshank Redemption - Better than the Book

In 1982, the famous horror writer Stephen King, using the pseudonym Richard Bachman, wrote a novel set in prison, named "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" The novel moved away from the horror style that made King famous, and rather focused on one man's experiences in prison.It was published in Different Seasons, a collection of shorter novels. In my opinion, it was the weakest of the four stories in the collection.

Unlike the work that Stephen King became famous for, "The Shawashank Redemption" is not a horror story, but rather a prison tale, about a man unjustly imprisoned for the murder of his wife. The novel drags in places, and feels prosaic and almost boring.

In 1994, it was turned into a movie, with a shorter title of "The Shawshank Redemption". It was directed by Frank Darabont and starred Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins.

T he story covers a period of 20 years, starting with Andy Dufresne's arrest for the murder of his wife, and detailing his trials in the titular Shawshank Redemption. Tim Robbins does a powerfull and moving prtrayal of a man who holds onto hope, despite the difficult circumstances that fate has thrust him into. Morgan Freeman provides an excellent preformance as 'Red', an old convict, and narrator of the story.

While the movie does not deviate much from the plot of the book, the manner in which it is presented turns a fairly low-key prison story into a meditation on the nature of hope and redemption. It wasnominated for seven academy awards, but got beaten out by Forrest Gump that year.

This movie is one the few examples where a mediocre book becomes a truly great movie.