The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Every so often a movie strikes a cord in you which you will never forget. There are a few in my lifetime that I can truly feel this way about. The Shawshank Redemption is a movie that I will never forget, or at least never forget again. I am not really sure why I did not put this movie in my Top Ten list. I don't know what I was thinking. I totally missed it and it wasn't until much after the fact that I realized what I had done. The Shawshank Redemption is one of the best movies out there. It is a movie that I have watched many times and I still get chills while I watch it.

The Shawshank Redemption, about a man, Andy Dufrensne, who is wrongly accused of his adulterous wife's murder and his redemption while in prison. It is also about his relationship with another inmate, Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, played by the marvelous Morgan Freeman. Freeman very deservedly received an Oscar nomination for his role as the "man who knows how to get things". The friendship that these men share is one of camaraderie, love and most importantly companionship. These men find solace and a sense of comfort through the bond they have made.

It is through this bond that Andy makes it through his time in prison. He is there for many years and Red is one of the only things that allows him to survive. Of course the rock hammer that Red got for Andy also helped him as well. The most important thing that got him was hope. Not only from friendship and the emotions that one gets from friendship, but also the fact that while he is slowly digging that whole in the wall, there is hope. A way for him to get to freedom even though it is going to take years to get there. Hope is a true virtue that each of us as human beings have and one that we should hold on to. Andy does and it finally comes to fruition in the end.

There are many twists and turns that I could write about, but I am not going to. Andy goes through many things during his time in jail. The range from being someone's bitch to embezzling money for the warden. The details are not important per say, but what is important is that how he got through the hardships. How he was able to overcome, even though he knew he wasn't going to be freed from the prison walls for a crime he did not commit. The things that he did and how he brought his own sense of hope to his friends in prison is how he got through it. He was able to see the light at the end of the tunnel and make his way through.

Hope is always something we should hold on to. Maybe it doesn't always come to be, but sometimes whether it is big or small, hope will lead us through. I know I have had to use hope in my life a lot and somehow, most of the time, it works out. It has when it is most important and I can only "hope" that it continues to come through for me.

I still can't believe I forgot to put this wonderful movie on my Top Ten list. I guarantee to you though I won't forget The Shawshank Redemption again.

Take care everyone and enjoy the movies!!

The Flick Guru