Directed by Frank Darabont
Starts in total darkness
blank screen with major credits
diegetic music Inkspots’ song : ‘If I Didn’t
Care’ playing on car radio
Love song about jealousy and confusion –
it reflects his mood. Obsession
This and the costumes date the film (50s)
Editing
The scene at the cabin is intercut with the
courtroom scene
brief flashback-montage of the adulterous
couple's passionate lovemaking
Andy is reliving the moment in his mind, so
we relive it with him
Establishing shot: Dark, dimly-lit building in
background
camera tracks back to pick up dark shape of
car; silhouette of driver lit by dash lights; music
track decreases in volume
camera tracks forward slightly and pans
around to pick up driver in medium-side shot;
he looks dishevelled, leans forward and
reaches over to glove compartment;
close-up of hand retrieving bundle from
compartment;
Reverse angle – back and forth between Andy
and the District Attorney
Slow pan over jury- blank, respectable, look like
they are concentrating
cut to close-up of hands preparing revolver, cut to
close-medium shot of driver taking another swig
dash lights go out; courtroom voice-over becomes
prominent;
cut to close-up of foot emerging from car –
emphasises that he got out of the car
soundtrack of things falling; glass breaking;
close-up of feet walking towards drive
Zooms in on Andy as guilty verdict is delivered
Zooms in on Andy ending on Close-up as
the realisation of his sentence hits
Fade to black: Andy’s life has been
plunged into darkness
Echoing sound of gavel being struck:
stresses the idea of his freedom being
taken away
CABIN
Props
Costume
Expression
COURTROOM
Props
Costume
Expression
Red
Props – hat that he takes off to show
respect,
Costume – prison uniform – he is part
of that lif
Expression/stance – uneasy,
Scenery – steel doors and bars –
trapped
Dialogue – “Yessir”, pre-prepared
speech
Red
Extreme close up on form being stamped:
REJECTED.
This is a recurring motif
This reinforces a main idea – the characters’
lack of freedom
Dialogue – “Same old shit, different day”,
accepted his fate
Camera tracks, we see Red as part of the
crowded prison, followed by others.
Swears, seems tough, “There must be a con
like me in every prison in America”
Contrast
Red
Guilty
Poor
Uneducated
Seems at home in the
prison
black
Andy
Innocent
Middle-class
Educated
An outsider
White
Red speaks in a voice-over:
“So when Andy Dufresne came to me in
1949 and asked me to smuggle Rita
Hayworth into the prison for him, I told him
no problem” – intriguing for the viewer
Establishing shot of prison – aerial view
makes prisoners look small and
insignificant
Essay
1. Grabs the viewer’s attention – the
mystery of whether Andy committed
murder or not; find out about Andy; is he
going to cope in prison; is he going to get
on with Red; will Red get out?
2. Character of Andy
3. Relationship with Red
4. Themes introduced – justice and
freedom
Dialogue
DA: I'll see you in Hell before I see you in
Reno.
Evidence given of his aggressive temper
Andy: I stopped and I threw my gun into the
Royal River. I feel I’ve been very clear on
this point
Shows Andy being calm and reasonable
Since I am innocent of this crime, sir, I find
it decidedly inconvenient that the gun was
never found.
Trying to show respect and remain calm –
formal language, educated
Dialogue
DA: They had sinned; But was their crime
so great as to merit a death sentence?
“They” are Andy’s wife and lover.
Introduces the idea: what is fair
punishment?
Judge: You strike me as a particularly icy
and remorseless man. Mr Dufresne. It
chills my blood just to look at you.
This judgement does not sound just or fair.
We ask ourselves if Andy is “icy and
remorseless”?
Justice
The contrast of the two sides of Andy
presented make him intriguing
We are uncertain of his guilt or innocence
Andy is going to jail. The audience want
to know how he will cope with the hardship
of being thrown into a situation he does
not seem suited to
The rest of the film explores his ability to
cope,
His search for justice
Theme - Justice
His wife and lover have ‘sinned’
And Andy is accused of taking ‘revenge’
We have seen him tried in a court of law
The evidence overwhelmingly suggests he
is guilty; the judge seems certain of it
The film explores this theme: is
imprisonment and the way it makes
inmates ‘instutionalised’ really justice?
Are the authorities fair and just?