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The Warden handing Andy back the bible with the rock hammer in it and then saying "Salvation lies within" is such great foreshadowing and writing.

Out of the 630,000 or so films that IMDb rates, this film comes in at number one. Out of 630,000.

Every time I stumble on this movie on tv i say i'm only going to watch a couple minutes. I always end up watching the rest of it again because it's just so good.

It's crazy that Shawshank, Pulp Fiction, and Forrest Gump all came out the same year. Probably my top 3 movies.

I always assumed that the lack of aging makeup on the actors was to help the sense of "losing track of time" while in prison. The years speed by, and it's only when someone mentions the year that we realize how long it's been. In a way, it helps put us in the same mindset as the characters - because if you see someone every single day, it's much harder to notice them aging (at least until you glimpse a picture of when they were younger).

The Rita Hayworth film they are watching is “Gilda” (1946). She was a huge star running nearly 2 films a year during her career.

The rewatchability of this movie is really high. The second time you watch to see the clues you missed, the third time is for the performances. This is one of those movies that no matter what part it's on, if I see it on TV I will watch it to the end. I do cry at the Brooks scene half the time. That broke me.

Frank Darabont directed 3 Stephen King Films. Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile and The Mist. All equally amazing movies!

You were completely right about Jake (the crow), in the book at least Jake dies quickly after being set free, since like Brooks he was completely incapable of adapting to life outside of prison.

This movie has many emotional dark moments. But from the instant Andy escapes everyone i know watches the rest of the movie with a huge grin on their face.

The symbolism of the handfed bird being set free is something I never thought about. Nice

Fantastic movie. It's one of those when you're flipping through the channels, and see it's playing, you just have to watch it again..

Dude I love your Marilyn Monroe analysis. I know we’re in the minority, but I for one appreciate your thoughtful, nuanced, intellectual reactions.

I thought I would expire from old age before you viewed this gem! One of the single greatest pieces of film history. This is story telling at it's finest

Will never forget the first time seeing this. Rented it on VHS while in high school in '95 and quickly realized I might never see a greater film. So glad you've gotten to see it.

Basically, this movie shows Andy torn down to a hellish existence, then gradually climbing to a crescendo of victorious joy. All along, Red's friendship (probably not a strong enough word) is incredibly important. But Andy's speech about hope is meant for Red, who is in some ways the character with the most arc and development. The ending is well earned by the characters and exceptionally gratifying.

The man in Morgan Freeman’s picture in his file is his son. This movie was filmed in Mansfield Prison in Ohio and one of my uncles was an extra in the movie. They were in the process of shutting the prison down and moving them during the filming of the movie and they allowed good behavior prisoners to stay behind as extras.

Raquel Welch was the pin-up girl of the 60's. She just passed away a couple of months ago. RIP.

As a film student and someone who has worked on some indies - your attention to detail is freaking amazing. After years of watching this I never caught the scene with the book where Andy was in a different cell. As for the maggot scene feeding the bird - your guess was 100% correct. They had to have animal cruelty people on hand to make sure they had a live maggot for one shot which was then replaced with a dead one so no live animals were hurt on set. Your guess nailed it.

Here's my Maine accent impression: "Sometiahms dead is bettuah."

My AA sponsor spent 45 years of a life sentence in prison for murder. He says that this movie is the most accurate depiction of prison he's ever seen. Except that these days, the hole is fairly nice. You can even have TV (ABC, CBS, and NBC only...National Geographic channel if you're lucky), radio, and books.

Years passed between several scenes, and the 'main' group of characters were lifers. Not everyone in that person were lifers, so it makes sense that the people in the background change, while the main group stays the same. I think what you pointed out wasn't a mistake, you, maybe accidently, pointed out an amazing nuanced feature of the film.

Notice the scene where Brooks leaves the prison is shot looking past him into the prison. When Red leaves the shot is past Red out into the free world. Brooks killed his family which is why he was all alone in life. Prison educational rehab began in the USA, as an official program, in the 1930s and became more popular in the 1950s, however it was still up to the warden to decide how the individual programs were run. Using the prisoners for outside work was mostly done in the south (chain gang) but I guess it might have happened in the Northeast. If you haven't already I would enjoy your reaction to "Once upon a time in the West", for the photography and the story telling.

No matter how many times I hear Brooks' letter being narrated and what happens while it is, all the way to the "Brooks was here" scene... it still isn't getting any easier to watch.

At that time, Reno was the easiest, quickest place to get a divorce because of its six-week residency requirement and reputation for the "quickie divorce."

It's odd that the best film adaptations of a horror writer's work, have been short stories that were not horror stories. The Green Mile, Stand By Me, and of course, this film. There have been great adaptations of his horror novels, but the dramas really stand out! That is a great testament to just how wonderful a writer, King is.

One of the movies a watch when I am going thru channels no matter where it is in the movie. One of the best.

In the novella, Andy occasionally had cell mates. Each and every one of them complained that the cell had a terrible draft coming from somewhere and that it made the cell colder than they expected.

My husband works at the facility in Maine Shawshank was based on. You'll be glad to know that Maine is doing a lot to change the way the dept of corrections is operated. Their aim is to treat residents as human beings and provide them with actual skills they can use when they're released. They're working on more education and work experience programs. It will take a while, but they're doing it.

yes sir. i was born in 84 and was introduced to this movie not long after it was released and it very likely had a strong impact on my view of the world. this is a masterpiece.

I’ve seen this probably over 100 times by now, it never gets old, I probably watched in around 30 times before I ever left home because my father would watch it every time it came on cable. I now own this movie, and I watch it anytime it’s available on a streaming platform I have. It captivates me every time it’s on. I get chills and goosebumps when that orchestral theme plays. This is probably my most watched movie.

In the novella, Red *was* Irish 😅. This is probably the best King film adaptation out there. It's so faithful to the source material it's practically verbatim. I think the biggest change was Red. In the novella he's Irish and has a fuller backstory. But otherwise the film is almost exactly as King wrote the Novella.

If Marilyn Monroe fascinates you I suggest looking up actress Hedy Lamarr. She was promoted as the most beautiful women in the world in the late 30s, acting alongside Spencer Tracy, Clark Gable, James Stewart, etc. She was also an inventor credited with work that is used even today in Bluetooth, GPS, and WiFi.

"Get busy livin, or get busy dyin" is one of the most powerful lines in cinema of all time

This is one of the most beautiful movies ever made. Frank Darabont directed 3 Stephen King stories into movies. This one, The Green Mile, and The Mist. They're all excellent adaptations. Highly recommend the other two if you haven't watched them already.

Saw this in the theater when I was 12. To this day it is still my #1 favorite movie of all time. So glad you enjoyed it❤

One of the top 100 films of all time. This film had it all. Great script, great acting by all. The ending superb. Glad u saw it.

A lot of people don't want to have sympathy for the main characters and are itching to know what they did. I like that the film doesn't answer this question for everyone... You were spot on when you mentioned education. It’s no coincidence that illiteracy is common in prison. It’s also no coincidence that the average age of first arrest is 17 years old… No matter how much we want to call people dangerous the truth is that people generally “age out” of the hormones, impulses, ego and lack of self awareness that lead to criminal behavior. These are mature, elderly men - 55, 60 years old... they are truly not the same people they were before. Of course, they may never get a chance to prove that.

I maintain that this is the greatest movie ever made. If you ever get to experience a friendship like this, consider yourself lucky.

Originally the film ended showing the bus carrying Red away with his voice-over narration talking about hope. Test screenings revealed that audiences didn't find that ending satisfying at all, so with the studio's permission, the writer/director added the last scene (with the men reuniting on the beach), and months later they shot that last scene and that is the ending we see now.

Stephen King is known for his horror, but he also does drama so well. His ability to hit you in the feels is really something. The actors in this production amplify his storytelling immensely.

The last poster was of Raquel Welch. She recently died earlier this year. RIP The poster was from the movie One Million Years B.C. (1966)

54:35 apparently the script called for only the warden to be looking into the hole, but Morgan and Clancy knew it might be such an iconic shot they wanted in on it.

Back in the early 1900s, divorce laws were very strict and "no fault" divorce was not available most places... Thus Reno or Vegas

About the prisoners not having an accent. It's sometimes a practice to jail people far away from where they are from to keep them away from former connections. I think part of the justification is removing people from the environment that set them up for the crime they committed, but there are other reasons this could be the case. In the case of Shawshank, it was a max security prison so it's possible it was the closest prison with room for these people. More likely it's just suspension of reality though. I mean Red was originally a white Irish prisoner but Morgan Freeman got the part and kept in the "maybe it's because I'm Irish" line as homage.

for what it is, it is a perfect movie. i used to rent "shawshank redemption" once every year from blockbuster type brick & mortars. then i used to watch it whenever surfing cable channels. now i watch it whenever recommended "shawshank redemption" reaction youtubes. i wonder what the next fifteen years will bring re: "shawshank redemption" casual viewing tech. passage of time, man.... pressure... entropy... heat... novelty... the great churning engine.

We do not fix 99% of issues, econmoically, mentally, societally, politically, medically, etc. You are exactly correct sir, "If you fix a problem, you can no longer monetize it?"

Enjoyed you reaction, thanks for the video. To mention a couple of points of continuity errors, Andy's cell is at the end of his landing but the landing wraps around so that you can go around the whole block without having to change levels, this is normal for a prison layout so that the jailors can get to any section quickly. Brooks would just make a right turn at the end and cross to the cells opposite. Red would could possibly of ended up in the same job as Brooks and even the same room as the state would probably use the same halfway houses for ex-cons from that prison and only certain places would offer jobs for people in that situation. Though there might be a few different jobs available someone with limited education and at that certain age where physical work becomes much harder would probably end up with very similar jobs. Keep up the great content x

1) You are correct that a dead 'maggot' (in oatmeal, it would more likely be be a beetle grub) was swapped in for the live one, per code. 2) in the novel, the prisoners eventually find that the bird Jake had returned to the prison, and starved to death. 3) Being a hydrogeologist, my one nit-pick was the sewer pipe: If it was under pressure, there would have to be a blockage down the line. And after he breached the top of the pipe, it would not just drain; the contents would still be pooled inside. Others point out that there would probably not be a breathable oxygen level inside. And what if he encountered a grate (or elbow), farther down the line (horrific way to be trapped and die). The sewer gas odor from the broken pipe would quickly fill the wall gap around the sewer line, so (even with the poster, and some of the gas being denser than room air) , it would be evident, well before daybreak, inside Andy's cell - and the prison gallery. 4) Who would give a lift to a man, standing in the rain, just outside a prison, at night ? Pretty convenient that he made it to Portland (in a suit, tie and polished shoes) before daybreak. But I love this movie, and your review. Thanks !

You never heard of a Raquel Welch, She just recently passed away, R.I.P. Raquel.

One of the best endings of any film ever, and I'd crawl through 500 yards of sewage to get to freedom

Shawshank, The Green Mile, The Princess Bride... 3 movies that i can not turn off. Catch them in progress at any point in the movie, I'm sitting down until it's over.

When Brooks went to prison, the automobile was still a novelty, when he was released, the automobile was common place.

Great reaction!!! I strongly recommend you watch The Count of Monte Cristo... They are innocent in that prison also 😅

The reason this is set in Maine is because everything by Stephen King is set in Maine. Since the location doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things it would likely just be a distraction if they were all using new england accents.

An exceptional film! I appreciate your commentary on the American prison system. There should not be a profit motive behind prisons, and rehabilitation and education should be the primary goals. Also a shame that we lock up so many people in this country... And for the record, about 4 in 100 people on death row are exonerated and found innocent.

such a good fucking movie. one of my all time favorites. edit: and yeah brooks is such a fucking sad part of this movie. the rest of it is sad too but damn the man was thrust into a world he'd never even seen and couldnt take it.

I felt for brooksy.. I did 8 years and dreamed of getting parole every single day and when I finally got parole I was so damn nervous and afraid those few weeks waiting to be released. I had no job nowhere to go and had changed a lot in prison. I was much more afraid of getting released than staying in prison where I knew how to survive and was comfortable. I only did 8 years I couldn't imagine doing decades... Smh that part was very emotional for me.

You nailed à lot of things, including Tim Robbins' height. He's 6'5" and they did mask his height. They wanted Andy to be an averaged sized guy, but Tim Robbins is a big, 6'5" man.

If you look at Andy it's very beginning and at the end when he was talking to Red and you mentioned the aging, you will notice that they did age him. Hair turned gray, some more wrinkles, etc.

I love that the final spoken word in the film is "Hope"

Masterpiece movie...I'm 50.. watched it 100 times... always get choked up at the last words of the movie.."..I can't wait to see my friend..n shake his hand"....at 50..those words have a deep deep meaning..

Thank you for reviewing this film. Despite there are some small issues, the overall storytelling is at it's best. In my opinion one of the best films ever made. and of the best endings ever!

"Get busy living, or get busy dying..." You're damn right. -Brooks was here

The Marilyn Monroe analogy was perfect.

When you said, “what about fingerprints on the door or in the room?” You blew my mind bro lmao

“Screw” is prison slang for guard. I “learnt” that from watching an Australian soap opera from the 70s called Prisoner: Cell Block H.

I have never seen anyone analyze the beginning scenes before. Your read on the fingerprints not being on the doors and bedroom was impressive. Also, when you said Andy being emotionless in court because he is not longer attached to his wife and whatever he's feeling is just normal behavior was outstanding. I was even more amazed when you talked about the casings part, because the prosecutor mentioned Andy having to reload to shoot them again, there should be some left behind at the scene of the crime. The maggot that was pulled from the food is real. The one fed to the bird is a prop made of baby food. There's a corridor after Andy's cell that leads to the back row of cells. Even though Andy's cell is the last unit of the row, there are cells around the corner. You can see it when the perspective changed to Red giving Andy the stare after he lost 2 packets of cigarettes.

A Sense of Freedom, 1981, is about Jimmy Boyle, a Scotsman who at one point was kept naked in a cage inside a cell. It’s worth watching, but even more so the accompanying documentary that was on the DVD. He eventually became an artist.

Dude, you have some impressive analytical skills, I appreciate how you review the content!

Your rant on the American Industrial Prison System was spot on. If you haven't watched the Mayor of Kingstown series staring Jeremy Renner, you really should for your channel. It is focused on exactly what you are saying. The premise is about a small city where the economy revolves around the prisons that are home there. One ex-con (Mike..played by Jeremy Renner) is sort of the guy that spends all his time trying to maintain the balance in this system. He works with the cops, cons, prison guards and gang members. There are just degrees of corruption. The show is really good with smart, sharp writing and acting. Jeremy Renner is NOTHING like how you see him when he plays Hawkeye in the MCU. Dude is a beast on that show.

This is one of those films you wish to expreciemce seeing it for the first time again. I usually catch on things in films and tv shows where i'm already anticipating on whats going to happen, but this one never made me really think Andy will escape. Sure, you might think about will he escape or could he even try, but you'e so concered for Andy's mental state or just the situation he is in that all you can think about is whether he actually "deletes" himself or not. Even the confusion of him not being in his cell was insane filmmaking.

#1 Movie on my list ever since I saw it. And #1 on imdb. Even though it's a hard subject for some people, I've made sure everybody I know has seen it too! Great reaction, thank you!

There are not many Stephen King adaptations that are very well done, but this is one of those gems.

You did have a close to crying emotion, I even told my daughter. Really appreciate your reaction.

A real tear jerking masterpiece, I could tell you had a lot of fun while reacting to it. I also enjoyed seeing you analyze and talk about each scene as you made some interesting points not many people pick up on.

As a long time moviegoer and Stephen King fan, Shawshank is the 3rd Greatest piece of Cinema of all time.

grew up watching it and love it

Every time I watch one of your many reactions, I'm blown away by your intelligence. I've watched plenty of random movie, music, and comedy reactions. And countless reactions of yours. I can honestly say your reaction to this movie has to be one of my all-time favorites. And it seems each and every time I watch one of your reactions, I tend to learn something. And that is one thing I can say doesn't happen on many other reaction channels. So, thank you for your reaction and your time. Say hello to your cousin for me! Britt Reacts! Good day, sir! Wish you and your family nothing but the best!

Thank you. I have watched many reactions to this movie and YOU are the first to notice the Bible is opened to Exudos!

This movie is rated the #1 movie of all time overall by viewers.

This is my favorite Steven King movie EVER! I am so glad you love it as much as I do!

Spot on with your comments on the revolving door.

Probably one of my favorite films ever. It is one of those movies I have watched over and over again. It is simply a masterpiece.

I absolutely loved your reaction to that film, thanks for that.

Even though it's a short story, it's probably one of my favorites from Stephen King, this and "The Body" are the most underrated King stories made into great movies

One of the all time greatest movies ever

I live in Maine, and you’re right, no accents, which is fine with me because actors very rarely get it right when doing New England accents. The author, Stephen King, is also from Maine. I saw him once at Pizzeria Uno in Bangor.

The look on your face was priceless!! Such a classic!!

In the book Red was a red headed Irishman. Morgan Freeman plays the character so well that you just don’t care he’s not a red headed Irishman.

Mr LBoyd - Yours is one of my favorite channels on KZfaq. I really appreciate the amount of work you put in to give us cool videos to watch. I really look forward to watching this reaction, but I wanted to alert you that it goes wildly out of sync at apparently 17:20. At least it does on my end.

Private prisons weren't a thing in this country until 1985. In this time, prisons had a lot more resources to help prisoners not to reoffend. When private prisons became a thing, what you're talking about ALSO became much more of a thing.

I had hoped since the Green Mile that you would so this movie!So happy!!!

Yep easily top 3 movies FOR SURE. Total foreshadowing with the Count of Monte Cristo.

Consistently lands at the top of Best Films lists… including mine lol It’s one of those films if I’m channel surfing & it’s on- that’s a wave I’m riding out. Can never see it too many times. One of my favs- When Andy is talking about where he would go, what he would do if he ever got out… and Red says I really don’t think you should be doing this to yourself; Mexico is down there & you’re up here. Those are just sh!++y pipe dreams. …and then Andy crawls through a sh!++y pipe to his dreams. Classic. Appreciate you! Stay safe & love much💖

The movie with Rita Hayworth is the 1946 film Gilda.

I love this film, for so many different reasons

certainly a downside of doing reaction's to movies in one take is that you don't aren't substantiating your takes. i mean, leaving stupid comments on videos i constantly have to revise or delete them because i f#$D up. my respect for making this and sticking with it. still a very respectable take imo.

There is a great video essay on this by Pop Culture Detective and why it failed when it was first released. At the time people did not want to humanize prisoners and looking at the beautiful nuanced characters was too much. Love this movie, it's one of those you can start at any spot and just get sucked in.