“Shawshank Redemption” is an american prison film written and directed by Frank Darabont. Published in 1994 this movie tells the story of the protagonist, Andy Dufresne who was sent to jail for a crime he didn’t commit. For the next twenty years Andy spends his life trapped between the cold stone walls of Shawhank. Surrounded by a world negativity and depression, rape and violence, prison is no place for a clever business man like himself. Over the course of nineteen years, and through “pressure and time” Andy slowly chips away his at his escape route through his cell wall with a small rock hammer. He holds on to all the hope he can, and in the final scenes of the movie, makes his dramatic escape to freedom.

During this film the director uses various camera angles and lighting techniques to help express the characters emotions. Throughout the entirety of the film Andy is portrayed as a strong figure of hope. This can be shown from the very prominent use of natural lighting that is present when Andy is in the shot. A good example of this is the “rooftop scene”. As Andy and his friends sit amongst one Another enjoying their first cold beer in years, There is strong and colourful natural lighting that fills the shot. The dull grey prison is offset by tones bright green grass and sunlight in the background. This is an uplifting scene as we watch the harsh, unbreakable walls of shawshank dissolve away for the men as they sit in the sun drinking their cold beer. In this scene Andy sits by himself showing that he is different. His face is lit up with golden sunlight and he is full of hope. This scene is one of the many examples of how hope can be portrayed through the use of bright natural lighting. Another example of how lighting can be used in this film is with Brooks. Brooks is a direct contrast to Andy in this film in terms of hope. The director portrays Brooks as an old man who has become fully institutionalized and depended on Shawshank upto the point where it is no longer a prison, but more like home. Brooks has fully given up hope, and we can see this through the use of lighting. An example of this would be the scene when brooks is leaving the prison. In this scene as brooks leaves Shawshank the focus of lighting is on the inside of the prison, as it represents his home. This shows how brooks had lost all hope of ever getting out along time ago, and would rather spend the rest of his days in prison than be forced to leave. Personally I believe this theme of hope can strongly relate to a teenage audience. In the sports world we often find ourselves down in the 4th quarter, a comeback seems impossible, and it’s easy to give up. However a little hope can be extremely powerful, and we learn this in the film. We also learn that anything is possible if we just believe in ourselves and don’t lose hope.

During this film we quickly learn how Institutionalization becomes a common theme throughout the movie. The most obvious example, being Brooks, shows us the full extent of how institutionalisation can turn a prison into a home. Red, another long time inmate understands this. During this film Red talks about how “These walls are funny. First you hate em, then you get use to em. Enough time passes you get so you depend on em. That’s institutionalized. ” As an audience we begin to wonder weather Red is slowly losing hope and becoming institutionalized, just like brooks did. Another example of this would be Red’s parole hearings. During the beginning of the film when Red attends his first parole hearing, we can see that he is full of hope. He makes a strong effort to convey his rehabilitation to the parole board. However the board doesn’t buy it, and Red gets denied. Parole after parole over the course of the next 20 years we can see that Red begins to lose hope and wear down. In the film we hear Red state, “They send you here for life, that’s exactly what they take from you.” This quote shows how prison is indeed a horrible place, and holding onto false hope of ever getting out can be a dangerous thing to do. As the viewer start to believe that he is becoming institutionalised and giving up. Institutionalization doesn’t just relate to prison. Institutions are everywhere in our society. Take school for an example. We wake up every morning at the same time, do the same thing for 6 hours a day, line up in straight rows, sounds just like prison doesn’t it? School, work, prison they are all just different forms of institutions. It’s simply human nature to like being in a routine. However In the real world we often get too use to our everyday routine, and become so embedded in it that we struggle to handle change. Because of this, many people work jobs that they don’t enjoy, because they are scared of change. That’s institutionalized, and it’s everywhere.

Redemption is another large theme that is shown in this movie. During the ending scenes of the film, different characters finally find their redemption, whilst others find justice for what they have done. Andy and the Warden are a great example of this. From start to finish these two men are consistently up against each other in a battle of wits. This constant face off for power between the two men keeps us viewers on our toes as we watch the film. During the final scenes Andy unleashes his master plan on the evil and corrupt warden. Out of the blue, and as a shock to many viewers, Andy makes his dramatic escape to freedom. In This scene Andy crawls through a hole in his cell wall, through hundreds of metres of sewage, and finally reaches his freedom as he falls into a pond outside of the prison walls. This is a very symbolic scene as it shows how Andys sins have been washed away as he stands in the pouring rain. The director also uses a high angle crane shot of Andy standing with his arms out in a crucifix position. This is a powerful scene as it represents Christ on the cross, and it shows how Andy has been redeemed. I believe Andy’s journey to redemption shows important life lessons that we could all relate to. He goes through many ups and downs along the way, however through hope, determination, and time Andy was able to reach his freedom. If we incorporate Andy’s mindset in our everyday lives, we would be able to achieve anything we dream of.

A combination of great acting, clever film making, and brilliant directing is what makes this film such an interesting watch. The themes of hope and redemption are strongly conveyed throughout this movie with the use of lighting and camera angles. Shawshank redemption teaches us many important life lessons that we can all take something away from. During the nineteen treacherous years Andy spent between the walls of Shawshank, he didn’t give up hope. He faced the lows head on with a positive mindset, and through time and patience found his redemption. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this movie and would highly recommend it to an audience of my age. I believe we can all relate to Andy’s situation in some way, and this story teaches us that through hope and perseverance anything is possible.