7 ms·

The Shawshank Residuals

91 points by yarapavan 12y ago

diego_moita 12y ago
Shawshank Redemption is one of the most "American" of all movies, the movie Frank Capra allways wanted to make but never did. When I first saw this movie, in theaters, in 1995 I found it highly enjoyable, with a narrative very well built, but certainly not a classic. It is very conventional and I didn't see anything revealing or innovative about it. Now I understand that its virtues are exactly its conventionalism. Its message is the same belief that drags people to churches and self help books: "preserve and you will prevail". The storytelling is perfect: a slow and steady stream of setbacks until a liberating end. It has a Morgan Freeman voice over, what can be more reassuring than this? That voice is so reliable that the man played the role God more than one time and Nelson Mandela. Whenever you're unsure, confused and insecure about what you think or believe "Shawshank Redemption" is the most reassuring and comforting of all movies. Not even Frank Capra could do better.
- findjashua 12y ago
  'persevere', and you will prevail
  - anigbrowl 12y ago
    On the other hand, screenwriters are strongly advised to make sure their protagonist ends up in a jam...
    - findjashua 12y ago
      ba-dum-tss
  - dekhn 12y ago
    I dunno, those who preserve the past are less likely to repeat it?
- cbd1984 12y ago
  It's a Good Bad Movie: http://orwell.ru/library/reviews/books/english/e_books http://orwell.ru/library/reviews/books/english/e_books > A type of book which we hardly seem to produce in these days, but which flowered with great richness in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, is what Chesterton called the “good bad book”: that is, the kind of book that has no literary pretensions but which remains readable when more serious productions have perished. [snip] > In each of these books the author has been able to identify himself with his imagined characters, to feel with them and invite sympathy on their behalf, with a kind of abandonment that cleverer people would find it difficult to achieve.
  - webnrrd2k 12y ago
    "The good bad book" is a wonderful term - thanks for pointing it out. It does a great job of expressing how I think of Lord of the Rings... It doesn't have a lot of literary pretensions, and it's just a great read.
- fit2rule 12y ago
  It is a very American movie because it is 100% bullshit, and I mean that with all sincerity. It contains all the fantasy of the 20th-century zeitgeist, the modern human condition - which in America, means: prison, for after all America is a true police state. Even though it offends you, and makes you feel stupid, for indeed you are its prisoner - you cater to it, over and again. After all the pain and suffering, at the end - you realize its just been a total joke all along! To be fair, as a modern westerner, it was around the time of Shawshank that I began to be turned off the movie genre, or at least - the mainstream genre. I actually don't think I've paid for a movie since that era of movie making. Shawshank Redemption may well be the very last movie I ever saw in a theatre, willingly.
  - hga 12y ago
    Strange, every time I walk outside my door, I carry a handgun that I consider to be superior to the ones almost all police have (a M1911), using a license issued by the local sheriff ... I don't recall any prison or "true police state" that allows its inmates or subjects to be about as well or better armed than the guards or police, let alone encourages them (which is more of a local thing for me, but is true for many others). I share this ability with the residents of 42 states who haven't been convicted of felonies or domestic misdemeanors. Last time I checked that was > 2/3rd of the population, and with California (and Hawaii) currently losing a court case this could well become 44 states and ~3/4ths of the population. I trust I needn't mention our right to own serious rifles "of military utility" as well...
    - code_duck 12y ago
      There are more aspects to a police state than whether the citizens can possess firearms. Besides, regardless of your handgun or rifle, the authorities command overwhelming force. They possess and are glad to use grenades, armored vehicles, automatic weapons, shotguns, superior numbers and chemical weapons against citizens when deemed necessary.
      - hga 12y ago
        There are certainly more aspects, but my point remains, there is no "true police state" where subjects are allowed to keep and bear arms like our's does. (Well, there's exceptions like NYC and D.C. that perhaps prove the rule.) In fact, we RKBA activists know that the history of police states always includes an early period where guns are systematically confiscated from the people. I know for example the basic stories for Nazi Germany, China, Japan (1588!) and Cuba off the top of my head. As for your latter point, you're assuming two things: someone wanting revenge on the police/government for something unforgivable is going to give a damn about that, and that if things got nasty, the citizens would play by the "rules of war" of the police. Not to mention numbers, we would utterly swamp them if it came down to something like that. Look at how batshit insane California police got when one crazy started hunting them (Christopher Dorner).
pp19dd 12y ago
> Mr. [Stephen] King never cashed the $5,000 check Mr. Darabont sent him for the right to turn his story into a movie. Years after "Shawshank" came out, the author got the check framed and mailed it back to the director with a note inscribed: "In case you ever need bail money. Love, Steve." That's ... incredible.
- waterlesscloud 12y ago
  King offers a number of his stories to student filmmakers for non-commercial use for $1. http://stephenking.com/dollarbabies.php http://stephenking.com/dollarbabies.php
  - anigbrowl 12y ago
    Thanks for that - a bunch of good ideas in here.
- UVB-76 12y ago
  For what it's worth, King has estimated annual earnings of ~$17-20m [1] and a net worth in the hundreds of millions of dollars. [1] http://www.forbes.com/profile/stephen-king/ http://www.forbes.com/profile/stephen-king/
- ArkyBeagle 12y ago
  I am sure Mr. King has run out of places to put swimming pools to fill with money. Still an excellent story.
anigbrowl 12y ago
"Shawshank" was an underwhelming box-office performer when it hit theaters 20 years ago This is something to bear in mind when advocating shorter copyright terms or arguing that the market will establish the 'right' price for some piece of IP. Studios cross-subsidize pictures all the time as a matter of fiscal necessity. While Shawshank has proved to be a very reliable money-spinner and secondary & tertiary market rentals thus subsidize lesser films, in turn it is because of the residual income from other films that films such as Shawshank get made and have theatrical releases. Packaging films in the distribution cycle is a risk mitigation strategy: if every film had to be the subject of an individual deal then fewer and more (aesthestically) conservative films would get made, because neither producers' expectations nor release audiences are good guides to the long-term performance of a film. The same is true in many fields of the arts. Insistence on equating the commercial of cultural products with artistic merit promotes the lowest common denominator of whatever performs best in the initial release window, and 'whatever performs best' is typically a function of the marketing budget, which these days makes up about 50% of a film's headline cost.
- acabal 12y ago
  That's all well and good, but copyright doesn't exist to promote the possible financial viability of art owned by megacorporations for centuries, nor does it exist to promote financial subsidies for other art. It exists, according to the Constitution, "to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts ... for limited times". Even if it did exist for the purpose of generating profit versus promoting culture and progress, I feel like many (except, of course, said megacorporation) can agree that its current incarnation is for a ludicrously, damagingly long amount of time. In either case I'm not weeping for Hollywood; it's not like they've never made anything but a staggering profit regardless of copyright era, and if your argument is true then I'd rather have a handful fewer movies made than bow to the eternal stranglehold on all culture the current copyright regime entails.
  - anigbrowl 12y ago
    I'm not trying to justify the existing copyright regime, which I also oppose; I'm saying that this is a factor you should include in your deliberations. In either case I'm not weeping for Hollywood; it's not like they've never made anything but a staggering profit regardless of copyright era Hollywood isn't a monolith. It's a disparate collection of people, many of whom slave away at their craft for years without ever making it big or seeing one of their projects pay off. You might as well say that you don't give a fig about net neutrality or some other topic at the intersection of computers and law because 'the tech industry has never made anything but a staggering profit'. Sure, if you cast your net broad enough, any long-established industry has been very successful, by definition.
fleaflicker 12y ago
The writer/director had a chance to flip the rights for a huge profit and turned it down so he could make the film: Mr. Darabont said he took a night to think about it. "But it was never an option," he said. "Most of it boils down to, 'Why are we here?' That was a passion I was very determined to pursue and not just sell to the highest bidder."
- wallflower 12y ago
  I think we all love when the "underdog" wins! This has been posted on HN in the past. Enjoy! "A partial visual history of sugru" http://sugru.com/us/story http://sugru.com/us/story
jevinskie 12y ago
By the way, I have heard high praises for the Halloween tours (I'm not sure if they are "scary" tours or not) that the Mansfield Penitentiary offers every year. If you're in the area in October, you might want to check it out.
drdeadringer 12y ago
Like 'Casablanca' for many, 'Shawshank Redemption' is "my movie' of sorts to keep quoting from -- at least in terms of being uplifting. "I guess, I just miss my friend", "Everyone in here is innocent", and "Get busy living, or get busy dying", for example. But maybe that's because I'm Irish.

91 points by yarapavan 12y ago

Shawshank Redemption is one of the most "American" of all movies, the movie Frank Capra allways wanted to make but never did. When I first saw this movie, in theaters, in 1995 I found it highly enjoyable, with a narrative very well built, but certainly not a classic. It is very conventional and I didn't see anything revealing or innovative about it. Now I understand that its virtues are exactly its conventionalism. Its message is the same belief that drags people to churches and self help books: "preserve and you will prevail". The storytelling is perfect: a slow and steady stream of setbacks until a liberating end. It has a Morgan Freeman voice over, what can be more reassuring than this? That voice is so reliable that the man played the role God more than one time and Nelson Mandela. Whenever you're unsure, confused and insecure about what you think or believe "Shawshank Redemption" is the most reassuring and comforting of all movies. Not even Frank Capra could do better.

findjashua 12y ago
'persevere', and you will prevail
- anigbrowl 12y ago
  On the other hand, screenwriters are strongly advised to make sure their protagonist ends up in a jam...
  - findjashua 12y ago
    ba-dum-tss
- dekhn 12y ago
  I dunno, those who preserve the past are less likely to repeat it?
cbd1984 12y ago
It's a Good Bad Movie: http://orwell.ru/library/reviews/books/english/e_books http://orwell.ru/library/reviews/books/english/e_books > A type of book which we hardly seem to produce in these days, but which flowered with great richness in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, is what Chesterton called the “good bad book”: that is, the kind of book that has no literary pretensions but which remains readable when more serious productions have perished. [snip] > In each of these books the author has been able to identify himself with his imagined characters, to feel with them and invite sympathy on their behalf, with a kind of abandonment that cleverer people would find it difficult to achieve.
- webnrrd2k 12y ago
  "The good bad book" is a wonderful term - thanks for pointing it out. It does a great job of expressing how I think of Lord of the Rings... It doesn't have a lot of literary pretensions, and it's just a great read.
fit2rule 12y ago
It is a very American movie because it is 100% bullshit, and I mean that with all sincerity. It contains all the fantasy of the 20th-century zeitgeist, the modern human condition - which in America, means: prison, for after all America is a true police state. Even though it offends you, and makes you feel stupid, for indeed you are its prisoner - you cater to it, over and again. After all the pain and suffering, at the end - you realize its just been a total joke all along! To be fair, as a modern westerner, it was around the time of Shawshank that I began to be turned off the movie genre, or at least - the mainstream genre. I actually don't think I've paid for a movie since that era of movie making. Shawshank Redemption may well be the very last movie I ever saw in a theatre, willingly.
- hga 12y ago
  Strange, every time I walk outside my door, I carry a handgun that I consider to be superior to the ones almost all police have (a M1911), using a license issued by the local sheriff ... I don't recall any prison or "true police state" that allows its inmates or subjects to be about as well or better armed than the guards or police, let alone encourages them (which is more of a local thing for me, but is true for many others). I share this ability with the residents of 42 states who haven't been convicted of felonies or domestic misdemeanors. Last time I checked that was > 2/3rd of the population, and with California (and Hawaii) currently losing a court case this could well become 44 states and ~3/4ths of the population. I trust I needn't mention our right to own serious rifles "of military utility" as well...
  - code_duck 12y ago
    There are more aspects to a police state than whether the citizens can possess firearms. Besides, regardless of your handgun or rifle, the authorities command overwhelming force. They possess and are glad to use grenades, armored vehicles, automatic weapons, shotguns, superior numbers and chemical weapons against citizens when deemed necessary.
    - hga 12y ago
      There are certainly more aspects, but my point remains, there is no "true police state" where subjects are allowed to keep and bear arms like our's does. (Well, there's exceptions like NYC and D.C. that perhaps prove the rule.) In fact, we RKBA activists know that the history of police states always includes an early period where guns are systematically confiscated from the people. I know for example the basic stories for Nazi Germany, China, Japan (1588!) and Cuba off the top of my head. As for your latter point, you're assuming two things: someone wanting revenge on the police/government for something unforgivable is going to give a damn about that, and that if things got nasty, the citizens would play by the "rules of war" of the police. Not to mention numbers, we would utterly swamp them if it came down to something like that. Look at how batshit insane California police got when one crazy started hunting them (Christopher Dorner).

pp19dd 12y ago

> Mr. [Stephen] King never cashed the $5,000 check Mr. Darabont sent him for the right to turn his story into a movie. Years after "Shawshank" came out, the author got the check framed and mailed it back to the director with a note inscribed: "In case you ever need bail money. Love, Steve." That's ... incredible.

waterlesscloud 12y ago
King offers a number of his stories to student filmmakers for non-commercial use for $1. http://stephenking.com/dollarbabies.php http://stephenking.com/dollarbabies.php
- anigbrowl 12y ago
  Thanks for that - a bunch of good ideas in here.
UVB-76 12y ago
For what it's worth, King has estimated annual earnings of ~$17-20m [1] and a net worth in the hundreds of millions of dollars. [1] http://www.forbes.com/profile/stephen-king/ http://www.forbes.com/profile/stephen-king/
ArkyBeagle 12y ago
I am sure Mr. King has run out of places to put swimming pools to fill with money. Still an excellent story.

anigbrowl 12y ago

"Shawshank" was an underwhelming box-office performer when it hit theaters 20 years ago This is something to bear in mind when advocating shorter copyright terms or arguing that the market will establish the 'right' price for some piece of IP. Studios cross-subsidize pictures all the time as a matter of fiscal necessity. While Shawshank has proved to be a very reliable money-spinner and secondary & tertiary market rentals thus subsidize lesser films, in turn it is because of the residual income from other films that films such as Shawshank get made and have theatrical releases. Packaging films in the distribution cycle is a risk mitigation strategy: if every film had to be the subject of an individual deal then fewer and more (aesthestically) conservative films would get made, because neither producers' expectations nor release audiences are good guides to the long-term performance of a film. The same is true in many fields of the arts. Insistence on equating the commercial of cultural products with artistic merit promotes the lowest common denominator of whatever performs best in the initial release window, and 'whatever performs best' is typically a function of the marketing budget, which these days makes up about 50% of a film's headline cost.

acabal 12y ago
That's all well and good, but copyright doesn't exist to promote the possible financial viability of art owned by megacorporations for centuries, nor does it exist to promote financial subsidies for other art. It exists, according to the Constitution, "to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts ... for limited times". Even if it did exist for the purpose of generating profit versus promoting culture and progress, I feel like many (except, of course, said megacorporation) can agree that its current incarnation is for a ludicrously, damagingly long amount of time. In either case I'm not weeping for Hollywood; it's not like they've never made anything but a staggering profit regardless of copyright era, and if your argument is true then I'd rather have a handful fewer movies made than bow to the eternal stranglehold on all culture the current copyright regime entails.
- anigbrowl 12y ago
  I'm not trying to justify the existing copyright regime, which I also oppose; I'm saying that this is a factor you should include in your deliberations. In either case I'm not weeping for Hollywood; it's not like they've never made anything but a staggering profit regardless of copyright era Hollywood isn't a monolith. It's a disparate collection of people, many of whom slave away at their craft for years without ever making it big or seeing one of their projects pay off. You might as well say that you don't give a fig about net neutrality or some other topic at the intersection of computers and law because 'the tech industry has never made anything but a staggering profit'. Sure, if you cast your net broad enough, any long-established industry has been very successful, by definition.

fleaflicker 12y ago

The writer/director had a chance to flip the rights for a huge profit and turned it down so he could make the film: Mr. Darabont said he took a night to think about it. "But it was never an option," he said. "Most of it boils down to, 'Why are we here?' That was a passion I was very determined to pursue and not just sell to the highest bidder."

wallflower 12y ago
I think we all love when the "underdog" wins! This has been posted on HN in the past. Enjoy! "A partial visual history of sugru" http://sugru.com/us/story http://sugru.com/us/story

jevinskie 12y ago

By the way, I have heard high praises for the Halloween tours (I'm not sure if they are "scary" tours or not) that the Mansfield Penitentiary offers every year. If you're in the area in October, you might want to check it out.

drdeadringer 12y ago

Like 'Casablanca' for many, 'Shawshank Redemption' is "my movie' of sorts to keep quoting from -- at least in terms of being uplifting. "I guess, I just miss my friend", "Everyone in here is innocent", and "Get busy living, or get busy dying", for example. But maybe that's because I'm Irish.