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Essay On The Shawshank Redemption

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Essay On The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption
‘Darabont's direction in The Shawshank Redemption emphasises contrasts and paradox: in ideas, in characters, in mood. How does he use cinematic techniques to achieve this?’

In The Shawshank Redemption Darabont uses cinematic techniques to illustrate contrast. Power & Weakness, Freedom & Oppression, Isolation & Companionship are the fundamental themes that differentiate from each other in the film. Darabont effectively utilises filming techniques to highlight these dominant themes, creating a movie that is both powerful and strong, producing a rich story that captures the viewers’ attention.
Freedom and oppression in The Shawshank Redemption are two opposing themes which resonate throughout the film. …show more content…
When the viewer is initially introduced to Andy he seems small and weak compared to the self-assured lawyer and the powerful judge of the courtroom scene, yet as the film progresses, Andy gains respect and power within Shawshank, first with his inmates and then with the guards and warden. His previous profession of banking, sees Andy working for the Shawshank staff, processing their tax and assisting them in general finance management, earning himself a certain level of respect from the people around him. He also appears to gain a more personal relationship with the Warden, this fluctuates however as Andy doesn’t always do as the Warden wishes, especially when he plays opera to the prison. Andy may appear helpless compared to the rank and power of Warden Norton and Captain Hadley, yet he exceeds the two of them when it comes to wit and intelligence, finally outsmarting the Warden and Captain completely and coming out on top ‘I like to think that the last thing that went through his head, other than that bullet, was to wonder how the hell Andy Dufresne ever got the best of him’. To demonstrate power and weakness, High and Low angle camera shots are used by the director. Warden Norton is often filmed from below to accentuate his position of power and the prisoners are often viewed from above to show them as powerless and insignificant. The contrast between Power and Weakness ties in with Freedom and
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