Plot: What’s it about?
First off, I have to admit that this has to be one of my all time favorite movies, in the same category with “Saving Private Ryan” and “Heat”, so it will be a little difficult to be completely objective. But given that it was nominated for seven Academy Awards, can anyone blame me?
The story begins in the mid-1940’s and centers around a former bank vice president named Andy Dufresne, wrongly convicted of a double murders and sentenced to two back to back life sentences at Shawshank prison. While incarcerated, he is befriended by a prison veteran named “Red” Redding, beautifully played by Morgan Freeman. He stumbles into a way to use his accounting expertise when he helps the captain of the guards (a cruel S.O.B. played by Clancy Brown) save thousands of dollars he received as an inheritance. From then on, he receives protection from the guards and even the warden begins to show an interest in his business skills. Dufresne ends up right in the middle of a corruption scandal that even includes murder. While the odds are stacked against him, he still maintains hope.
As the story unfolds, we see just how strong of a person Andy Dufresne really is and you wind up cheering for him. This movie captures the essence of the human spirit with the same quality as “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Of Mice and Men”. While it showcases the inner strength of a man against tremendous odds, you sometimes forget that his fellow inmates are convicted felons and find yourself on their side. However, for a great story I cannot recommend this movie strongly enough. Also, although the movie runs 142 minutes, it flies by incredibly fast due to the enthralling story and great acting.
In regards to the quality of the picture and sound, they were both good. While the picture is great, your sound system will not get worked too hard, but perhaps that is because this is a drama and not an extreme action movie. Either way, this movie is worth adding to one’s collection specifically for those occasions when company arrives and states that they have never seen it.
Video: How does it look?
Very Good. No signs of noise or layer transition pauses. The resolution is sharp and the colors are vibrant (when your not in the dark prison setting). Overall, a great transfer.
Audio: How does it sound?
Good. Not too much of a workout for the subwoofer or rear speakers with this movie. The front speakers get most of the action in the audio area. There is one scene where opera gets piped through the prison P.A. system that fills the room with great depth. Other than that, there just are not many scenes requiring heavy surround sound. Still, a great sounding audio track.
Supplements: What are the extras?
A few nice items here, but nothing to put it in the reference category. When this movie was first announced as a DVD release, I could have sworn that I read about extra or deleted scenes that would be added back or included as an extra. Unfortunately, if there are any other scenes, they must have been held back for some reason. But it does include production notes, a stills gallery, and the original theatrical trailer.
