英文影评_Shawshank_Redemption 肖申克的救赎

英文影评_Shawshank_Redemption 肖申克的救赎 The Shawshank Redemption The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. Chicago Sun-Times film reviewer Roger Ebert suggests that The Shawshank Redemption is an allegory for maintaining one's feeling of self-worth when placed in a hopeless position. The integrity of Andy Dufresne is an important theme in the story line, especially in prison, where integrity is lacking. Tim Robbins stars as Andy Dufresne, a successful young banker who is sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife and her lover. Andy is sent to Shawshank prison, a dour and depressing place where brutality from both guards and other prisoners is commonplace. Andy makes friends with Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding (Morgan Freeman), a lifer who has already spent many years inside. Red specializes in smuggling items into the prison for the other prisoners. Red soon discovers that Andy is a most unusual prisoner, although at first it seems to do him little good – he is brutalized by other prisoners He starts to get both other prisoners and guards on his side when he offers to help one of the most notorious guards with a tax problem in exchange for bottles of chilled beer for everyone in his work party. From then on, Andy always seems to be working on one thing or another. He improves the prison’s tiny library, and helps those prisoners who want to study. He also handles the guards’ tax returns, and even helps the swindling Warden (Bob Gunton) cook the books. Over the years, he gains the respect of most of the other prisoners and guards. More importantly, he never loses hope for the future – a hope he tries to pass on to the other prisoners. He never stops believing in life’s possibilities, but to make the most of them he needs to be free. 20 years later, when Tommy, who might prove Andy's claims of innocence, was killed by Warden Norton, he had a decision. Andy returns to his regular cell block and tells Red of his dream of living in Zihuatanejo, a Mexican-Pacific coastal town. He instructs Red, should he ever be freed, to visit a specific hayfield near Buxton to retrieve a package Andy left there. The next day at roll call, Andy's cell is empty. After escaping, Andy poses as Randall Stevens to withdraw most of the corruption money from several banks, and then sends evidence of Norton's corruption to a local newspaper. The police arrive at the prison and Hadley is arrested, but Norton commits suicide to evade arrest. The happy ending is that Red receives parole after serving 40 years and violates his parole and travels to Fort Hancock, Texas to skip the border to Mexico. The two are happily reunited on the beach. Based on the Stephen King (non-horror) novella “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption”, this is a simple story made remarkable by the interaction between the two lead characters. Both Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman do a fine job in terms of making their roles genuine and appealing, and also in the way they work so well together. It's simple to say The Shawshank Redemption is about hope, but it is also about faith and friendship. Red says “Hope is a dangerous thing.” Because after 30 years’ struggling he lost his hope. However, Andy tells him “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies”. So he spent 20 years digging a way to freedom. When he crawled from the stinking piping filled with foul water, he can’t help shouting in the heavy rain. He deserves it. I still remember when Andy spares no efforts to play an Italian song in the radio, the prisoners and guards just stand where they are and enjoy the song from god. It is the time when they feel freedom. “It takes a strong man to save himself, and a great man to save another.” When repairing the roof, Andy helped the guard and won beers for friends. He just sit on the roof and watch them drinking and laughing, and smiled with great happiness. In fact he wanted to find the feeling when they were repairing their own house freely. However, strong man is always the minority. Brooks, who stays in the prison library for 50 years, tries to not be released on parole by hurting others. Is it strange? Brooks had been ruled by the rules in prison. And without them they won’t live. Brooks finally got free physically, but his soul had been locked in the prison forever. He finally can’t bear the situation of not being adapted to freedom and commit suicide. And even Red, the wiser man, found it woefully that he should report to his manager when going to W.C., or he would feel uncomfortable. He even thought of breaking rules to get back to prison or suicide like Brooks. Busy for living, or busy for death. Maybe those who are always busy working or struggling for living should stop for a moment, noticing someone around you or just look into themselves. This is a movie about friendship, not love. The friendship between men in prison shocks me. The friendship between Andy and Red is under the wall, but it seems purer and cleaner than anyone in the world. They are both introvert, but they know each other. So when they met each other on the sunny beach on a small island, they smiled, which means everything.