The Shawshank Redemption

“The Shawshank Redemption”

USA. 1994. Directed by Frank Darabont. Screenplay by Frank Darabont. Based on the short story, “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption” by Stephen King. Starring: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler, Clancy Brown, Gil Bellows, Mark Rolston and James Whitmore.

Rating: ★★★★

The most distinguishing quality of Frank Darabont’s masterful The Shawshank Redemption is its patience, in its storytelling and the time the filmmakers waited to earn the deserved acclaim it has. Rarely has a film necessitated such deep reflection beneath the surface and rarely has a film made the depths so rewarding.

Many people have duly praised the film as a moving story of hope or a deep spiritual experience and that it may be. But it strikes a stronger chord than other films of its kind because it not just about hope restored but also the progress of truly believing in it. It is also about an even more meaningful subject seldom portrayed so vividly in the movies – salvation.

The key to understanding both of these themes is in the structure of this movie set in prison. Despite that the hero is Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), he is not the center of the film. That is Red Redding (Morgan Freeman), a fellow lifer who is the narrator of the story, and it is through Red's eyes that we see the core positive values the hero represents. It is thus a journey of discovery and redemption and not merely a simplistic success story.

When Red first sees Andy arrive in Shawshank prison, he says that he “looked like a stiff breeze would blow him over.” He even bets with the other prisoners that he won’t be able to last through his first night in prison. But when he really meets him, his observations have already changed to admiration: “It’s like he had some invisible coat on to shield him from the rest.”

And so he is, despite that things are not easy for Andy at first. He has been imprisoned despite his maintaining his innocence of murdering his wife and her lover. In the first few years of his stay, he is beaten and sexually assaulted by other prisoners throughout his first few years (which the movie avoids exploiting and tactfully implies by just briefly showing his bruises at medium-length). Yet he does not break down, solemnly reads his Bible in his cell and confidently walks by himself. And when he finally breaks out of his shell, he becomes something of a do-gooder and a Christ-like figure, bringing inspiration to his fellow inmates, as in the unforgettable moment when he plays The Marriage of Figaro over the prison radio.

Red, on the other hand, is like all the other lifers, disenchanted and disillusioned by the entrapment of the four walls around him. That’s why he wonders, as we do, about this most unconventional inmate who seems unaffected and undisturbed by the environs around him. Who is this Good Samaritan who struts in the prison yard with a tiny smile on his face while the others are merely slogging through?

Red, whose character serves as the story’s markers as we see the progression of his term through parole hearings at 20, 30 and 40 years, is initially not a believer of hope. When Andy states that hope is something inside that cannot be touched, Red flatly replies, “Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.” And as the latter observes the seemingly insurmountable amount of hardship Andy has to endure, he seems to be right. This is particularly true when Andy is unjustly persecuted by the churchgoing warden who is not willing to let go of the help that he has offered (again paralleling the Pharisees in the Bible who mocked Jesus Christ).

But Andy endures and perseveres because he knows who he is and the movie has the uncanny quality to rescue hope from the deepest bowels of despair. Any plot description would make the film sound like a depressing experience but the story is all the more uplifting because of the spectrum through which optimism is brought into the limelight. And as Red slowly comes to understand the values Andy says and then acts on, his own soul finds the freedom to seek hope and meaning from within.

Because this story is so flawlessly told like an unhurried, engrossing novel, it is easy to ignore the impressive artistic quality behind and that is one measure of a true masterpiece. All of the incredible performances by Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, the masterful writing and direction by Frank Darabont, the eye-popping cinematography by Roger Deakins and the moving score by Thomas Newman combine to create a vision that creates such a satisfying whole that it is hard to distinguish among the technical credits of excellence. All of this builds to arguably the most uplifting ending in cinematic history, which I won’t reveal for those who have still yet to discover the film.

There have been numerous uplifting, inspirational films in recent years but The Shawshank Redemption speaks volumes more than any of them. That is because it touches on our need to not just believe that hope is real and can survive but that there is someone who is a living example of it. Andy knows that, Red eventually sees it and The Shawshank Redemption is a searing portrait of that unspoken need.

In the Valley of Elah

“In the Valley of Elah”

USA. 2007. Directed by Paul Haggis. Screenplay by Paul Haggis. Story by Mark Boal and Paul Haggis. Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Susan Sarandon, Jason Patric, James Franco, Barry Corbin, Josh Brolin, Frances Fisher, Wes Chatham and Jonathan Tucker.

Rating: ★★★

Look at Tommy Lee Jones. What grizzled pain and weariness he can project with his face. Listen to his voice. His words seem like advice coming from a man who has endured enough hurt to be jaded but still with an ounce of idealism left to pass on his words of wisdom. And when he barks and explodes from his pools of reserve, it feels like an icy cold splash in the face.

I start out with this praise for Jones (and I could go on) because he is the main reason to see Paul Haggis’ latest film, In the Valley of Elah. Much like Haggis’ Oscar-winning Crash two years ago, this film uses strong emotions to portray a set of political ideas. But where Crash greatly succeeded in presenting a world of good and bad frequently intertwining, this film ultimately presents a one-sided and somewhat murky argument.

It’s a good thing Jones provides such a strong, subtle anchor to the emotions so we can just focus on his performance as a father searching for his lost son. He plays Hank Deerfield, a former MP during the Vietnam War who gets a call from the base saying that his son, Mike (Jonathan Tucker) has gone AWOL.

What puzzles matters is that the his platoon has apparently already returned from serving in the Iraq war. Unable to fully explain the situation to his wife, Joan (Susan Sarandon), he sets out to find out what happened. He soon recruits the aid of a reluctant detective, Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron) in the search.

Thus sets the stage for Haggis to construct an emotional mystery to arrive at some sweeping political statements and there are two approaches to take towards this movie. From a political standpoint, the film unfortunately does not bring anything new to the table. Without giving too much away, the story delves into the trauma war and combat can inflict on the soldiers but never shows the people who actually seek help and comfort for their post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Moreover, such a syndrome is obviously not unique to the Iraq war and this is where the movie unwisely confuses cause and effect. That veterans struggle mightily to recuperate in the aftermath of a war is one thing and explaining the rationale for fighting a war, even the so-called necessary WWII, is another. When the film has not really delved into how the Iraq war went wrong (see the great recent documentary, No End in Sight for this dissection) and then supplies a final shot lamenting the current state of the nation, we can’t really buy the argument because it assumes a general effect of combat to be an exclusive cause.

In the emotional journey of getting there, however, Haggis delivers a good portrayal of the effect war can have on those closest to the soldiers on the battleground. He has also responded to his previous critics by showing his characters’ inner feelings in a decidedly quieter fashion. All of the performances, despite the conventional anti-government trappings and the cliché that the protagonist is the only one with the right instinct to solve the mystery, find the right notes to transcend them by behaving exactly the way they would in the given situations. For example, Theron could have played the detective who is the object of sexist ridicule as an ultra-feminist type but plays her as a solemn cop who dutifully does her job as she, along with Jones, fights through military jurisdiction and secrecy to get at the truth. Even more noteworthy is Susan Sarandon, who strikes a powerful note by avoiding the movie histrionics of a worried mother.

Then there is Jones, who has never been better than he is here. Here is an actor who can compellingly play a man of fierce words as in The Fugitive or provide a more heartrending presence when he keeps his angry thoughts bottled inside as in this movie. Watch here in a key moment as he shudders and shakes in his chair watching a soldier in his son’s platoon being questioned and barely manages to keep his rage under the surface. He, along with Haggis, knows that a coarse tongue-lashing or fist-lunging would be completely out of key and he presents a man who has the patience to implode rather than explode. Also, observe how he, as a religious man, narrates the story of the famous Biblical battle between David and Goliath in the valley of Elah and reinforces its message of spiritual mettle and courage.

So, no, the film does not offer any new insight and discerning viewers, whether pro or anti-Iraq war, will see right through its heavily flawed political argument. But rejecting the film would mean to deny the power of the performances particularly Jones’, which alone will be remembered as a compelling cinematic document of a parent’s heartbreak in the midst of war. To that end, I can’t help but recommend the film.