As a film critic, I'm often asked what my favorite movie of all time is. While many critics will spout off the usual replies of "Citizen Kane" or "Casablanca," the decision for me of naming just one movie as the best has always been a hard one. That's not only because of so many worthy choices being present from which to choose, but also because one's reaction to a film - while seeing it or remembering/thinking about it in hindsight - usually depends on one's mood at either observational time.
In addition, occasionally I'll see a film that I think is superb, but then realize it's one - for any number of reasons - that I'd rather not ever sit through again. While I can admire the quality of its filmmaking of such films, they're often simply not what one would call an enjoyable or entertaining experience. Although it's obvious that not all films have to possess both or either of those qualities, for me they're essential for ranking up among what I think are the best.
As such, a film needs to be impressive, enjoyable and/or entertaining the fist, second and tenth time one watches it. In fact, that's my litmus test for a film to be included among my list of the best. If it can affect you on any number of levels the Nth time you see it as much as the first, then it's a great film. Accordingly, Frank Darabont's "The Shawshank Redemption" is one of those films.
Although it never really caught on with audiences upon its first theatrical release or re-release after it was nominated for seven Academy Awards (including Best Picture - eventually being bested by the Tom Hanks juggernaut of 1994, "Forrest Gump"), among those who've seen it, pretty much all of them agree with my assessment. Even the audience poll on the Internet Movie Database (http://us.imdb.com) -- while hardly a scientific analysis of all things cinema - ranks the film as the second best among its visitors (behind only "The Godfather").
Based on the Stephen King short story, "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption," writer/director Darabont's adaptation is near perfect, capturing the subtleties and nuances that made King's story so captivating and moving (he'd later go on to do the same with the big screen treatment of King's serial installments of "The Green Mile" - yet another superb period prison drama).
From the tremendous acting across the board - Morgan Freeman ("Glory," "Driving Miss Daisy") and Tim Robbins ("The Player," "Jacob's Ladder") not only being the captivating leads but also delivering two tremendous, if understated acting performances - to Thomas Newman's score, cinematographer Roger Deakins' great camerawork and Terence Marsh's superb production design, there's little - if anything - that anyone could find fault with regarding how this film is told and unfolds.
Working on many levels - at times it seems to be about Robbins' character, but in reality is about the one played by Freeman - the film is quite simply an outstanding example of tremendous filmmaking. If you love moviemaking at its finest, you clearly won't go wrong with this picture. We highly recommend this more than worthy addition to any DVD library.
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