Movies based on Stephen King‘s work tend to have one of two reactions: either they’re well-received, like It and The Monkey, or critically panned — especially Maximum Overdrive, which King directed himself. Debate often rages over which King adaptation is the best, but there’s one that stands head and shoulders above the crowd: The Shawshank Redemption, based on King’s short story “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption”.
The Shawshank Redemption is a film that explores the highs and lows of humanity in a compelling fashion, resulting in it being regarded as one of the greatest films ever made, in addition to being a top-tier Stephen King adaptation. There are only days to go before it leaves Peacock, so King fans will want to hurry and see for themselves what makes The Shawshank Redemption so timeless.
‘The Shawshank Redemption’ Shows The Highs – and Lows – of Humanity
The Shawshank Redemption is one of the few Stephen King stories without a supernatural element in play, though it’s no less harrowing. After being sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife and her new lover, Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is sent to Shawshank Penitentiary. While inside Shawshank, Andy befriends a handful of inmates, including smuggler Red (Morgan Freeman), and soon finds himself using his skills as a banker to help Shawshank’s warden Norton (Bob Gunton) launder money.Andy is slowly put to the test throughout the film; when he first arrives, he’s constantly assaulted by a group of prisoners calling themselves “The Sisters”. When a younger prisoner named Tommy (Gil Bellows) reveals that Andy may truly be innocent, Norton has him murdered and threatens to put pressure on Andy unless he continues cooking the books. Even another prisoner, Brooks (James Whitmore), hangs himself when he can’t adjust to life outside of prison.
Through it all, Andy refuses to lose hope. “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies,” he tells Red at a pivotal moment in the film; it’s that hope that kept Andy going through the darkest moments of his sentence, and gives him the strength to get out. It also mirrored the journey that The Shawshank Redemption took to classic movie status. Despite receiving plenty of praise, it struggled at the box office due to stiff competition from Pulp Fiction and Forrest Gump, not to mention changing audience tastes as viewers apparently wanted more action movies. What turned things around was the video market, not to mention the constant airings on TNT. Because of this, The Shawshank Redemption was able to reach a larger audience, who could truly appreciate it.
Frank Darabont Brought ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ and Other Stephen King Stories To Life
The Shawshank Redemption owes its success to Frank Darabont, who wrote and directed the film. Darabont would expand upon the events of “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption”, changing certain characters’ fates while also making the story slightly darker. He’d also gain the respect of Stephen King, as the writer said that The Shawshank Redemption was his favorite adaptation of his work that he’d ever watched. Ironically, when Darabont first approached King for the rights to “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption,” King expressed skepticism that it could inspire a feature film. Yet after The Shawshank Redemption‘s release, King would return the $5,000 check that Darabont gave him, framed and uncashed, with a simple note: “In case you ever need bail money. Love, Steve.”
Darabont directed two more adaptations of King’s work, including The Green Mile in 1999 and The Mist in 2007. Both films would receive positive critical acclaim, while also following in The Shawshank Redemption‘s footsteps, but took a far darker path as they went on. In The Green Mile, despite Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) making his best efforts to save John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan) from being executed, he fails; Paul lives to a ripe old age due to Coffey’s mysterious powers, though he considers it a curse. Likewise, The Mist ends with David Drayton (Thomas Jane) forced to mercy kill a group of survivors after the titular mist seems inescapable…only for the army to arrive, rendering his sacrifice moot. Still, The Shawshank Redemption remains Darabont’s best film, and the best Stephen King adaptation.
