“The Shawshank Redemption,” tells the story of a banker named Andy Dufresne, a man wrongly accused of a double murder and sentenced to life in the Shawshank prison of the same name.
The film follows his life until he (spoiler alert!) escapes through the prison sewer system. When it was released in 1994, the film was nominated for seven Oscars, despite failing at the box office. These days, it's on everyone's “Top 10” list.
The film is based on a Stephen King novel.
Although Stephen King is known for horror novels, he wrote the novel on which "The Shawshank Redemption" is based. Titled "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption," the novel is part of a collection that includes "Apt Pupil" and "The Body" (also known as "Stand by Me").
King sold the rights to the film to Frank Darabont for $5,000. Can you believe it!? Due to his friendship with Darabont, he never cashed the check. Years later, he sent the framed check to Darabont with the inscription: “In case you ever need bail money. Love Steve."
The movie almost had a different director
Before making the film, Rob Reiner offered director Frank Darabont $2.5 million for the Shawshank film rights. As tempting as it might sound, he turned it down, because this was his "chance to do something really great."
The movie would have been totally different if Reiner had been at the helm. For one thing, Reiner had his eyes set on Harrison Ford and Tom Cruise as actors to play Red and Andy. In the end, we never get to see Maverick escape from prison with Indiana Jones. We really dodged a bullet there.
Morgan Freeman almost didn't play Red
Who else but Morgan Freeman could have played Red? Nobody, right? Well, some people had different points of view. In King's version, the character is a red-haired Irish boy. Not exactly how you'd describe Freeman. The studio had considered many actors including Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and Harrison Ford.
Still, in the end, Darabont chose Freeman. His natural charisma and soulful voice made him perfect for the role. As a nod to Stephen King, Darabont added the line, "Maybe it's because I'm Irish," when Andy asks Red about his nickname.
The problem with the worm
In the film, Brooks, the old man who works in the prison library, feeds his pet crow a worm. The American Humane Association had to intervene because, apparently, it was cruel for a crow to feed on a worm.
Following this unforeseen setback, the filmmakers found a worm that had died of natural causes to feed the crow, and all went well.
Number 237
Do you remember room 237 from "The Shining"? What about the number of changes the guys have on "Stand by Me"? Well, for those of us who are familiar with the work of Stephen King, you will notice that the number 237 is always present in all of his writings.
"Shawshank Redemption" director Frank Darabont decided to include him in the film. After Andy escapes, the guards yell, "Open 237!" before asking Red where Dufresne went.
Red's story
In the movie, Red's past is a mystery. We only know that he "committed murder." But who did he murder? As? The movie doesn't answer any of these questions, but King goes into more detail in his book.
It turns out that Red is serving three life sentences for murdering not only his wife but also his neighbor's wife and child. Red cut the brakes on his wife's car to collect the insurance money. He didn't predict that his neighbor's family would also end up dying in the car when he crashed.
