The Shawshank Redemption (1994), directed by Frank Darabont.

Rating: 9/10 (9 October 2013)

The Shawshank Redemption by Frank Darabont is a classic film that tells the story of a man who overcomes the worst hardship and uses his wit to deceive his authorities. The audience follows a man named Andy Dufrense through both the most terrible, and the most heartwarming events imaginable. As the film progresses, viewers develop a connection with the main characters as suspense builds with each succeeding event (Ebert). Camera angles are important in every movie from romance films to action films to comedies; however in a film that is as emotionally connected as the Shawshank Redemption, camera angles are one of the primary reasons this movie is so renowned. This original story by Stephen King obviously laid a great foundation for Darabont's film; however the film uses different angles to enhance scene suspense— something that a book cannot do. Frank Darabont's use of specific camera angles throughout the film draws the audience closer to the characters, creating an intimate relationship that makes The Shawshank Redemption one of the best movies of all time.
Darabont's choice of camera angle develops a connection between Andy and the audience watching him, making for a much stronger overall film. The first demonstration of brilliant camera angle is the court scene, which shows up early in the film. The camera slowly zooms into his face, revealing his expression of complete shock and awe. This is critical because it gets the audience to realize the pain he is in at the moment. The next moment of noticeable camera work is when Andy is locked into his cell. The camera follows him through the hallway, and then enters the cell with him. The tiny detail to have the camera join Andy in the dark cell connects the audience in a way that literature cannot. At this point, the audience feels the harsh entrapment that Andy feels. The next catastrophic scene in the movie is Andy's rape. The camera does something here that works perfectly at making viewers feel horrible for the protagonist. It shows Andy alone in the laundry room, yet uses the single light source to show only the dark side of his body. As opposed to telling us that he is terribly depressed, the camera angle uses darkness to reveal how he feels. Towards the end of the movie, the camera uses one last movement that truly stands out. Darabont chose to both zoom out and tilt the camera down to give the sensation of rising into the sky. Viewers feel the same sense of freedom that Andy feels that that moment. The view-points of these events give the movie an upper hand to written version. Although the camera doesn't put these events in Andy's point of view, it still manages to make observers feel exactly what he is. Each of these choices in camera movement makes its own unique statement, yet they all bond spectators to Andy by stimulating our intrigue, sorrow, or joy.
Camera angle is frequently used to build suspense throughout the movie which draws the audience in and holds them there. The first immensely suspenseful scene is when 'the sisters' rape Andy after beating him up. The camera uses a dolly shot to fade away from the men, while simultaneously moving behind a corner so the audience cannot see all of the horrible events happening to Andy. The rest of the event is left up to imagination, which makes the spectators think about how Andy feels. The camera movement itself is suspenseful in its nature. The next suspense-building scene is the book-shelving scene in the library that Andy took over. The camera shows Andy and Red's conversation from shelf to shelf, making them pause between each of their statements. At this point, they were talking about Andy's cunning in taking over the warden's financial situation. Each time they move, the camera pans with them, forcing them to pause their conversation, which obviously leads the audience to anticipation—wondering what will be said next. Another great example is Red's journey out of the Shawshank Prison. The point of view switches over to Red, however the camera's talent of building suspense remains the same. Brooks left the prison before Red, and took a journey through town to a halfway house, where he hangs himself, leaving a note: 'Brooks was here.' Once Red is released, he follows Brooks' exact journey from location to location, and then etches into the walls next to Brooks' note 'so was Red.' The camera focuses on the writing on the wall so the audience cannot see whether or not Red hung himself just like Brooks. After this, the director utilizes pedestal movement to slowly reveal the rest of the room, and it is discovered that Red did not hang himself, relieving the audience instantly. In this instance, the camera helped the movie build suspense where the book version would not be able to. After this scene, as the movie is finishing up, the audience is taken to the orchards with Red, in search of the note Andy left for him. This is one last moment of suspense because of the camera angle. It tracks Red along the stone wall, but never shows us what he sees, leaving the viewer's asking 'will he find the special package or not?' Resolving the situation is in Red's hands, and the camera helps to build suspense until he finally sees the unique rock. Often, words with a story can create enough suspense to draw a group of people in; yet adding unique viewpoints will maximize the anticipation in most any movie.
Though The Shawshank Redemption never earned any Oscars, it received seven nominations for multiple awards including best picture.This movie has not received all of the popular accolades it deserves, yet that doesn't take away from its brilliance.