The Greatest Movie Ever Made?

Rating: 10/10 (23 January 2009)

Every time I watch The Shawshank Redemption it reinforces the fact that it is my favorite movie of all time. But certainly as entertaining a film that it is, being a personal favorite does not necessarily make it a great film or dare I saythe greatest film ever made.
But what then makes a film great? First and foremost, if it sets out to entertain the general public, it must do that (and Shawshank certainly does that). Its pure entertainment value is essentially a stipulation in its inclusion in the great IMDb "greatest movie" debate. The serious nature of its central plot pointsa wrongly convicted murderer who assists the corrupt warden as means to affect his own escapeis contrasted by some truly funny scenes. Although by no means a comedy, the splendid screenplay is wrought with witty dialog. There's nothing fancy about this filmno special effects, spectacular scenery or even a bunch of pretty women. No, its just the telling of a story, mostly through the narration of Morgan Freeman's character, Red, that almost lulls viewers into believing that nothing really interesting or important is going to happen here. But after all of the subtle plot twists I think what makes this film great for me is I feel like I'm actually sharing in Andy's redemption. Now if that isn't what they teach in Film-making 101 then they should just close up the classroom.
Ultimately, there cannot be a single motion picture that is the "greatest film of all time" because as art, and in an art form as varied as cinema, greatness must be measured by each individual. Greatness, as beauty, truly is in the eye of the beholder. But in this beholder's eyes I think The Shawshank Redemption is truly the greatest film I have ever seen.