The Shawshank Redemption is one of those movies that everyone loves, but it didn’t do well when it first came out. It’s a pretty lengthy prison movie with a lot of details and hidden references that you wouldn’t notice unless you pay close attention. Even if you’ve seen it a bunch of times, there’s still more to discover.
1.A Sausage Party
The events of Shawshank Redemption take place in a prison for men, so not having a lot of women in the shot actually makes sense. But throughout the whole movie there are only two women who actually say anything. And they’re not even main characters – one of them goes full Karen about bad service at a store, and the other one helps Andy at the bank after he’s escaped from prison.
2.Red is Irish?
One day, Andy asks Red, played by Morgan Freeman, how he got his nickname. Red says that it probably originates from his last name – Redding, but then he jokes that maybe it’s because he’s Irish. It’s supposed to be just a goof, but there’s more to it than that. In the original story, Red is an Irishman, but the director, Frank Darabont, wanted Morgan Freeman to play him, which changed the character’s background.
3.Real Prison, Fake On The Inside
Movies often use actual real-life locations for some scenes and then shoot the rest of the scenes in a studio or a sound stage. In The Shawshank Redemption, they filmed the outside scenes at an old prison that was shut down a long time ago and also wanted to use the interior. But the inside of the place was so literally crumbling down so fast that it was cheaper to shoot the indoor scenes on sound stages instead of fixing the prison.
4.If It Were Any Other Cell…
The Shawshank movie is more than just a story about some dude digging his way out of a prison. It’s full of details and flashbacks that make the story more succulent than you’d care to imagine. The scene where Andy finally escapes from Shawshank by digging a tunnel is one of the most satisfying moments in movie history. But, if he had been signed up for any other cell, he wouldn’t have been able to dig his way out, and his plan would have failed. It was all pure luck or, rather, King’s peculiar writing that made this story come together.
5.We’re Not In Maine Anymore
Stephen King’s stories may be hit-or-miss for some people, but they have at least one thing in common – all of them take place in Maine, where he’s from. Even The Shawshank Redemption was supposed to be a Maine story, but they filmed it in Ohio for multiple reasons. It doesn’t really matter, however, because you can find a prison anywhere.
6.Room 237
It’s pretty common to see filmmakers sneak in references to other Stephen King works in their movie adaptations, and The Shawshank Redemption is no different. Remember how Red’s cell number is 237? Well, it’s also the room number in The Shining novel where Danny Boy has that freaky experience. However, for some inexplicable reason, Stanley Kubrick changed the number to 217.
7.Tim Robbins Is Really Tall!
You can never tell how tall an actor is when they’re in the shot. Remember how Gandalf was towering over all the hobbits? That was a camera trick, but in Shawshank Redemption, Tim Robbins is a really tall dude – 6 foot 5 inches! – so, a lot of the actors he appeared side-by-side with had to be cast just based on their height. For example, when Andy steals the warden’s suit, they need an actor who is almost as tall as Tim to make the story work.
