Customer Reviews

The Shawshank Redemption (10th Anniversary 2-Disc Special Edition)

5 star:		(590)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

The Movie itself: The Shawshank Redemption is not just another movie, its not another movie adaptation either. Its a tale of hope & redemption. Its rated No.1 on IMDB by users, and often ranks amongst top 5 movies on other internet ranking sites. Often dubbed as a modern classic, this movie has developed a cult following and is considered as best on screen adaptation of a Stephen King story. I can go on typing pages about how good this movie is and how absorbed I am in it every time I see it, but I think you all get the point, so let's move on to the fun stuff.

Video: I have owned this movie in all the formats ever released, the original DVD, the 10th Anniversary Edition and now this one. Yes this one by far is the best. The helicopter shots of the prison and its yards are simply gorgeous. I found the picture to be a little too smooth in some close up shots but sitting 6-10 feet away I doubt if anyone will notice that. The colors pallet is very consistent and gives us very little to complain. Warner's 1080p/VC-1 encode presented in 1.85:1 aspect ratio is a wonderful upgrade for the previous owners of the movie who have upgraded to HDTV sets.

Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 is perfectly balanced. From the dialogue to sobbing, screams & whispers the sound is crystal clear. There are no action sequences and Bourne Trilogy type chases in this movie, so the soundtrack and the level of its loudness leaves very little to be desired.

Final Words: From "When those bars slam home, you know its for real" to "Get busy livin' or Get busy Dyin'" this movie is what true Hollywood cinema is all about. From being a box office failure to a moderate success (when it got 7 academy nominations) this epic has turned in to a must watch movie in Home Video history. Blockbuster and Netflix still rank this movie as one of the most rented movies in their database and there is a good reason for it........ its a brilliant movie with a huge replay value, one never gets tired of it. Highly recommended.

This is one of the best movies I have watched. Great acting and a great movie, I have watched it many times.

Very nice price. It looks good on Blu ray and sounds good through the surround sound. It's Shawshank, what more is there to say?

we watched the movie and thoroughly enjoyed the story and acting. We had seen it before but it is well worth owning to "re-enjoy". The next night it was shown on TV and I was shocked at how much better the picture looks on BluRay.

Como filme, está tudo dito.
Embalagem muito bonita.
Transferência para bluray não é perfeita mas anda lá perto.
Recomendo para todos os amantes de cinema e colecionadores.

I truly enjoyed watching this movie despite the violence. Excellent work by Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins. It should easily have won some academy awards. I would say it is a keeper for any movie collector.

In my opinion this video, born of the short story of the author is the best film of
all of Stephen King's books. Tremendous acting, beautifully told, splendidly filmed
with a great cast.

The Shawshank Redemption sits at the top of the IMDB Top 250 with a rating of 9.2/10, so it clearly appeals to the majority of those who have seen it. It's also hated by some because they can't agree that it's the best film ever made. While I understand that argument, I find it difficult to believe that the haters can't respect it on some level. However, I don't care about any of that, I love the film.

The story begins in 1946 with the trial of Andy Dufresne (Robbins) and we see him convicted for murdering his wife and her lover. The next 30 minutes shows him arriving at the prison and slowly adapting to life behind bars. Darabont uses a number of violent scenes to establish that prison life is somewhat brutal, but he doesn't dwell on it as the film progresses.

This is a film about hope and friendship more than anything else. It just happens to be set in a prison. Andy befriends Red (Freeman), because he's a man who knows how to obtain items from the outside world. Their friendship and mutual respect is there from the start and develops throughout the film.

Andy is an educated man and he finally attracts the attention of the most brutal prison guard in a memorable rooftop scene. The guard has inherited some money and fears that the IRS will take a big chunk. Andy shows him a way to avoid losing any of it. That single event is the catalyst for significant change in Andy's life. The guards begin to protect him and he's given a job which enables him to use some of his knowledge. He's well-liked by both the inmates and the guards.

Warden Norton (Gunton) is one of the most corrupt men in Shawshank, even though he runs the place. He seems fairly harmless, but he's actually evil, greedy and dangerous. He provides the main source of conflict in the film.

Andy strives to improve prison life for everyone, as evidenced by his campaign to win funding for the library. He makes the best of his situation at all times.

The final 30 minutes of the film is extremely uplifting. Stephen King wrote the short story on which the film is based and his influence can clearly be seen. One of the things I like about King is the sense of justice present in his stories. If you think back to The Green Mile, you'll see what I mean. The Shawshank Redemption covers 20 years of Andy's life. Darabont wanted the final scene to be omitted, but the conclusion is still incredible.

In the 18 years since the film was made, you've probably heard dozens of Morgan Freeman voice-overs. If you watch the film, you'll see why.

One of the themes present in the film is how inmates can become institutionalized. Imagine being in prison for 50 years. How would things have changed in the outside world? It would be bad enough missing 20 years. Think about the advances made since the early 1990s. If you stepped out of a prison cell after 20 years, wouldn't you wonder why everyone walked around talking into their cellphones? You might light a cigarette and be arrested.

I would recommend The Shawshank Redemption to anyone. You might not like it, but there's a strong chance you will. Robbins and Freeman are both superb. I watch the film twice a year and never tire of seeing it.

"Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'" is the theme of this great prison film about second chances. This movie stars Morgan Freeman as 'Red' and Tim Robbins as 'Andy' an innocent banker, who meet up in prison from two very different worlds, to become lifelong best friends. Their performances were incredible and very poignant. 'Shawshank' is a wonderful story of how friendship prevails and stands the test of time, hardship and injustice, as others have mentioned. I will simply say it's a purchase that is a must have and is beyond a 5 star film. I enjoy movies that are well written and well acted with meaning and this one is the best. I'm amazed it didn't win an Academy Award. This is a must have 5 star purchase with the best ending ever!

I cannot count how many times I have watched this movie. And I will probably watch it again and again. It still remains one of my favorites after seeing it many times. It is one of those rare stories that really touches people. If you are looking for a good movie that you can enjoy more than once then Shawshank Redemption is your movie.