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Book vs. Movie: The Shawshank Redemption

4/3/2012

32 Comments

 
Different Seasons cover

Book vs. Movie
The Shawshank Redemption

Novella by Stephen King, as part of Different Seasons, published in 1982

Directed by Frank Darabont in 1994
Shawshank Redemption movie cover
Comparing  the book and movie of The Shawshank Redemption is like comparing a warm chocolate chip cookie and a brownie right out of the oven. When it comes down to it, they both hit that sweet spot and are better than the other during the moment you are eating them.  Stephen King is a master storyteller. Even after reading his nonfiction work, On Writing, about the writing process and his books, I'm still in awe of his ability to weave a compelling tale and think up random character traits. And Frank Darabont's ability to take King's words, characters, and themes and bring them to the big screen is just as noteworthy. I'd seen the movie tens of times before I sat down to read the novella upon which the film is based, ready to highlight all my favorite quotations when they came up. Some of them did indeed come up in the story, but others were nowhere to be found and were actually from Darabont's screenplay. He has adapted several of King's works with great success--this, The Green Mile, The Mist. Darabont also wrote the pilot for my newest addiction, The Walking Dead, which was adapted from a comic book series by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The man knows how to adapt, it seems. The Shawshank Redemption was nominated for Best Picture in 1994, as was Darabont's adapted screenplay.
Andy and Red
Andy & Red
I was startled at the onset of the novella when I read the description of Andy Dufresne: 

"When Andy came to Shawshank in 1948, he was thirty years old. He was a short neat little man with sandy hair and small, clever hands. He wore gold rimmed spectacles..."

I have no idea what the casting people were thinking when they put Tim Robbins, a tall and lanky man, in this part. Scratch that. If he performed Andy to even 50% of the end product in his audition, I'm sure Robbins clinched the part pretty early on. The same goes for Morgan Freeman. King mentions that Red
was of Irish ancestry and that he knocked up a girl from a rich area of town and her father was agreeable to Red marrying her and joining his optical company. Was he black? No, but again, Morgan Freeman owns this part down to the ground. After hearing people complain ad nauseam about the casting and racial issues in The Hunger Games, seeing how absolutely successful casting someone who captures the essence of a character can be, regardless of how they physically match a writer's conceptualization--it's just...perfect. 
In terms of the other characters, several have been slightly altered, expanded, or combined with other characters in the film. I understand why Darabont would do this. In the book, Red tells story after story about Andy's time in prison and some people are only mentioned once. But King wrote some of the quirkiest things in passing, so it makes sense to attribute them to more central characters. The bird in Brooks' inner pocket, whom he feeds with the maggots from dinner is a perfect example of this.  Bogs is supposed to be a hulking man, but in the book he is mentioned once and transferred out of the prison. Several of the sisters are combined into his character in the movie, and the actor who plays him is just so creepy... I can't imagine him as anyone else. As far as Andy's dealings with the sisters, it is scarily easier to witness them in the movie than read about it all. King writes frankly about things like the necessity of putting toilet paper down your backside to absorb the blood and Andy having blood running down his legs. I, for one, am happy that these descriptions were left out of the movie. 

Several wardens rule over Shawshank in the book, but they are combined into one hardass warden, Norton, in the movie. Aging everyone and trying to keep each of them straight would likely be challenging so having one warden solves that problem. Plus, Norton was actually the warden when Andy escaped, as well as a hard-line Christian and a taker of bribes.  The timeline in the book covers about thirty years, so considering the limits of how young and old an actor can reasonably look in a film, it made sense to cut it down a decade or so. (Especially considering that how long any of the characters were actually in Shawshank is of little importance, beyond the life sentences and the repeated parole board rejections.) One of the saddest scenes in the movie is Brooks, the old prison librarian, being released at an old age and not making it. I always liked the way it led to a discussion about what institutionalization does to a person. Brooks is only mentioned once in passing so the entire section with his time on the outside and his eventual suicide was made up for the film. 
Bogs Diamond
Bogs Diamond
Byron Hadley
Byron Hadley
Brooks Hatlen
Brooks Hatlen
Shawshank Heywood
Heywood
Shawshank Tommy
Tommy Williams
Picture
This scene is basically word for word from the novella.
Hadley was indeed the guard (screw) from the infamous tarring-the-roof/$30,000 incident in the book, but he wasn't necessarily the screw who beat up any of the sisters or shot Tommy, nor was he even around when Andy escaped, so the ending in regards to him is pure fabrication. Speaking of Tommy Williams, the thief whom Andy helped to get his high school diploma, the book finds him transferred to another prison when he provides information that might exonerate Andy. The movie has a much more dramatic ending for Tommy--a "midnight burial" while Andy is in the hole.  

Both the novella and the movie are told from Red's point of view, and normally I'd say that the translation into a film takes so much away from the knowledge a reader gets from the narrator in a book, but the entire book and the movie are really about capturing the unbelievable qualities that Andy Dufresne had gained over time, specifically through the stories other inmates told about his time at Shawshank. He was unassuming yet surprisingly strong. To some people, he might seem like just a regular guy. But he was--a regular guy--a regular guy with an amazing capacity for hope. One of my favorite lines from the movie was a voiceover Red does after Andy has gone:

"I have to remind myself that some birds aren't meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright. And when they fly away, the part of you that knows it was a sin to lock them up DOES rejoice. But still, the place you live in is that much more drab and empty that they're gone. I guess I just miss my friend. "

That, and the last words to movie are two of the monologues I look forward to most every time I watch the movie. They both come, almost exactly from King's imagination. The most striking changes for the movie are in the last portion. In the novella, Andy doesn't steal from the warden. He comes to Shawshank with $500 hidden where the sun don't shine and he'd previously planned with a friend on the outside for proper investments to be made. His friend invested all his money and got the forged documents and hid them in the box on the hillside in Buxton. There's no rock hammer hidden inside the bible, stealing a suit and polished shoes from the warden, playing the classical music for the inmates, and the warden doesn't commit suicide in the end. Andy gets out through the same basic route, though. I have to admit, I really laughed out loud when I read that the poster at the time of Andy's escape wasn't Raquel Welch anymore, it was Linda Ronstadt. Imagine how funny it would be to see this in the movie on Andy's cell wall:
Lightens the tone a bit
It would lighten up the tone quite a bit. Andy doesn't specifically tell Red to go look under the volcanic rock in the book. He mentions where his ID/some money is stashed and Red goes up there on a whim and walks fenceposts for days until he finds the one he is looking for. It just so happens that Andy has left him a note. As the entire novella is basically a journal written by Red, he mentions that he erased any mention of the Mexican town where Andy was going and replaced it with another Central American city in a different country to throw off the cops, should they go looking for Andy. The Texan city where Andy crossed over the border is chanced from McNary (in the book) to Fort Hancock in the movie, for who knows what reason. In the movie, there are only minor clues that Andy might've been planning something all along. Truly the only aspect of the book that I wish had been included in the movie and wasn't was the fact that Andy had a cellmate for eight months of his sentence, a rather large but somewhat simple-minded man who complained a few times about the bad draft in Andy's cell. Integrating him into the movie might've added a bit more suspense... but who am I kidding? This movie rocks without it.

FINAL RATING:
Picture
"Inconceivable!"

(From The Princess Bride, by William Goldman and directed by Rob Reiner in 1987)
This is a very special rating that's reserved only for those movies that surpass the very books that they're based on.  Inconceivable, for the most part but every once in a while it happens!  We've probably already quoted these movies in reviews several times. 
I've read several posts on the internet in which people say that The Shawshank Redemption is a movie for people who know nothing about movies.  I know nothing about actual filmmaking so maybe this is true. What I do know is that the movie has the ability to make me livid, ecstatic, nostalgic, and sad every.single.time I watch it. There aren't many movies in the same league. So, in a sense, I'd agree with those people--but I'm not into movies to discuss their technical aspects. I'm only into them for their storytelling, the characters, the acting, and how they make me feel. The Shawshank Redemption as a book was thoroughly entertaining. But The Shawshank Redemption movie? To me, it's perfect.
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32 Comments
Jasprit link
4/2/2012 09:22:24 pm

It's so awesome when the film lives upto or even goes beyond your expectations that you had of a book. I don't think I've ever read a book by Stephen King, I remember seeing the Shining when I was younger and I couldn't go to sleep all night!

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
4/3/2012 12:54:18 am

He has so many easy ones to start with. Some of my favorites are the more dystopian books he wrote under the pseudonym, Richard Bachman. You should try one of those (maybe The Running Man or The Long Walk) to see if you like his style. A lot of his stuff is super long and I think it would be discouraging to try to start with one of those...

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VeganYANerds link
4/3/2012 11:37:39 am

I love The Long Walk and it's been years since I've read it, must re-read it. Jo, definitely give King a chance!

VeganYANerds link
4/3/2012 11:41:43 am

I meant Jasprit, not Jo - sorry hun! xox

Tatiana (The Readventurer) link
4/2/2012 10:10:29 pm

To me, The Shawshank Redemption is an example of quintessential American cinema. I can watch this movie over and over and over again. Along with Forrest Gump or When Harry Met Sally.

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
4/3/2012 12:55:55 am

You are responsible for me having "Surrey with the Fringe on Top" stuck in my head right now.

I agree with you, Tatiana. I will ALWAYS watch this movie when it is on television.

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Noelle link
4/2/2012 10:29:50 pm

I just HAD to sneak a peek at that last link and yup totally tearing up in the cubicle at work! I love Shawshank. I've never gotten around to reading the novella though but I'd like to one day. PS. Have I mentioned how much I love your rating system?

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
4/3/2012 12:58:43 am

It wouldn't let me embed it as a video but I probably watched it about 5 times in a row when I was writing this up. How perfect is that entire sequence? The words, Morgan Freeman, the end on the beach, THE HUG. Also, any chance I have of making people tear up in their cubicles, I will take! Muahahaha.

Thanks about the rating system:) We spent a while thinking of quotes that matched up with the stars. (Catie did most of the work there!)

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michelle link
4/3/2012 12:54:59 am

A very excellent comparison. I have read the novella precisely once, and have only intentionally watched the movie all the way through a few times. They just make me too sad, even with the bit of hope. However, it is one of my husband's favorite books and movies--along with Count of Monte Cristo-- so he watches it pretty regularly.

"After hearing people complain ad nauseam about the casting and racial issues in The Hunger Games, seeing how absolutely successful casting someone who captures the essence of a character can be, regardless of how they physically match a writer's conceptualization--it's just...perfect."

I just loved this part, too. And how true it is!

Reply
Flannery (The Readventurer) link
4/3/2012 02:33:49 am

I LOVE The Count of Monte Cristo (book and movie) as well, but that BvM post will take quite a while to do, considering how long the book is. The movie makes me more sad than the book but I become elated at the ending--from when he escapes until he and Red are reunited. I like to think about how wonderful their friendship is.

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Heidi link
4/3/2012 03:53:15 am

Flannery, what a phenomenal post. I now want to go back and re read the novella and watch the movie, which I have seen numerous times. King is a master story teller and I read almost anything he writes. This is my second favortie King adaptation, though, I haven't had a chance to watch Bag of Bones, it is on my tivo calling to me. My first, is of course Stand By Me, that will always have a spot in my heart. Thanks for sharing this!

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
4/3/2012 05:53:25 am

Stand By Me, which you know I also love, will be one of the next ones I do. It's in the same collection as this one so I'm going to finish those ones. Let me know what you think of Bag of Bones! I haven't watched it yet.

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Catie (The Readventurer) link
4/3/2012 04:10:39 am

"Get busy livin'...or get busy dyin'." Bahahaaaaaaa *sniff* Just watched the youtube video. I love that ending so much. I can't imagine this movie WITHOUT Morgan Freeman's voice. It's so cool that this one lives up to the novella and surpasses it. Great post Flannery!

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
4/3/2012 05:55:31 am

Have you seen that funny bit from Family Guy about Morgan Freeman's narrations? It cracks me up. They don't show the video aspect but here is the audio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2BzLf2jwIM

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Catie (The Readventurer) link
4/3/2012 07:50:00 am

Hahahaaha - yes! I had seen that (doesn't mean I didn't listen to it again though). "...Except..they're soft and spongy. Like a twinkie...like a twinkie."

Jo [Wear the Old Coat] link
4/3/2012 04:48:38 am

FLANNERY.
You could've warned me about this post. This film never fails to make me sob like a small child. So brilliant though.
I'm desperate to read the novella though. I've never actually read a Stephen King book... *pre-emptive flinch*

I'll get there eventually. :)

Reply
Flannery (The Readventurer) link
4/3/2012 05:51:58 am

You've never read ANY Stephen King? Geez, woman. You should read On Writing even if you haven't read any of them. I hadn't read a lot of them when I read it but it was still so interesting.

Reply
Lucy link
4/3/2012 05:56:47 am

Excellent analysis, Flannery! It's been too long since I've seen The Shawshank Redemption, and I've never read the book. It is a rare movie that is better than the book. Perfectly cast too.

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
4/3/2012 08:43:07 am

So true. I wouldn't change even one person's casting in this movie. It's perfect.

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Maggie, Young Adult Anonymous link
4/3/2012 05:58:49 am

"Inconceivable" and "You pleased me some of the time" --> Best rating system ever!

I'm so surprised that Brooks wasn't in the novella. He was my favorite in a cast of favorites, but that makes me even more impressed with the movie.

And is that Linda Ronstadt or Liz Lemon? http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lao7n2cmrz1qa82d1o1_500.gif

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
4/3/2012 08:42:09 am

IIII'm a star! III'm ON TOP! Soooomeboooody briiiing meeee soooome HAAAAAAAM!

I was surprised about Brooks, too. He's such a cutie in the movie.

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VeganYANerds link
4/3/2012 11:41:04 am

Flann, I love that you love Stephen King, I do too. I agree that the movie adaptation of Shawshank was an excellent interpretation of the novella, I feel like re-reading the novella and re-watching the movie.

Are you excited for The Wind Through the Keyhole? I am, I think I will put my life on hold on April 24.

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
4/4/2012 08:22:26 am

I'm embarrassed that I haven't read the Dark Tower books, yet:-| Fine, rub it in, Mandee.

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Maja link
4/3/2012 03:59:07 pm

You'd think Dolores Claiborne would be my favorite adaptation of King's works, but as brilliant as Kathy Bates was (and is), it's not - it's this.
(I can still hope you'll one day compare that, though.)
I only know of one other case where the movie is better than the book it was based on (The Constant Gardener). You make me want to read and watch this again.

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
4/4/2012 08:29:50 am

I know how much you love The Constant Gardener, Maja, dear. I'm not surprised you like this more than DC, though. That is much more intense. Shawshank is so moving.

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Heidi link
4/5/2012 10:10:41 am

Oh Flannery, I love it! I have the urge to watch Shawshank Redemption this instant after reading this post. Also, I really need to read this novella, along with The Body. I'm pretty sad that I haven't, but I'll admit I was anti-Stephen King until my housemate pressed The Gunslinger into my hands junior year of college (the same house where another housemate sat me down in front of The Shawshank Redemption, his all-time favorite movie, for the first time). I think the Linda Ronstadt factoid was the best...thanks for that visual.

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
4/23/2012 04:20:17 am

I never responded to this comment. Sorry for that, Heidi:-/ I actually laughed out loud when I saw that detail in the book. I'm sure the poster would've been sexier than her album cover (er,maaaybe) but it is funnier to think about it like that. There is an episode of Family Guy where they do short versions of Stephen King books and they do one where Peter is in Shawshank and instead of playing opera to the guys in the yard, he plays "Hollaback Girl" and a spot-on Morgan Freeman voice impersonator does the lines Red says about "having no idea what that lady was singing about" and it cracks me up. I think that's why the Linda Ronstadt thing is so funny--because having THAT poster up would've been so hilariously non-serious.

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MrPlywood
1/20/2013 04:53:37 pm

I enjoyed reading your essay. Shawshank is one of my favorite movies of all time, and I finally got around to reading the novella. Actually, I've been listening to the audiobook. Like you, the description of Andy surprised me right off the bat. I hesitated and wondered if I should continue, not wanting to sully the perfection of the movie. I did continue, and I've come to appreciate both works. It's a fantastic example of what it takes to adapt a book for the screen.

The book does answer some of the questions I've always had about the movie:

Did Andy have an idea that the sewer pipe was beyond his wall? Red assumes that Andy had a look at the prison blueprints. Makes sense, as I had assumed the same. The blueprints also would have told Andy that the pipe was the old ceramic type, therefore able to be broken into. If it was cast iron, he'd be out of luck.

How did Andy know that he'd be able to get out at the end of the pipe? He probably didn't, and as a result was probably one of the reasons that he waited 8 years from breakthrough to breakout.

How did Andy know that the hayfield and rock would still be there after all that time? He didn't, and in the book he explains that he kept up with local news to see if there was any construction or other event that might have buried the key to his nest egg.

I liked the treatment of the escape and retribution as portrayed in the movie, culminating in Norton's suicide – I find that more satisfying than his mere retirement. It also sets the scene for one of my favorite lines: "I like to think the last thing that went through his head, other than that bullet, was to wonder how the hell Andy Dufresne ever got the best of him."

It's a combination of King and Darabont, and is just perfect. As a writer of kids stories, I listen to this movie all the time – for the craft, not the subject matter(!) – which hopefully helps me improve my own stories.

One final tidbit: On a lark I once worked for a day as an extra on the shoot of a TV series that Gil Bellows starred in. At lunch, Bellows sat down across from me. I typically will talk to anyone about anything, but for some reason I just said "hello" and finished my meal. I still kick myself for not asking him about working on Shawshank!

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
1/21/2013 02:38:47 am

I never thought of listening to the audiobook of this one. I love audiobooks, but I think it might make these comparison posts a bit harder because I tend to make a ton of notes so I can remember. I really enjoyed reading all the things you wondered about while watching the movie. I think I'd seen the movie just *so many* times before reading the novella that my recurring thought was just, "Ahhh, so that's why they did that" or "Huh, what a weird addition."

I'm sure that Shawshank is probably the project that Bellows gets asked about the most. His character's death is one of the most memorable parts of the movie and I never hated Norton or any of the wardens to the extent that I (and most watchers, hopefully) loathe Norton in the movie, due in sizable part to his murder of Tommy. At least you got to say hello to him!

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ELM
11/12/2018 06:06:43 pm

I see that the last comment was posted nearly 6 years ago but I was just reading your article and appreciate your thoughts. I have never read the Shawshank novella and only just now got around to watching the movie. I wanted to see the prison on film. Though I thought the movie was excellent, it does not do the magnificent building justice. It's a fascinating place and I wish all of the other buildings on the grounds were still there.

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MIKE G
4/13/2021 05:39:17 pm

I see that the last comment was in 2018, its 2021 and lets keep it going whoever else reads this!!!!!!

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spencer c link
6/11/2022 06:31:22 pm

2022 baby

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