The film "Escape from Shawshank": plot and music, facts about Stephen King and filming

"Escape from Shawshank." - is a truly legendary film. As we can judge - it has passed the test of time, because even after almost 30 years it is still being revisited and discussed. It is not surprising: new details about the shooting and actors are constantly surfacing, which surprise some people and draw the attention of others to the film itself....

So: what details about the filming process were kept secret for many years, and also why Stephen King - directly the author of the novel, on which the film was made - refused his fee? Let's find out!

"Depth lies in the details": plot and music

"Shawshank Redemption" tells the story of a banker Andy Dufresnewho is accused of assaulting his wife and her lover. He is sent to a men's prison called Shawshank, where he has to learn a new side of life: cruelty, injustice, lawlessness... That's the fate of Shawshank prisoners, because once you're there, you have no chance for a normal life. However, Dufresne tries not to be discouraged even in this situation: thanks to his lively mind and kind soul, he quickly finds an approach to both prisoners and guards, thanks to which he gains a special favour.

"Escape from Shawshank" is a film in which every detail is important and in its place. And that goes for music. A prime example is the scene where Andy locks himself in the warden's office and plays a . "The Marriage of Figaro.. However, this scene was not in the novel at all and it was written specifically for the film. In a way it was a brilliant improvisation, which we owe to the actor Tim Robbins (aka Andy), who wanted to not just add music, but crank the volume to the max! Well: the approach is original...

However - this is far from the most interesting incident that happened on set!

'No longer a mystery': curious filming details

A few interesting facts are related to the location itself. According to the novel, the story unfolds in the the state of Maine. Actually, it's a thing. Stephen Kingwho liked to make his homeland the centre of the storyline of his works. But Shawshank was filmed in Ohio. By the way: it is still unclear why it was there. But here the location does not matter much from the point of view of visual effects: the empty surroundings of any typical prison, of course, makes it much easier to find a suitable external setting for a prison film. Except that the film was shot at all not in prison…

Yes, the outdoor scenes were indeed filmed in the old Ohio State Penitentiary, a prison that had not been used for a long time. Actually, the "inside" scenes were also planned to be filmed there, but... The director was not crazy enough to expose the whole crew to the film. dangers. The interior of the prison was so dilapidated that it was actually cheaper to film in the pavilions than to renovate the building itself. It was very realistic anyway, wouldn't you agree?

Actor's payoff - a separate topic in the history of the making of Shawshank Redemption. For the sake of this film. Tim Robbins made a major sacrifice: the actor asked to be locked up in solitary confinement in a real prison! He spent about a day there, and had time to socialise with real prison guards. As it may sound, Tim emerged from the cell a new man: the experience inspired him to launch acting classes for prisoners as a form of therapy, and he has since been outspoken about prison reform in the US.

Tim's "on-screen" friend also distinguished himself during filming, Morgan Freeman (aka Red). Although you'd never guess it, it took a staggering amount of time to film the scene where Andy and Red meet for the first time during a baseball game. nine hours! Apparently perfectionist Frank Darabont wanted the important scene where the future friends interact for the first time to be literally flawless.

The nine hours particularly affected Morgan, as there was a shot of him pitching a baseball in this scene. The repetition of this movement for nine (!) hours in a row led to the fact that the actor hurt his arm. Freeman did not make a single complaint during this long and definitely tedious filming. And the next day he came to the set with a bandaged hand - in good spirits and full of enthusiasm. That's what you call love for what you do....

King and Darabont: another strong male friendship - only now in voiceover

King and Darabont first came to each other's attention in 1983: the director wanted to adapt the writer's story "The Woman in the Room". King sold him the rights to his story for... one dollar. In fact, it was a common thing for King to help new, inexperienced directors to gain fame in this way. By the way: the writer continues to engage in such "charity" today - but that's not the point. A few years after the deal for The Woman in the Room had linked King and Darabont, the director contacted Stephen again: this time he intended to acquire the rights to "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.". King wasn't sure if the novel could be adapted, but agreed to sell the rights - though now for a $5,000.. That was 1987. It wasn't until 1992 that Darabont actually started writing the script.

What's most interesting in this whole story is that the $5,000 cheque that Darabont wrote to King to get the rights to the novel was never cashed by the writer! In fact, King sent the cheque back To Darabont, enclosing a note stating:

"In case you ever need bail money. Love, Steve."

In addition to Shawshank and The Woman in the Room, Darabont made several other films based on King: the classic The Green Mile and the less popular, but no less tangible film The Darkness, which also occupies not the last places in the ratings... By the way: which King film adaptation do you personally consider to be the best? best? Share your opinion in the comments!