Hope Springs Eternal: A Look Back at 'The Shawshank Redemption' (2004)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Entertaining, 31-minute documentary that takes a look at THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, which opened theaters to a loud dud only to quickly become one of the most loved films ever made. Frank Darabont, Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, William Sadler, Gil Bellows, Thomas Newman, James Whitmore, Stephen King and Drew Casper are among the people interviewed here. We start off with the cast joking about what a bomb this movie was when it was first released and then we flashback to the making of the picture. From here we cover a wide range of topics from the screenplay to the music to the casting. Darabont talks about how in the book Freeman's character is a white Irish guy and he talks about what he first thought when someone recommended the actor for the part. The entire cast talks about what it was like at the script reading when Freeman put his touches on the vocal work. Robbins shares his thoughts about what it took to reach his character and even Freeman gets to talk about some of his favorite scenes in the movie. On the whole this is a very impressive documentary but I'd say the only thing wrong is that it doesn't last long enough. I think it would have been interesting to explore why the film was such a bomb when it was released and how it turned into something beloved by many. With that said, thankfully the majority of the cast members are on hand for the interviews so fans of the film will enjoy it.
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Entertaining, 31-minute documentary that takes a look at THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, which opened theaters to a loud dud only to quickly become one of the most loved films ever made. Frank Darabont, Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, William Sadler, Gil Bellows, Thomas Newman, James Whitmore, Stephen King and Drew Casper are among the people interviewed here. We start off with the cast joking about what a bomb this movie was when it was first released and then we flashback to the making of the picture. From here we cover a wide range of topics from the screenplay to the music to the casting. Darabont talks about how in the book Freeman's character is a white Irish guy and he talks about what he first thought when someone recommended the actor for the part. The entire cast talks about what it was like at the script reading when Freeman put his touches on the vocal work. Robbins shares his thoughts about what it took to reach his character and even Freeman gets to talk about some of his favorite scenes in the movie. On the whole this is a very impressive documentary but I'd say the only thing wrong is that it doesn't last long enough. I think it would have been interesting to explore why the film was such a bomb when it was released and how it turned into something beloved by many. With that said, thankfully the majority of the cast members are on hand for the interviews so fans of the film will enjoy it.
