The film begins with the song “If I didn’t care” by “The Ink Spots”, and while it plays extra-diegetically, the establishing shot of the film is one of a house, at night. This particular scene is very ominous, as it is well known that untoward things happen at night, so this scene is supposed to make the audience feel suspicious. The camera then dollies backwards, before swivelling to the right, focusing on Andy Dufresne. At this point, the camera shot is a medium, side on shot, and the music now turns into the diegetic sound of the car radio. The lyrics to the song play an important part in the subtle irony of this moment, as they suggest that he does care, but the picture we are given is of a desperate, unforgiving, remorseless man, who has given up hope on his wife. While Andy looks through his glove compartment, the camera zooms in again until it is a close-up shot. At this moment, there are three sounds to be heard; the “clinking” of bullets, which is diegetic; the music, which is also diegetic; but now there are also some extra-diegetic bassy sounds, which is extremely ominous and foreboding. While Andy looks through his glove compartment, he finds a bottle of Bourbon, and when he drinks this, the audience is thinking that this is a man who has broken, and can’t control himself any longer. After Andy drinks the Bourbon, the camera cuts to a face-on shot, and the emotion on his face is remorseless; no guilt, no regret, and no conscience. This is the way that Darabont intends him to be presented as. At this point, it is clear that the lyrics to the song are the opposite of how he is portrayed; Darabont wants the audience to believe Andy is guilty, but the song’s lyrics state otherwise. By the end of the first car scene, it is clear that Darabont had deliberately portrayed Andy in a bad, misleading light. As well as this, it could be perceived that the “fear” of losing his wife to another man has taken his body “prisoner”.
In the change of scene, the sound we hear is extra diegetic, as it is an analepsis. The face-on shot we are shown before the first courtroom shot shows us a man that is upset, distant and contemplative. His clothes are also scruffy; his tie is loose, and his hair is dishevelled. This is a huge contrast to the man we see in the courtroom scene, as he is wearing a neat suit, his tie is neat, and his hair is combed back. He also appears slightly cocky in his innocence. In the following shots, Andy appears to be isolated from everyone else, as if he is all alone, especially when the camera switches to medium shots with the D.A. and the jury in the background. This is made very clear when we see a shot with some Greco-Roman pillars behind him, and an American Flag. These are both icons of justice. Throughout this scene, the ominous extra diegetic music is playing. This music helps confirms the audience’s suspicions of Andy, as he looks emotionless, yet he has planned this moment well. In this scene, Darabont has portrayed a confident, yet strangely emotionless man, who is so sure of his innocence, he appears almost arrogant. Perhaps it is his “fear” of going to prison that makes him appear “prisoner” to his emotions and actions.
In the next short scene, we see Andy’s wife and her lover. The immediate contrast between Andy and Glyn is obvious; Andy is emotionless, vague, distant and impassionate, whereas Glyn looks young, cool, and passionate. In this scene, it’s not obvious how it relates to the caption, but I believe that it is Andy’s fear of bearing his emotions to his wife and opening up to her that holds him back, and ultimately this leads her to go looking for younger, passionate men. In this scene, Darabont portrays Andy as emotionless even to his wife, as he couldn’t love her enough, or give her the attention she so badly craved.
In the following courtroom scene, we again come across a vague, boring Andy, but he appears very arrogant and sarcastically says “Since I am innocent of these crimes, I find it decidedly inconvenient.”These protestations of innocence appear to be futile against the mass of evidence against Andy. This idea is strengthened when the camera cuts to a panning shot of the jury. The camera used in this shot is deliberately out of focus. This shot gives the impression of many people, as the depth of field is made deliberately narrow. The body language of the D.A. in this scene is overpowering, controlling, and most of all intimidating towards Andy. As the D.A. talks the jury through all the evidence against Andy, his voice becomes extra-diegetic, and we see Andy performing the actions as the D.A. recounts them to the jury. This shot is clever as it appears that it is actually a narration, strengthening the audience’s feel that Andy is guilty. During this scene, the D.A. explains to the jury how, due to the number of bullets fired, this was actually an act of cold blooded revenge, not an act of passion. The camera then cuts back to the courtroom scene, and it is now the day of the verdict. The camera cuts to a high angle shot, where the judge is definitely in the situation of greater control. When he reads his verdict, the camera cuts to a reaction shot of Andy, and the audience can just see his face in pure shock and horror, as if he still wasn’t expecting the decision to be made to send him to jail. Throughout this scene, Darabont has made the audience believe that Andy is guilty, and he has done this by showing Andy in positions of weakness in his shots, and “narrating” Andy acting out all of the actions of evidence. However, the only thing in this scene holding Andy prisoner was his fear of going to prison, as his arrogance made it seem like he wasn’t innocent.
In the sequence just after Andy is released form the hole, we see a very different Andy to before. He looks physically and mentally broken. I believe the opening shot of this scene resembles how Andy feels, as he is isolated, lonely, and looks deep in thought. As well as this, he looks insignificant, as he is dwarfed by giant, imposing buildings. He keeps to the shadow of the huge buildings, due to his time spent in the hole. The shot is side-on, and low to the ground. The notable thing in this scene is the initial lack of sounds, mostly diegetic, and when Red arrives, dialogue. However, it still takes a while for Red to start speaking with Andy, and when he does, the camera cuts to a two-shot. This particular shot implies comradeship and friendship. The camera then cuts to a low angle shot of Red, which implies his dominance. This may be due to the fact that Andy is sharing very important information with him, or perhaps due to the fact that he is simply standing up at this point. The camera cuts to a reaction shot, as it is the first time that Andy has shared something very personal to him in the last 19 years. When Andy says “I killed her, Red”, Red’s face moves down to look at Andy, as if this is the first time he has openly admitted to his wrongdoings. However, Andy is simply explaining how he drove her away by being cold, and emotionless, and she was immediately drawn to a light hearted, passionate younger man. At this point, Red squats down to Andy’s level, and this shows that he no longer has the position of dominance. This shows that they are equals, and are just like two “buddies” chatting to each other. When Andy starts talking about how he was just in the path of a tornado, some extra diegetic music plays. This music is unlike other music, as this time it is happy, cheerful, and uplifting. The next series of shots are of single headshots, and it is clear that Andy is imagining his fantasy, and as far as he can tell, that’s all that matters any more. He invites Red to join him, and when Red brings the harsh truth on Andy, his face changes to one of determination, but it could also be seen as anger and annoyance. The end of this sequence is the opposite of the start, as Andy gets up, and now it is him that is in the dominant role. The over the shoulder shot shows the hustle and bustle of the prison yard behind them, and it shows Red’s face in total awe. The extra diegetic music now seems to be sad and yearning, but it also appears to have a glimmer of hope. However, at the end of the sequence, the music returns to the ominous, eerie music. This is because, after spending two months in the hole, Red assumes Andy has gone crazy, especially when he tells him to go to a field with a tree in it, and find something buried underneath a black volcanic rock. Throughout this scene, Darabont portrays Andy as a man that has broken and cracked, and given up hope. He wants the audience to believe that Andy has gone crazy, and is going to kill himself. However, the film’s caption differs greatly from this in my opinion, because in reality, he has not given up hope of freedom, and in the end, he manages to escape. If his fear of staying in prison forever, caged up from the outside world, had taken hold of him, he would probably have taken his own life instead.
In conclusion, Darabont portrays Andy in two different ways; A killer, emotionless and distant, cold hearted and jealous, as well as a broken man, stripped off his dignity, ready to end his life. The film’s caption, therefore, resembles Andy’s mind set, as he never gives up hope of freedom once he is in jail, but it was his fear of losing his wife and also his dignity that made him go into jail.
“The Shawshank Redemption” Frank Darabont
“The Shawshank Redemption” Frank Darabont