The Shawshank redemption film review:

Mitul Gupta – 11K

Although the film is largely narrated by Morgan Freeman playing the role of Red, the central character is Tim Robbins who plays the role of Andy Dufresne. His character has quite a lamentable story of an ex-banker who is accused of murdering his wife and her partner for adultery. Tim Robbins make the most of this role and maximises the personality of the character because he showed the right amount of physical cowardice when confronted by strangers and even worse the sisters; however he showed the corporate and clinical attitude that had made him a successful banker. This is displayed when he tries to grab what he cannot reach by making a deal with Captain Hadley about his late brother’s money. One of the most brilliant things about this character is that he doesn’t break sweat even when the captain has him dangling from the edge of the factory ceiling because he thinks that you need to either, “get busy living or get busy dying”.

The audience get to perceive and understand the story because most of it is narrated by Morgan Freeman (Red). I believe that he is perfect for this role because his persona emphasises the idea of experience and moral understanding. Another bonus is that his voice is calm, collected and conservative. This is crucial to the progression of the story as the tone sways from desolate despair to optimistic opportunities.

I would criticise some of his physicality in the film because I believe he tries to show his emotions too astutely and doesn’t really express his emotion, however that does ...

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I would criticise some of his physicality in the film because I believe he tries to show his emotions too astutely and doesn’t really express his emotion, however that does come part and parcel with his character. Overall, he has done a sound job. However, I was left a bit confused because the character tended to seem a bit hollow and not as mesmerizing as Andy Dufresne or the Warden.

My outline of the movie is that it was well produced, well scripted and well presented. However I would still stand by that fact that the film’s ending was almost too good to be true. The reason for this would be that the director would have wanted to compensate for the lingering feeling of death throughout the film.

My opinion of the film is that it is extremely well rounded and gives a well deserved ending to the overall production and progression of the storyline. When I first watched this film I was completely engrossed in the storyline and how will Andy Dufresne live a life utter despair when he was innocent? But then of course, “everyone in Shawshank is innocent.” Right till the very last minute of the film I was sitting there imagining myself on the very same beach Red and Andy met basking in the glorious sunlight and imaging the beauties that hope brings along. Reflecting back on what Red said about hope, “Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane”. However I do have to say that the film seems too good to be true because your impression of a state prison wouldn’t seem to be all that bad. You don’t realise it but you end up seeing murderers, rapists and burglars as friendly people and men of honour, how counterintuitive

Mitul Gupta – 11K

Peer Reviews

Here's what a star student thought of this essay

sydneyhopcroft

18th of Feb 2012

Quality of writing

The Quality of Written Communication is fine. The candidate's grammar and clumsy syntax structure well prevent them from reaching the highest band of marks but at no point does their opinions on the film appear ambiguous.

Level of analysis

Writing in the form of a review requires much appreciation of the writing standards expected, and this candidate has adhered well to the genre convention of this style of writing. The candidate refers to characters by the actor's surname and quotes appropriately from the film to back up their opinions. Being a personal response, candidates run the risk of simply re-iterating the film's plot, ruining the surprise for the audience, so the sensitive handling of events mean the candidate has done well to provide personal insight to the film and elaborated using quotes to prove that they know what they're talking about, rather than just drawing assumptions and expecting people who might not have seen the film to understand what they're trying to say. Perhaps this candidate - and other future candidates - will note, as in every form of writing, not to repeat themselves e.g. - "well produced, well scripted and well presented [...] well rounded". The first three are acceptable as a Rule of Three, but further adjectives should be used from thereon to show an adeptness with language and a wide knowledge of vocabulary.

Response to question

This task to inform and analyse the effectiveness of the film 'The Shawshank Redemption' asks the candidate to provide a personal response to the film and inform others how good they think it is. The review is engaging and addresses the readers, as should all good reviews, so there is a clear Response to the Question and a recognition of what is required in order to achieve a good answer.

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