Shawshank Redemption The Books

This novella by Stephen King is a fantastic story of hope, persistence, and survival in the worst of prison conditions. Ultimately too it's about an elaborate and successful escape with overtones of Alexader Dumas' 'The Count of Monte Cristo'. For those NOT into Stephen King's other works of horror fiction (like me), this story will be an exciting, uplifting, and welcome read from a master storyteller. I'd also highly recommend the movie made of it starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman called simply: 'The Shawshank Redemption'. Both deliver the highest form of entertainment magic that rarely comes around in either book or movie form these days.

In this book we are introduced to Red who is the narrator of this story. He tells about how he came to meet one of his fellow inmates Andy who was sent to Prison for two murders he did not commit. As usual King portrays the other inmates as "Beauful Losers' who all go out of their way to help Andy. Andy updates and improves the Prison Library. I don't know why he does this as most convicts can't read properly and are too busy planning their next crime when they get out of prison. Stephen King should take a visit to any Maximum Security Prison in America where he wil discover (much to his dismay one supposes) that the inmates are all low life drug addicts who would readily sell their Mothers for a hit of Heroin or some crack cocaine. I give this book 5 stars because it was mede into a fairly decent movie starring Morgan Freeman who I have always liked.

I saw the movie years ago before I bought Four Seasons and read it in book form. I have read King's work for years, but I must say, the Shawshank Redemtion proves that King can pull together his creative writing talents into pure literary art.
The Psychological insight into the character's minds actually comes through and the style itself borders on artistic emotional prose at times. This book is full of rich plot, twists, tragedy and trauma and most importantly, the powerful spirit of the innocent victim, explodes in triumph. This story of King is well crafted. I always knew Stephen King was a great author, but until Shawshank Redemption, I didn't know he was a great one. My reading appetite is broad, but I favor the classis such as Crime and Punishment, Grapes of Wrath, To Kill a Mockingbird......Shawshank Redemtion. I salute you Stephen King. And just think---the agents and big book publishers all rejected King at first! What a genius of a mind we almost missed.

This, like many of the other reviews, is going to compare it to the movie. The movie is one of my all time favorites, and i've watched it many times. i read the book in one sitting, and i was pleased overall. The movie i think is the better of the two because in the novella, King rushed his normally wordy self, and the story feels it. Also, a lot of the details in it seemed extraneous and forced. It does fill in a great deal of the gaps. It is in true literary form, and most of the changes for the movie were made in keeping with what audiences want to see. These are things that the book needs but the movie does not. This is the first book-made-into-a-movie where i have favored the movie greater, but not too much greater, and the book is most definetely worth the read.

If sometime late in the 21st century after he is long dead and gone Stephen King is rediscovered by literary critics as a regional writer who focused on his native main, they may well point to "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" as the first work where the author divorced himself from the horror genre. This novella was originally published in the 1982 collection "Different Seasons," which also included "The Body," the other early work in this Stephen King sub-genre. That is not to say that there are not horror elements in both of these stories, but that King relies on more real world examples than the monsters and others things that go bump in the night usually found in his work.

"Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" is at its heart a tale of unjust imprisonment and offbeat escape, in the tradition of "The Count of Monte Cristo." Andy Dufresne was sent to Shawshank prison in 1948 for the murder of his wife and her lover the golf pro at Falmouth Hills. Like everyone at Shawshank, Andy declares he is innocent but it is not many years later that Red, the narrator of the story and the one man at Shawshank who can get you things, comes to believe that is actually the case. Until that point this novella has been about how a man, innocent or otherwise, survives in a prison, and about the creation of a true friendship. But then it becomes a personal quest for justice and about beating the system when the game is fixed.

The idea of being in prison for a crime you did not commit is ultimately more of a terror tale than vampires, haunted hotels, or rapid dogs, mainly because there are few things more frightening in this world than a convict living without a chance of parole. But that only serves to underscore the idea that there are few things more important in this world that friendship and justice. At the very least, "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" stands as a Stephen King story that people who do not like to read Stephen King stories can actually read. As for the film adaptation of this story, as great as it is, its one flaw is that it goes one brief scene beyond the perfect ending crafted by King.

Stephen King did a good thing by writing this book.The charcters and cast
are wonderful, This is one of my all time favorite, what goes on behind the walls of a prision.

After reading 85 novels, I finally read a Stephen King story. My friend who encouraged me to start reading had been after me to read him for awhile. I am really glad that I did. He is a great story teller and kept me in the story even when I wasn't reading it. As I have said before, a good writer is someone who can paint a vivid picture in the reader's mind's eye. This is done here in painting a picture of life in Shawshank Prison, Maine. This a great story of one man's strength to survive against all odds; we can all learn from this. It certainly should be told to all those who would think of breaking the law.

"Stand by me" - this is the most important sentence in the novel The Body written by Stephen King. The novel is about the natural and deep sense of friendship. Four boys are keen on experience an adventure, they take a long way to see a dead body in the forests of Maine. Alone on the way of excitement and fear, they are between childhood and adulthood. The story is easy to read and also to understand.

Reta hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, was a great short story by stephen king. I enjoyed reading this book and even watching the movie. I was suprised how much the book grabed my attention and how I didn't ever put it down.

I recently watched both "The Shawshank Redemption" (with Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman) and "Stand By Me" (with River Phoenix, Jerry O'Connell, Wil Wheaton and Corey Feldman) and this prompted me to dig out my old copy of Different Seasons. Most people are surprised when they learn that those movies were based on novellas by horror master, Stephen King, but he shows that he's not just into scaring the heck out of you.

The story cycle bases one novella per season, and each follows characters on a journey, whether it's one of hope, descent into corruption, coming of age, or life through offspring.

"Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" takes place over decades, as a prison inmate retains his spirit and soul, while breathing life into a dark institution, and whose patient nature finally leads him to freedom. The story is told in first person from the point of view of old Red, the guy who can get you things, about Andy Dufresne, a young banker jailed for the murder of his wife and her lover.

One of Kingýs great strengths is creating a believable voice for his characters, and as you read this tale, it is like Red is talking to you. Other King strengths are providing back story and creating a world in which these characters live, one with a past, present and future, and it makes them three dimensional. One of Kingýs flaws is going off on tangents and digressions a bit too often, but he always comes back to the story.

ýThe Bodyý (basis for ýStand By Meý) is a coming of age story about four small town boys on the cusp of entering Junior High School. On the Friday before Labor Day, they set off to find the body of a missing boy. One of the four boys, Vern Tessio, overheard his brother talking to a friend about the dead body.

The characters fall into several categories: Gordon LaChance, who narrates the story as an adult, is the dreamer/writer whose older brother died earlier that year. Chris Chambers is athletic, tough but smart. wise beyond his years and the white sheep in a family of black sheep. Teddy Duchamp is the psycho wiseguy who wears thick glasses and hearing aids as the result of his war veteran father putting his head to a stove. Vern Tessio is the least intelligent, but plays a key symbolic part as the one tells the others about the body and also is the first to spot it.

Along their journey, the boys encounter adventures, such as Milo Pressman the junkyard operator and his dog, Chopper. There is a run across a high trestle as a train bears down on them, a swim in a culvert full of leeches, and a night in the dark woods with screaming wild animals. When they eventually reach the boys, they have a run in with a group of teenage hoods from their town. A major difference from the movie, is that this story details the aftermath of the confrontation after the boys return to town.

King does a nice balancing act with his adult narrative and pre-adolescent dialogue, making each voice unique and fleshing out each boyýs character to make them multi-dimensional. All four experience growth, but Gordon and Chris take this growth with them as they get older. Donýt let people drag you down. Thereýs a lot more to this story than just kids looking for a dead body.
My bumps here are again that King goes off on tangents and digressions, some to fill in background and history for the characters, but sometimes really straying far from the course. At one point he takes nearly a page to say that someone is dead, where ýThe kid was dead. The kid wasnýt sick, the kid wasnýt sleeping.ý Would probably have sufficed.

I wonýt go into a lot of detail about the other two stories. ýApt Pupilý is about a boy who discovers a Nazi war criminal living in his town, and blackmails the old man into telling him stories about the war in exchange for not blowing the whistle on him. The stories the boy hears slowly lead him into senseless acts of violence. In ýThe Breathing Womaný a ýdisgraced woman is determined to triumph over death.ý

These four stories combine to make an interesting cycle, and demonstrate that Stephen King has writing talents that stretch beyond his horror work.

Wonderful! Very insightful and informative. A great addition to anyone's bookshelf. I highly recommend it.

This is an excellent book to aid in the understanding of Shawshank Redemption, whether studying english or mass media.
I found the book to contain additional details on story boards and amended scenes, which indicate the way the script writer, Frank Darabont, adapted the story to film.
Thoroughly enjoyed the script, especially as I can read it in places I can't view the film, i.e. work.

As a rule, don't buy shooting scripts if you want to write a screenplay. Shooting scripts are finished products.

That said, screenwriters can learn from this exploration of the classic movie (yes, folks, it is a classic, it's been shown a billion times on TNT), by reading the deleted scenes (my personal favorite is one about the publicity of Warden Norton's prison-to-work scheme, in which Heywood, played in the movie by William Sadler, gets his best and sharpest lines for someone who's supposed to be the dunce of the movie), the storyboards, the explanations of which scenes were kept, etc.

And for people who just love the movie, it's a must-own.

This is a truly fantastic piece of work!!! If you really enjoyed the movie, and is fascinated by the art of filmaking, this book is for you. More than just the script of the film, the analysis by Frank Darabont takes to a totally different level and perspective. It actually makes you think like a Director. Other than this, just being in the production yourself... This is a true making-of The Shawshank Redemption, that is totally worth the price.

As Frank Darabont says in the introduction of the book, who else would buy the screenplay unless they really want to know more about the film? Sticking to that idea, Darabont has given the film student/buff, and those who simply love the movie, a real treat with this book. Not only does it contain the screenplay, it's the screenplay (I emphasize) AS IT WAS WRITTEN BEFORE FILMING. He's published it exactly as he wrote it when he adapted it from King's novella. I point this out because, as Darabont himself points out in the intro, so many screenplays that are thrown out by merchandise wizards are nothing but the finished movie transcribed. And really, what good is that to someone who wants a deeper knowledge of the film?
Not only does he give us the original screenplay, he gives us a scene-by-scene comparison of the screenplay vs. the finished film, and why things got changed/added/left out. This, in particular, says a lot about Darabont to me. This is a man who wants to use his work not only to be what it is (a GREAT film), but to educate as well. This book inspires. He includes storyboards, as well (including a storyboard for a deleted scene- oh, goody, goody!) and introductions by both himself and Stephen King, and a summarizing bit of advice to budding filmmakers and screenwriters. I devoured this book in short time (one night), lol, and found myself going back to the film to compare and analyze- if you don't do the same after reading it, I'll eat my foot.. okay, maybe not. But something drastic, I warrant you. If you are at all inclined to learn about filmmaking, writing, or even if you just love "The Shawshank Redemption" (which is what lead me to the book in the first place), this is a real must-have. It's worth the price alone just to read what he had to say about filming Freeman's scene walking through the field after discovering Andy's message. Trust me. By the way, fellow "Shawshank..." lovers are welcome to ...discuss it. Enjoy this book, everyone. It's a real find. And I'm SO glad I chose to buy it. The ONLY reason I give it four stars as opposed to five is because, personally, I would have liked to have seen more storyboards.

The Shawshank Redemption had a number of things going against it at the time of its release: a clunky title, the depressing subject matter of an innocent man in prison for close to two decades, prison rape, suicide. Combine that with being released the same year as Forrest Gump and Pulp Fiction and it is no surprise that the movie performed poorly at the time.

What is surprising is the movie's history after it went to video. It has been wildly successful, currently ranking number 2 on the internet movie database's list of best movies, voted on not by the critics, but by the general public who actually watch the movies for enjoyment. But even that success is not the full story. The Shawshank Redemption is, for many people, more than just a great movie. It really seems to touch people's lives in a way that other great movies do not.

Mark Kermode, the author of this BFI monograph, explores this phenomenon. He sees a great deal of The Shawshank Redemption's attraction in the religious metaphors interwoven throughout the movie. On a superficial level this may seem counterintuitive. After all, the most explicitly religious person in the movie, Warden Norton, is flat out evil. Moreover, he often uses religious icons to facilitate his misdeeds, such as using a framed woven biblical quotation to hide the books he has cooked while using Andy (the innocent man) to facilitate the scam.

But underneath this surface is another viewing of the movie. Andy inspires hope of salvation in his fellow prisoners, reminding them that there is something in each of them that cannot be taken away by the stone walls of the prison or the brutality of the guards. In several key scenes, in fact, Andy's arms are spread out, reinforcing the idea of him as a Christ-like personality to his disciples. That Andy's presence lives on at Shawshank among those disciples even after Andy physically escapes and is no longer with them is further evidence still.

Along with the main theme, Kermode introduces many lesser themes which also explore ideas of redemption, most of which hit the mark. These include movies themselves as providing a type of secular religion allowing us to escape the confines of our own lives, the music which Andy plays for his fellow inmates as demonstrating the beauty that exists within each of us (and Kermode is correct that the movie would have been better without this particular scene) and the inability of the old inmate Brooks to live without the identity he had formed after being set free.

Kermode keeps this book free of the technical lingo that has unfortunately bogged down too many BFI publications. Whether one agrees with him or not, he presents his ideas in a way that is accessible to the lay reader unfamiliar with the details of film analysis. Although most of the BFI books have been at least pretty good, one wishes that more were like this.

I was forced to read my first King novel about fifteen years ago (it was the only book I had available still uread) and although I was not a lover of 'horror' novels, his were always such a cut above, that I read everyone since then and they were all good, however Shawshank Redemption is still a cut above them all. I found it in his Four Season's book after having seen the movie, and I was flabbergasted at the literary style and psychological insight of Shawshank. I told everyone: 'this one will be a classic' a hundred years from now. I still believe that to be true. I have read almost all of the classics of many countries, so I think I know the feel of one when I read it.
I salute you Stephen King! ........and just think...King was rejected so many times as a new author that he almost gave up, we almost got cheated out of pure genius by the over-cautionary gatekeepers of the literary markets.

Rita Haywood And The Shawshank's Redemption is a very stereotyped book. But that is good, because when you read it you think you can guess the ending. It is true in some way. The ending is as many experienced readers may guess. But it displays it in such an amazing twist, that you are overwhelmed. It surprises you. But let's focus in the history: Andy Dufresne Is a banker who is thrown to jail for murdering his wife and her lover. But he didn't do it. Or at least that's what he says. There, he witnesses corruption and violence, not only in teh con's, but also in the Warden and guards. But in his heart, he raises hope, as the best thing of good things. I personally felt identified with the main character, imprisioned in a world i don't belogn to. It is a great book, everyone shoulde take a glance at it.