Customer Reviews

The Shawshank Redemption: The Shooting Script (Newmarket Shooting Script Series)

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4 star:		(3)
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The shooting script contains forewards (by Stephen King by Frank Darabont), the screenplay, changes from the screenplay to the movie, some final thoughts by Darabont, and the credits.

It's fascinating reading the screenplay after seeing the movie, then reading the changes made in to the screenplay and why. For example, in scene 36, Andy approaches Red to buy a rock hammer and they agree on ten dollars. In the movie, it just happens and we overlook the question on how Andy would have gotten the money in the first place.

In the screen play, we find out in scenes 40 and 41 where he got the money (brought in with him ... internally). However, later, the book explains how the scene read well, but didn't work well on the screen. In retrospect, we don't really *care* that he had money anyway, so the scene is easily dropped without sacrificing clarity.

The book adds some interesting "inside" information. For example, when we first see Red meeting with the parole board, the file has a picture of him when he was younger. This photo is actually a cameo by Morgan Freeman's son, Alfonso, who also provided some of the background voices during the "Fresh Fish" taunting in the early part of the movie.

Overall, the book adds depth to an already excellent cinematic experience.

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.

I really liked the book and the movie itself. Stephen King, for sure, didn't intend when he wrote Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption to emphasize a lot on the character of Andy. I think the basic character is the Morgan Freeman one. Frank Darabont, emphasized on both characters, Andy and Red. I have to ask myself, it's the redemption of who and of what? Is it the redemption of Andy, of Red, of Warren...? I think it's the redemption of all the characters in the book. At the end each one of them took what he deserved. Warren Suicide, Andy Freedom, and Red Hope. The brilliant thing about Shawshank Redemption script and movie is that the reader can't know what will happen and can estimate nothing untill the end of the story, there's no meaning of hope yet. What's hope in that movie? Is it something that we usually loose when we grow older under certain TERRIBLE conditions? Red lost all hope of getting outside Shawshank, at a certain time he wasn't willing to go out, he can never face the outside. Shawshank made him a machine man with machine heart and machine mind. Andy remind him back of his humanity, and hope is what deferenciates humans from other living species. I realized at the end that Hope is Freedom and it's not the opposite. When you have hope you can be free and when you don't you can never be free. The difference between Red and Andy is that Andy always believed in hope and that thing made him free, Red got out of Shawshank after 40 years and he was not free. Red started to feel freedom ("I think it's the excitement only a freemam can feel, a freeman at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain") when he regain hope and broke all rules and went to see his friend Andy. Hope is like dreams, when you lose it you lose your existence and therefore your humanity.

Wow. This is the first word that came to my mind after finishing reading this screenplay. Now, everyone knows how good the movie is, but reading this takes it to a whole different level. Included in this screenplay is extra scenes not seen in the final cut of the movie, a scene-by-scene analysis of the film, storyboards of important sequences, character photos, and last but not least, 2 forewords - one by Stephen King and the other by Frank Darabont, both giving insightful comments on the making of the movie and the novella 'Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption'. All in all, this is one of the most worthy purchases i've made as far as screenplays are concerned, and I recommend it to one and all - especially those interested in film analysis and movie making.

A very good resource to one of the better Stephen King adaptations. Darabont takes the reader through his shooting script and storyboards explaining why changes had to be made even during production and editing. I would also like to add that even though a copy of the screenplay is available on many screenwriting websites, it is best to buy the book. Not only do you get the extras but all profits are donated towards AIDS research.

If you ever wonder what goes through a writer/director's mind during the creative process of bringing a story from novel to screen this is the book to get. The only other experience that comes close to this well put together book is watching one of those Special Edition DVDs or Laser Discs that contain running audio commentary and behind the scenes documentary on them. The book includes; a forward by Steven King, introduction by Frank Darabount, the full shooting script, which by the way is type set in film industry standard, a detailed listing and explanation of scenes that were cut from the film and storyboards. The only other book that comes close to this is Steven Soderbergh's book of Sex, Lies and Videotape. Now if only other so called published screenplays of films could live up to these two books the world just might be a better place.

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.

I've read Stephen King's novella "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" which is one of my favorite novellas. With "The Shawshank Redemption" Frank Darabont held true to the story's spirit, often borrowing phrases straight from the book. However, writing the story for a visual presentation caused Darabont to take some dramatic liberties, which proved to be wise choices.

This is a great read. This book doesn't just contain the screenplay to one of the best movies of the 1990s. It also has a delightful introduction by Stephen King which explains his relationship with Frank Darabont and describes his "dollar baby" policy concerning his short stories and novellas. There is also a sort of short foreward by Darabont briefly describing how the movie came into being. This book contains the complete shooting script (deleted lines and all) and a bunch of notes by Darabont illuminating why certain scenes were cut, lines where changed, etc. Anyone interesting in filmmaking would really benifit from reading this. For those who aren't even in the least bit interested in how a movie is made, this is still a delightful read. It is a good thing, perhaps one of the best of things.