Hidden Gems You Missed In The Shawshank Redemption

1. Room 237

Image Source / Film Daze

Shawshank Redemption pays homage to another infamous Stephan King novel, The Shining. Red’s cell number, 237, is the same room number of the woman that haunts  The Overlook Hotel in Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of The Shining. This number features in many adaptations of King’s novels, so is always worth looking out for!

2. A Director Cameo

Image Source / What Culture

Its not uncommon for film directors to make the subtlest of cameos in their own work, and for writer and director of The Shawshank Redemption, Frank Darabont, it was no different. With being almost impossible to point out, Darabont played the part of Andy’s hands whenever there was a close up scene. This was due to the precise actions expected from the director, so precise he that he thought it was best to just do it himself.

3. Red’s Mugshot

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Morgan Freeman’s character ‘Red’ has his mugshot briefly displayed during the film, and to ensure the character profile was portrayed as authentically as possible, they used images of Freeman’s son, Alfonso, in the images. As well as playing a young Red in his mugshot images, he also features later on in the film as an inmate.

4. Castle Rock Entertainment

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Castle Rock Entertainment was the production company behind The Shawshank Redemption and is a nod to Stephan King, who created the story. Castle Rock is a fictional town in Maine, which is where many of King’s novels take place. Castle Rock Entertainment was founded by Rob Reiner in 1987.

5. Red, The Irishman

Image Source / Slash Film

In King’s original novel of The Shawshank Redemption, Red was portrayed as a White Irishman. This was initially the goal when casting the part of red, however director Frank Darabont was insistent on having Morgan Freeman for the role. There is a nod to the original character in the film when Andy asks Red about his nickname and Red replies, “maybe it’s because I am Irish”.

6. The Royal River

Image Source \ Wikipedia

The Royal River is a small river in southern Maine. Stephan King fanatics may notice that this is not the first time that The Royal River has been featured in Kings film adaptations. Other than The Shawshank Redemption, this infamous river can be seen in films such as The Body, and Salem’s Lot.

7. Not Actually Maine

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This cult-classic surrounds Shawshank Prison in Maine, however the movie was actually filmed in Mansfield, Ohio in what was the Ohio State Reformatory. The building was used for this film after its closure in 1990, and elements of the prison still stand for historical reasons. The town of Mansfield created the Shawshank Trail, so fans of the movie could visit the most famous spots featured in the film.

8. ‘Goodfellas’ Inspiration

Image Source / The Vintage News

This may go amis when watching The Shawshank Redemption, but it is structurally very similar to Goodfellas. Writer and director of The Shawshank Redemption, Frank Darabont, was mesmerised by the 1990 release of Goodfellas and how it utilised a voiceover to narrate the story. This is why this 1994 film is narrated by Red throughout, to capture the story in the way Stephan King wrote it.

9. The Grass Is Always Greener On The Other Side

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Frank Darabont used subtle messaging throughout the film to foreshadow the fate of Andy and Red. Whenever the two characters are outdoors  in the prison yard, there is always green grass in the distance, while there is no greenery inside the prison walls. This comes back to the idea that ‘the grass is always greener on the other side’ which provides the viewer with an insight into the outcome of Andy’s Shawshank redemption.

10. Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption

Image Source / Shawshank Redemption Wiki - Fandom

The original Stephan King novella entitled ‘Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption’ and refers to Andy’s escape of Shawshank Prison. This is presented in the film when Andy uses posters of Rita Hayworth to disguise the work he’s been doing to aid his escape from prison. She is also shown earlier in the film, when the inmates are all watching a film starring Hayworth, which gives Andy the idea to use her to disguise his escape route.

11. Aerial View Blunder

Image Source / Open Edition Journals

Aerial shots of the prison are used at the beginning of the film to show just how huge the prison actually is, and to set the scene for the viewer. However in certain aerial shots, you can see the shadow of the helicopter that is used to create the shots, as well as vehicles in the distance. As this film is set in the 1940s, there is no way these sort of vehicles would be around in that decade.

12. The Book of Exodus

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Andy hid his rock hammer in his bible, which causes very tense scenes throughout the film. The space created for the rock hammer begins at ‘The Book Of Exodus’ which explains the story of enslaved Jewish people fleeing from Egypt. That, along with ‘exodus’ being the Greek word for ‘departure’, foreshadows Andy’s own escape.

13. Who Is Randall Stevens?

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When Andy makes a his big escape, he goes to many banks around town, under the name Randall Stevens. However in the original novella, this character goes under the name Peter Stevens; writer and director Darabont changed his name as a nod to ‘Randall Flagg’, a reoccurring villain in many of Steven King’s novels.

14. Red’s Smoking Habits

Image Source / Movie Smoke Database - Altervista

Throughout the film, we see Red as the prison’s dealer as he supplies inmates with cigarettes and other goods such as the infamous Rita Hayworth poster. However as a viewer, we don’t at any point see Red actually smoke; this subtly presents the good nature of the character in the prison which we see flourish throughout the film.

15. A Series Of Cinematic Shots

Image Source / Yahoo Movies UK

This is one of the most famous movie scenes of all time, the moment Andy is free. However, did you spot the hints of this escape? Earlier in the film, the camera pans over the prison, focusing mainly on the river that surrounds it. Many pointed out that the focus on the river in these scenes foreshadows Andy’s escape.

16. Mozart, With Meaning

Image Source / Tim Robbins

The iconic scene in this film where Andy plays music to the prisoners over the speakers is emotive in many ways but it especially links to Andy’s character profile. Although Red’s narrative states they had no idea what the ladies were singing about in the song, the lyrics are about a love letters exposing infidelity, the exact reason that Andy is behind bars.

17. Brooks’ Departure

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The montage of character Brooks’ life outside of prison creates a poignant storyline. The one and only time he smiles after leaving Shawshank prison is at the end of his life when he’s stood behind wooden rafters in the room he’s staying in. The camera work shows him behind bars again, suggesting he was most comfortable and happy in prison as opposed to living life on the outside. This portrays the issues surrounding a lacking of rehabilitation in prisons.

18. Escaping Is A ‘Pipe Dream’

Image Source / Time

When Andy builds a relationship with Red during the film and expresses his desires to escape, Red describes it as nothing but a “pipe dream”. This quote is so overlooked that people miss the subtle foreshadowing created by the writers; Andy escapes Shawshank Prison through a sewage pipe, a pipe dream that became a reality.

19. Salvation Lies Within

Image Source / The Screen Room Movie Blog

Warden Samuel Norton explained to Andy as he arrived to Shawshank Prison that ‘salvation lies within’ which in his eyes and in the bible means that spiritual salvation lies between the pages of the bible, and our circumstances don’t change us, only we can do that. However, Andy changed the perspective of this quote to present a more literal meaning, his salvation physically lies in the bible, as he carved out the pages to fit his equipment to escape.

20. Faulty Fonts

Image Source / What Culture

With every film comes inaccuracies, and The Shawshank Redemption has many. One being the stamps used on convicts parole meetings. The film is set in the 1940’s, however the font used on the stamps is ‘Helvetica’ which is a typeface that was only invented in 1957.

21. King’s Criticism

Image Source / The Independant

Stephan Kings adaptation of his novella “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” is bound to leave him with feedback. It is noted that he only had one criticism of the final product. He stated that Andy’s escape route that was the tunnel he carved over 19 years from his cell was too ‘cartoony’. Maybe the perfectly round tunnel created by the character was way to perfect for what it should be.

22. King’s Absence From Marketing

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Although this was Stephan King’s story, he was left out of nearly all marketing for the film. The poster for Shawshank Redemption features King’s name in a way that is nearly completely undetectable upon first glance. This was a decision made to broaden the target audience for the film as King’s work is predominantly horror based, and those responsible for marketing the film didn’t want it to be portrayed as solely horror.

23. Lack Of Female Roles

Image Source / Wes Haubrich

Other than the infamous Rita Hayworth who plays an integral part of Shawshank Redemption, even if she’s just a poster, there are only two women in the whole 2.5 hour film that have speaking roles. These ladies are the woman in the bank when Andy escapes, and the woman in the grocery store who makes a complaint when Brooks doesn’t double bag her shopping.

24. When Is Tax Day?

Image Source / Quora

It can be argued that the writers of Shawshank Redemption failed to fact check some important details. The dreaded tax day in the film is 15th April, however as this is set in the 1940’s the actual federal income tax day should be 15th March in the film as it was in real life.

25. Andy’s Ageing Problem

Image Source / Time

Andy Dufresne served 19 years in Shawshank Prison overall before his great escape. Although, it is noticed by many who watched it that he does not age, at all. According to the narrations that occur during the film, Andy arrives to Shawshank in early 1947 and makes his escape in 1966; there is no mention of his age during the film, so this is either a massive blunder, or Dufresne has amazing face cream.

26. Height Differences

Image Source / The Hollywood Reporter 

Frank Darabont had to carefully direct this film as Tim Robbins who plays Andy is 6ft5. Although this is not particularly an issue, Andy towering over his characters needed to be avoided to make scenes work. In most scenes with other main characters such as Red, you will notice that he is often sat down or crouched.

27. Tim Robbin In Solitary Confinement

Image Source / IMDb

Throughout the film, character Andy spends multiple stints in solitary confinement for his actions. To prepare for this part of the role, actor Tim Robbins spent his own time in solitary confinement to get a full glimpse into its reality. The dedication to the role allowed for a more realistic approach to the character and the film as a whole.

28. The Baseball Scene

Image Source / Reddit

This iconic scene in the first half of the film shows Red and his fellow prisoners throwing a baseball back and fourth. The filming of this scene that contains only several minutes of ball throwing, took 9 hours all in all to perfect which led to Red (Morgan Freeman) showing up to set the following day with his arm in a sling due to the work that went into baseball throwing.

29. The Famous Voiceover

Image Source / Stephan King Wiki

Morgan Freeman who plays Red, narrates the entire film. With his words, he adds more depth to the storyline and is an integral part of the plot. Freeman actually recorded the voiceover prior to filming, however there was a sound malfunction meaning he had to re-record the entire voiceover when filming had finished.

30. A Biopic?

Image Source / IMDb

Rita Hayworth is a subtle, yet integral part to the plot of The Shawshank Redemption. Stephan King’s original story is entitled “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” was changed by writer Frank Darabont as he didn’t want it to be perceived as a Rita Hayworth biopic upon first glance. From that moment, it only took Darabont 8 weeks to complete the script of the film.

31. The surprising ways the movie is different from the book! The warden's fate

image source: looper.com

The warden's fate in the movie is shocking, although it suits his character and his behavior up to that point: he's too much of a coward to face what he's done, so we see him end his own life instead of go to prison. In the book, he never kills himself - he resigns his role and has a breakdown!

32. Red wasn't African-American in the book

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We can all agree we can't imagine anyone else playing the role of Red other than Morgan Freeman, but the key change from the original character also explains why the 'Irish' line is so weird. In the book, the character was actually Irish - and white - but in the movie, they changed the character from Irish but still kept in the line from the book's dialogue.

33. There are a few different wardens in the book

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It would definitely have less of an impact on screen if we didn't stick with the one warden we saw through to the (tragic) end, and maybe that's why they changed it from the source material. In the book, there are actually a couple of different wardens that come and go.

34. The music scene didn't happen in the book

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There are many different advantages with a movie compared to a book - and vice versa - and one of those is soundtrack. Sure, King could have explained that Andy played music over the speakers, but he didn't - the scene wasn't included at all - and the film's vinyl scene is just one prime example of how sometimes cinematic scenes can be added to a book adaption and work perfectly.

35. The guard Byron Hadley had a minor role in the book

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We also couldn't imagine the movie without the consistent, antagonistic presence of Captain Byron Hadley who, in the end, pays for his crimes. In the book, he was another minor character and didn't actually have much page-time. He sort of inexplicably disappeared in the middle of the book, and we then find out he had a heart attack.

36. Andy was supposed to be small - unlike Tim Robbins

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The casting choices of the movie were wildly different from the source material, but luckily, it worked. This included Tim Robbins being cast as Andy, who - in the book - was a very short man and more 'small' in his body language. Tim Robbins is the opposite - including being 6 foot 5!

37. Andy and Red never reunited in the book

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The final scene of Red getting out of prison and finally being reunited with his prison pal Andy is one of the most emotional end movie scenes of all time. So you'd think it was written that way in the book, right? Nope! The book ends with Red saying that he hopes he will see his friend Andy again.

38. There was more than one poster in the book

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We know the significance of the Rita Hayworth poster - and the fact the original book title even had her name in it - but in the source material, there's more than one poster, including one of Marilyn Monroe and another of Raquel Welch. The poster changes a fair few times in the novel.

39. Bogs is only mentioned once or twice in the book

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The prison gang leader, Bogs, is also quite a big villain in the movie, and we see him come up against Andy in a fair few scenes. In the book, this was quite different - he was a very minor character who was only mentioned once or twice, and then he was transferred and left the prison.

40. Brooks' fate is less tragic

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In the book, we don't get to learn about Brooks much as a character. In the end, we learn he dies of old age - whereas in the movie, we're not only invested in Brooks as a fully developed character, but we then have to watch how he struggles with outside life before he makes a tragic choice about his own fate.

41. Andy is su*cidal in the book

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In the movie, it's never explicitly said that Andy is considering taking his own life. There are some hints about his strange behavior, as well as worried comments from Red, but we don't have the background info the book has. In the novel, it's said for definite that Andy is su*cidal.

42. Tommy survives in the book

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Tommy's fate is another heartbreaking moment from the movie. Tommy has information which could prove Andy's innocence - and in the book, he's merely transferred to another prison to keep him quiet. In the movie, as we know, the warden makes a much darker decision, and kills him.

43. Where Red finds the box

image source: thestorydepartment.com

Although we don't get the reunion scene between Red and Andy in the book, we do get Red searching for 'the box'. In the movie - in somewhat of a tongue in cheek moment - Andy guides Red directly to a rock that luckily hasn't moved in however many years. In the book, Red has to search a whole area himself and it takes him a while to find it!

44. The beauty of the tunnel discovery

image source: medium.com

The moment when the warden throws a rock and pulls down the poster, leading to the pan out down the tunnel of his shocked face, has to be one of the most iconic scenes in movie history! In the book, it obviously fell more flat than the movie version. We just get a description of the warden angrily tearing the poster down and then seeing the tunnel.

45. The truth about why Red's in jail

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In the movie, we don't really know why Red is in jail apart from him admitting that he murdered somebody. In the book, we get full details about what happened: namely, that Red tried to kill his wife after being forced into marrying her by sabotaging her car, only to have her drive the car that day with her sister and her niece, killing all three.

46. Andy paying the guards to beat up 'the sisters'

image source: sixactstructure.com

In the movie, we see the fate of the gang at the hands of the guards, who severely beat them, with it looking as though they did it as a favor to Andy because of how he's been helping them out. In the book, it's very much implied that Andy actually paid them to do it, because he had $500 smuggled.

47. How long Andy had been in prison

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With the luxury of a book - and indeed Stephen King's very lengthy books - you can span the story over however many years as you like, but that doesn't work as effectively on screen. In the book, Andy had been in prison for almost 30 years before escaping. In the movie, it had been 19 years.

48. Andy had a cellmate at one point in the book

image source: reddit.com

One of the main reasons Andy is able to dig his tunnel without anyone else seeing is because he isn't sharing his cell with anybody in the movie. Of course, he still digs the tunnel in the book, but there are periods on and off where he has a cellmate, and isn't able to do any digging during that time!

49. The book is entirely from Red's perspective

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We know that Red narrates the movie in Morgan Freeman's iconic voice, but we also get those scenes from other characters perspectives, and moments Red couldn't possibly be witness to. In the book, the story is narrated entirely by Red, and only from his point of view.

50. The temperature of the beer

image source: younghenrys.com

It's a very small detail, but in the book, the beer which the prisoners are awarded on the roof - which Andy manages to bad them - is described as being "lukewarm" but still well-received by these thirsty men! In the movie, the beers are very much refreshingly cold.