When was shawshank released

Freeman had reservations, too: Specifically, he didn't like the film's title. While it had been shortened from the novella, The Shawshank Redemption was not a terribly descriptive title and was difficult for some to remember. Was it The Scrimshaw Redemption? The Shimshank Redemption? But the real problem for the film was not necessarily its title or pedigree. It was John Travolta. When The Shawshank Redemption opened wide on October 14, , it was competing for audiences' attention with Pulp Fiction , Quentin Tarantino's sophomore effort, which had taken the Cannes Film Festival by storm earlier in the year.

The media ate up the comeback story of co-star Travolta, who led an all-star cast in a gritty crime anthology. Opening opposite Pulp Fiction relegated The Shawshank Redemption —already burdened by its seemingly morose premise—down to the bottom of the box office charts. For the remainder of , it seemed as though The Shawshank Redemption would remain a film that had simply failed to resonate with viewers. It was a start.

On the strength of the nominations, Warner Bros. The studio also issued , copies of the film on VHS in the spring of , a move that was perceived as rather ambitious by many Hollywood insiders, considering how poorly The Shawshank Redemption had performed in theaters.

But the risk paid off. A director really needs to have an internal barometer to measure what any given actor needs. Yet Shawshank tested through the roof, according to Glotzer. When the movie opened on September 23, , expectations were high. Hollywood tradition dictates filmmakers drive from theater to theater on opening night, ostensibly to stand in the back of packed houses to witness audiences laughing and crying at all the carefully constructed moments.

Times review. Shank, Sham, Shim? Something like that. Anyways, terrific. Even if moviegoers could remember the title, was the year of two other films on opposite sides of the naughty-nice spectrum: Pulp Fiction and Forrest Gump.

But in early , Shawshank got its first shot at redemption when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated the film in seven categories, including best picture, best actor Freeman , and best adapted screenplay. An awards-season re-release added a bit more money to the coffers. The film was snubbed on Oscar night, a big evening for Forrest Gump, but the award buzz gave Shawshank a second life when it was released on VHS shortly after the Oscars.

It would become the top-renting title that year. With production and distribution now under one roof, TNT was able to leapfrog the networks—which normally got first dibs on broadcast rights to new movies—and acquired the rights to Shawshank , Turner in essence selling the film to himself. Memories are faulty 20 years on, especially when it comes to recalling precise figures, and the box containing the financial records for Shawshank has gone missing on a studio lot. However the economic stars aligned, TNT first aired the movie in June to top basic-cable ratings, and then began showing it over and over.

Trivia Andy and Red's opening chat in the prison yard, in which Red is throwing a baseball, took nine hours to shoot. Morgan Freeman threw the baseball for the entire nine hours without a word of complaint. He showed up for work the next day with his left arm in a sling. Quotes Andy Dufresne : [to Red] I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really.

Crazy credits The man who cried and was beaten when Andy first arrived is listed and credited as "Fat Ass" -- the other inmates' nickname for him. Alternate versions This film was produced independently by Castle Rock Entertainment, but distributed by Columbia Pictures, which placed their logo at the beginning of the film. After the first video release, Castle Rock began to use Warner Bros.

See also The American President. Connections Edited into Everything Wrong with User reviews 9. Top review. This Review Is Unneeded. You have already watched this, right? It is really easy to understand the love for this movie. I'll admit, when it comes to movie adaptations of books, the book is always better.

How can it not be? You get way more detail than could be crammed into a two-hour movie. However, I still thoroughly enjoyed this adaptation. Yes, it does deviate from the short a little with character changes and omissions, but I don't think this film could have been any better. I am in line with the ten-star reviews that I'm seeing and the only reason I am not giving this parable for hope a ten myself is because I don't as a rule.

By contrast, The Shawshank Redemption received positive reviews from the outset, but that did not translate into box office revenues. And part of me thinks that people want or need that kind of story to be told. Have a news tip? Let us know!

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