Synopsis

Andy Dufresne, a banker convicted of murdering his wife and her lover, begins a life sentence at Shawshank State Penitentiary while insisting he is innocent. Over the years, his intelligence, quiet resilience, and friendship with fellow inmate Red help him endure corruption, cruelty, and institutional confinement as he holds on to the possibility of freedom.

Factoids & Trivia

• The screenplay adapts Stephen King's novella "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption," published in the 1982 collection Different Seasons.

• The film opened in North America on September 23, 1994, in only 33 theaters. Its wider release began on October 14, the same day as Pulp Fiction.

• The lengthy prison-yard scene in which Andy and Red talk while Red throws a baseball reportedly required nine hours of shooting. Morgan Freeman later appeared for work with his arm in a sling.

• The film received seven Academy Award nominations for the 1995 ceremony, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, cinematography, editing, sound, and original score. It did not win in any category.

• Its initial theatrical performance was modest, but later theatrical exposure, home video, and television screenings helped turn it into a widely regarded modern classic.

• The Academy marked the film's 20th anniversary with a special screening and reunion of cast and crew on November 18, 2014.