Littérature et culture anglophones | American Cinema & Film Adaptation Study
Stephen King, ‘Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption'

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Introduction

The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American film [movie]. It was written [passif] and directed [passif] by Frank Darabont. The motion picture is based [passif] on the 1982 novel written by Stephen King entitled “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption”. It tells [present simple] the story of banker Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins). Right from the start of the movie, we are told [passif] that Andy was sentenced [passif] to life in Shawshank State Penitentiary for the murders of his wife and her lover. However, Andy has always claimed [present perfect simple] his innocence. Over the following two decades, he befriends [forms a friendship with] a fellow prisoner [convict / inmate] Ellis Red (Morgan Freeman).
The Shawshank Redemption is seen [passif] as an iconic Masterpiece. It has become [present perfect simple] one of the most beloved films of all time. The movie is nearing [present progressif] its 30th anniversary in 2024 and it is still regarded [passif] as an all-time great.

Trailer

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Chapter One | Written Comprehension

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Opening Scene | Film Adaptation

Trace écrite

Shawshank Redemption is written [passif] with a first-person narrative. The story is narrated [passif] by Red, a convict who describes [present simple] himself as « the guy who can get it for you ». We are dealing [present progressif] here with an internal point of view – the story is told [passif] through Red’s eyes[génitif], and we don’t really know [present simple] for sure whether he is a reliable and unbiased narrator or not.

We are told [passif] that Red has been [present perfect simple] in prison for twenty years for committing murder. He actually tampered [preterit simple] with the brakes on his wife’s car [génitif]. Because his wife had [preterit simple] to pick up his neighbour and her infant, he accidentally killed [preterit simple] them too. This earned [preterit simple] him a life sentence at Shawshank Prison in Maine.

Red comes [present simple] from a humble background. When he got [preterit simple] married, his father-in-law gave [preterit simple] him a job in his company and thought [preterit simple] that Red would work his way up.

In Shawshank, Red has garnered [present perfect simple] a reputation for being the guy who can smuggle things for other inmates. He really wants [present simple] to secure this reputation. He compares [present simple] his situation to a butcher who doesn’t want [present simple] his reputation to get tarnished by selling poor quality meat. However, he staunchly refuses [present simple] to smuggle heavy drugs and guns.

We learn [present simple] that Andy Dufresne, a new convict whose story Red is about to tell, asked [preterit simple] him to smuggle a poster of the well-known actress Rita Hayworth. The title of the novel “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption” is a weird collection of words—weird enough for the movie to cut a few words from its title— and it doesn't make [present simple] a lot of sense until you read the whole book. The reader might wonder why “Rita Hayworth”, and this is why the author chose [preterit simple] her: King wants [present simple] you to ask some questions to lead you into the narrative.

When we watch [present simple] the film adaptation, we notice [present simple] that the focus is more on Andy than on Red himself. This is one major difference with the novel. The soundtrack is also very powerful and adds [present simple] to the atmosphere of the scene.

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The Ending | Film Adaptation

Trace écrite

During the day's [génitif] roll call - when supervisors take attendance [present simple], and inspect [present simple] uniforms and equipment – Andy Dufresne doesn’t show up [present simple]. The supervisor gets [present simple] angry and very annoyed. He threatens [present simple] Andy and then decides [present simple] to walk up the stairs to fetch him. However, when the guard opens up [present simple] Andy’s cell [génitif], they find out [present simple] that the place is empty and the prisoner missing. The guard who found [preterit simple] the cell empty tells [present simple] warden Norton that Andy “just wasn’t there” – an explanation that the warden refuses [present simple] to accept.

Norton shouts [yells] [present simple] at the guard and tells [present simple] him to find Andy as soon as possible. The guard brings [present simple] Red in to question him. Yet, Red is not aware of Andy’s disappearance [génitif]. Norton, red with anger, grabs [present simple] a rock and throws [present simple] it at a poster of a famous American actress on Andy’s cell wall [génitif]. When he throws [present simple] the rock at the poster, it goes [present simple] through, revealing a hole in the wall.

The voiceover can then be heard and Red narrates [present simple] : “In 1966, Andy Dufresne escaped [preterit simple] from Shawshank prison. All they found [preterit simple] of him was [preterit simple] a muddy set of prison clothes, a bar of soap, and an old rock hammer. [...] I remember thinking it would take a man 600 years to tunnel through the wall with it. Andy did [preterit simple] it in less than 20.” Finally, we see [present simple] a flashback of Andy carving [(to) carve] his name in his cell wall when suddenly a chunk of it falls [present simple] onto the ground.

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Documents complémentaires

• Document complémentaire | "The Jury" by Norman Rockwell
• Document complémentaire | The History of Eastern State Penitentiary

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