Fans of Morgan Freeman classic finally think they've worked out what title means 30 years after movie's release
Topics: Morgan Freeman, Film and TV, Reddit
Britt Jones
Featured Image Credit: Castle Rock Entertainment
Topics: Morgan Freeman, Film and TV, Reddit
The meaning behind the name of one of the best Morgan Freeman classics might have finally been solved, and it’s all thanks to the fans.
Morgan Freeman has certainly put the work in over his decade-spanning acting career, and there are so many classics to choose from.
Even though the 87-year-old hasn’t been in as many films lately (can you blame him?), his last hit was The Minute You Wake Up Dead in 2022, and prior to that he starred in Bruce Almighty, Se7en, The Bucket List and Now You See Me.
But it’s his 1994 film that has tongues wagging as people online think they have the answer to its unusual name choice.
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It is considered to be one of the best movies to grace the big screen, and it’s pretty spot on with that accolade.
Of course, it’s Shawshank Redemption.
Based on the 1982 Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, it’s gone on to make its mark on the film industry.
With 21 awards and 42 nominations in total as per IMDb, it’s been taking awards home from every major entertainment ceremony possible.
The film is centered around a banker named Andy (Tim Robbins) whose life is flipped upside down when he is arrested and sentenced for murdering his wife and her lover, even though he adamantly denied killing them both.
Freeman, who plays Ellis Boyd Redding, is a long-standing criminal in the prison, who goes on to formulate a plan with the ultra smart banker.
Together, they come up with an escape plan, and a stash of buried money and a future free from imprisonment.
It’s a film with a lot of layers and disturbing scenes, but ultimately, it ends on a high.
But while you’ve probably never questioned the title of the flick, others have.
What Redditors have found out makes a lot of sense, and it may have answered the question as to why the name 'Shawshank' was given to the book and the movie.
On Reddit, it began when a user asked: "What is the meaning of the title Shawshank Redemption? I've been watching it for 20 years, but it's Shawshank, so it's always worth a watch."
They added their own theory, explaining: "During the movie, right after Brooks dies, Red has a speech explaining that hope is dangerous and not worth having.
"I was about to comment to my wife that that is quite the contrast to his speech at the end when I realized that was the point. The redemption from the title is Red's. He learns to hope again. Thought that I would share."
But another user had their own thoughts, which were a little different from the OG user.
They wrote: "I always thought it was because the jail became corrupted, and by exposing the truth Andy brought redemption to the prison."
A third added: "That may be an accurate interpretation of the film's events, but I mean, it's also about an innocent man escaping (redemption - 'atoning for a fault or mistake; deliverance, rescue') from a prison called Shawshank State Penitentiary..."
They have a point.
ScreenRant went on to write that originally, the film would have been called Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, just like the novella, but allegedly, there was confusion over it being a Rita Hayworth biopic.
While that might have made a difference, actor Robbins told EW that the title was to blame for the poor box office performance and it’s not memorable.
Which theory do you think is correct?