ANDY AND RED CHARACTERS ‘The Shawshank Redemption’

- ANDY - Persistent Intelligent Reserved, detached, private Distant Independent Courageous Determined Philosophical Defiant Unemotional Selfless Calculating Musical Eloquent Bold Quiet

Some more on the character of Andy… Tim Robbins plays a bank vice-president who is sentenced to two consecutive life terms for murdering his wife and her lover. He becomes prison number and the film follows his survival in the spirit-destroying Shawshank. We learn about him through his actions and their effects on others, and through Red’s observations. Andy is a modest, peaceful man. Although he has suffered an injustice he does not rant and rave; his anger largely remains internal. After initially keeping to himself and adjusting, he just gets on with living and does not surrender hope.

Andy’s private self-containment is often interpreted as arrogance or coldness. At his trial he is described as ‘icy and remorseless’. When they first meet, Red tells Andy ‘rumour has it you’re a real cold fish’ and Andy later admits that his wife found him a hard man to know; he was ‘like a closed book’.

Andy is shown by Darabont within the confines of the prison walls. The camera follows his figure as he moves across the yard and through the dining room as he becomes an inspirational figure within the prison. Close-ups show his emotions, or lack of emotion, as he gains the ability to control his responses in the prison environment. Darabont uses an eye-level camera to convey most of Andy’s activities. This has the effect of lending objectivity to his portrayal, so that, despite Red’s voiceover, the viewer perceives Andy’s story to be true and real.

A brief summary… The main ingredients of Andy’s personality have been introduced when we first meet him – always a most important phase in character build up. Nothing we witness later on detracts from the initial assessment; it merely reinforces it. We see a clever, calculating individual of resolve and courage, prone to depression when under sever pressure, but strong enough to rise above the stress.

- RED - Has already served 20 years for murder when Andy arrives Admires Andy’s resistance and courage Provides a contrast to Andy in a number of ways Red provides the narration for the film (through a voiceover) Uneducated Cynical and resigned to his lot (until the end) Leader Institutionalised Loyal friend Hardened to prison life

Red’s Voiceover While Red’s voiceover distances us from Andy (as we know of him mainly through Red’s observations), it also creates a strong sense of intimacy with Red, because we see events through his eyes. Red’s voice- over personality is a dominant presence in the film and allows the viewer to clearly understand the changes Red goes through as the film progresses, showing the extent of Andy’s influence.

Now it’s your turn… In groups of 4(ish) you will study one minor character and come up with a powerpoint to present your character study to the class (e.g. you are the teacher, we are the students).

How do you do this? In your powerpoint you should cover:  1.Who is he?  2.Why is he important to the film?  3.What is his relationship with Andy?  4.Description – adjectives  5.Quotes

Minor characters up for grabs… Red Brooks Tommy Warden Hadley These are only SOME of the minor characters, but they are the ones you are MOST LIKELY to write about in the end of year exam.