History Awesome / TheShawshankRedemption

* Not to mention the scene where Andy plays "The Marriage of Figaro" over the prison's loudspeakers, and he's sitting back in the locked office when the Warden comes up to the door and orders him to turn it off. Andy reaches over to the record player -- then smiles slowly and turns the volume up. The fact that Tim Robbins ad-libbed it makes it even more awesome.

** Red offhandedly mentioning that a journalist went undercover as a prisoner for a year to expose Norton's corruption (even more under-handed and cold-blooded) predecessor, and succeeding in that endeavor, undetected.

** Seconded, especially if you include Norton getting busted as part of the same moment. (And it's fairly reasonable, as they result from the same thing.

** The way the discovery of Andy's escape blows away the hierarchy of the people standing in that cell. In that moment as Red, Norton, a guard stare down the tunnel they cease to be prisoner, warden, and guard, becoming merely three men left utterly speechless by what they're seeing.

** In particular was that moment when, mid-tantrum, Warden Norton threw a pebble through the poster of Raquel Welch and inadvertently discovered the tunnel. The slow realization of every guard there of just how thoroughly they'd all been played was '''''EPIC'''''.

* The little extra when the Warden is caught out. He rushes to his safe, and finds that the night before Andy put his copy of the Bible in instead of the logbooks. Even better, he left a note in the front that said, 'Dear Warden, you were right. Salvation lay within. Andy Dufresne', an IronicEcho to something the warden had told him, ''and,'' as if there needed to be any more, the rock hammer was hidden within the Bible so that when you opened it, the Warden opened it up to 'Exodus.' Bad. Ass.

** Even better? When Norton hears the sirens, we are treated to a shot of a picture hanging on the wall that says: "His judgment cometh, and that right soon." His judgment has come, indeed.

** Red offhandedly mentioning that a journalist went undercover as a prisoner for a year to expose the corruption of Norton's (even more under-handed and cold-blooded) predecessor, and succeeding in that endeavor, undetected.

%%(ZCE)** All the time Red spends searching fields for Andy's message.

* Hadley may be an unpleasant asshole, but when [[KickTheSonOfABitch he beats seven shades of blue out of Bogs]], you can't help but cheer for him.

--> ''In 1967, Andy Dufresne escaped from Shawshank Prison...''

---> ''In 1967, Andy Dufresne escaped from Shawshank Prison...''

* The shot of Andy emerging from the sewer, running through the rain and standing with his arms in the air. Pure Brilliance. It is also the first time in the entire movie that Andy shows unbridled joy as he laughs in the rain. The audience most definitely shares this sentiment. It certainly helps the heavy amount of symbolism in that scene. It is Andy's personal {{redemption in the rain}}.
-->''Andy Dufresne, who crawled through a river of shit and came out clean on the other side.''
* The music is just fantastic. That set over Norton's threat to cast Andy "down with the sodomites" makes it all the more chilling, and is used to perfect effect to convince the audience that Andy's been pushed over the edge, making the ending the crowning moment it is.

* The reveal of Andy Dufresne's escape, one of the most heartwarming stories on film despite its subject matter, provoked unfettered joy at his triumph.
** Seconded, especially if you include Norton getting busted as part of the same moment. (And it's fairly reasonable, as they result from the same thing.
** In particular was that moment when, mid-tantrum, Warden Norton threw a pebble through the poster of Raquel Welch and inadvertently discovered the tunnel. The slow realization of every guard there of just how thoroughly they'd all been played was '''''EPIC'''''.
** The way the discovery of Andy's escape blows away the hierarchy of the people standing in that cell. In that moment as Red, Norton, a guard stare down the tunnel they cease to be prisoner, warden, and guard, becoming merely three men left utterly speechless by what they're seeing.

** What most likely plays at least somewhat of a role in all this is the fact that it is now the late sixties out there (at least in the book). Between his last hearing and this one the society moved forwards a bit in terms of equalness. The civil rights movement happened for example. Now today, when equality is the norm though there is still prejudice out in the world, in this case, he was for sure seen as a bit less of a black criminal and more of himself by the people on the other side of the table.
* The shot of Andy emerging from the sewer, running through the rain and standing with his arms in the air. Pure Brilliance. It is also the first time in the entire movie that Andy shows unbridled joy as he laughs in the rain. The audience most definitely shares this sentiment. It certainly helps the heavy amount of symbolism in that scene. It is Andy's personal {{redemption in the rain}}.
-->''Andy Dufresne, who crawled through a river of shit and came out clean on the other side.''
* The music is just fantastic. That set over Norton's threat to cast Andy "down with the sodomites" makes it all the more chilling, and is used to perfect effect to convince the audience that Andy's been pushed over the edge, making the ending the crowning moment it is.
* The little extra when the Warden is caught out. He rushes to his safe, and finds that the night before Andy put his copy of the Bible in instead of the logbooks. Even better, he left a note in the front that said, 'Dear Warden, you were right. Salvation lay within. Andy Dufresne', an IronicEcho to something the warden had told him, ''and,'' as if there needed to be any more, the rock hammer was hidden within the Bible so that when you opened it, the Warden opened it up to 'Exodus.' Bad. Ass.
** Given that the Bible opens to that page, and by all accounts is the same Bible Andy was given near the start of the film, that magnificent moment of subtle trolling was set up nearly twenty years prior.
** Even better? When Norton hears the sirens, we are treated to a shot of a picture hanging on the wall that says: "His judgment cometh, and that right soon." His judgment has come, indeed.
* When Andy talks the guys who are beating him up out of raping him using his knowledge of medical trivia.
** Especially since he has the utter nerve to ''sass'' them, even while facing a potentially excruciating death:
--->'''Bogs:''' Where'd you get this shit?\\
'''Andy:''' I read it. You know how to read, you ignorant fuck?
* Hadley may be an unpleasant asshole, but when [[KickTheSonOfABitch he beats seven shades of blue out of Bogs]], you can't help but cheer for him.
** The fact that [[PetTheDog he did it for a guy who helped him out earlier in the film]] just gives another awesome moment to Andy.

** A prisoner named Sid Nedeau escaping [[RefugeInAudacity walked right out of the prison behind some guards doing a shift change, while in his uniform, standing at 6'2" and still hanging onto the line painting machine that he'd been assigned to use.]] And on top of that, he was never recaptured afterwards.
** A guard named Rory Tremont actually trying to crawl through that tunnel after Andy although it doesn't amount to much.
** All the time Red spends searching fields for Andy's message.

* The shot of Andy emerging from the sewer, running through the rain and standing with his arms in the air. Pure Brilliance.
** It certainly helps the heavy amount of symbolism in that scene. It is Andy's personal {{redemption in the rain}}.
*** It is also the first time in the entire movie that Andy shows unbridled joy as he laughs in the rain. The audience most definitely shares this sentiment.

[[caption-width-right:350:"Fear can make you a prisoner, Hope can set you free."]]

''Andy:''' No thanks. I gave up drinking.

----

-->'''Heywood:''' You want a cold one, Andy?
-->'''Andy:''' No thanks. I gave up drinking.

---> '''Bogs:''' Where'd you get this shit?
---> '''Andy:''' I read it. You know how to read, you ignorant fuck?

* With a score of 9.3/10, it's currently the highest ranking movie on Website/IMDb. Talk about a huge honor.

** A prisoner named Sid Nedeau escaping [[RefugeInAudacity walked right out of the prison behind some guards doing a shift change, while in his uniform, standing at 6'2 and still hanging onto the line painting machine that he'd been assigned to use.]] And on top of that, he was never recaptured afterwards.
** A guard named Rory Tremont actually trying to crawl through that tunnel after Andy although it doesn't amount too much.