The Shawshank redemption

the long version

How did a low-key prison movie which was considered a box-office flop on its original release become one of the most popular movies of all time? Mark Kermode, writer and presenter of the acclaimed Channel 4 documentary Shawshank: The Redeeming Feature, traces the history of this unexpected audience favorite from the pages of Stephen King's novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, through the icy corridors of Ohio's Mansfield Reformatory (whose imposing gothic architecture dominates the film), to the television and video screens on which The Shawshank Redemption became a phenomenon. Kermode's account draws on extensive interviews with the writer and director Frank Darabont and the leading players Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. The book also explores the near-religious fervour that the film inspires in its huge number of devoted fans.