The Shawshank Redemption Blu-ray

The Shawshank Redemption

 (1994)

Drama



Andy Dufresne is a young and successful banker whose life changes drastically when he is convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife and her lover. Set in the 1940's, the film shows how Andy, with the help of his friend Red, the prison entrepreneur, turns out to be a most unconventional prisoner.

For more details about The Shawshank Redemption on Blu-ray, see The Shawshank Redemption Blu-ray Review

Starring: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, Bill Sadler, Clancy Brown
Director: Frank Darabont

The Shawshank Redemption Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


The look of Shawshank certainly needs no redeeming, as I found the disc’s 1080p VC-1 transfer to be practically faultless. The early sequences of the film—like the arrival of the “new fish”—are toned in sober blues, with pulled back colors and an intentional dimness that immediately sets the atmosphere for a double life sentence. As the film progresses, the palette opens up appropriately, as Andy’s meager triumphs—like scoring some ice cold brew for his rooftop workmates —are rewarded with rich, honey-brown hues. This is a film where color is definitely entrenched— however subtly—in the narrative, and the transfer rarely restrains Darabont’s intentions. Black levels and contrast are strong throughout, and the only time I sensed any overt crush was when Brooks was releasing his crow Jake, as for a few brief seconds, the shadows in the library swallowed up the bird entirely. While there are a few, scattered soft scenes, the majority of the film shows a spectacular sense of clarity and sharpness, clearly rendering each pinstripe of the prison work shirts and every sad line in the prisoners’ browbeaten faces. And topping off the transfer is a thin stratum of pleasingly cinematic grain, almost so thin as to be unnoticeable, but present enough to give the image a warm, living quality. Though it’s likely based on the same transfer, this Blu-ray is definitely worth the upgrade from DVD.

The Shawshank Redemption Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


The Shawshank Redemption is finally set free with a lossless, Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track that’s light on immersion but otherwise wonderfully broad, dynamic, and clear. As a 140+ minute prison movie about friendship, you’d be correct in assuming there aren’t many whiz-bang-pow, pan and cross sound effects in The Shawshank Redemption. And if there were, I’d be worried. That said, there were times when I found myself craning toward my rear speakers, wondering if perhaps the wires had come undone and hoping for a bit more interaction. Take the scene when the “new fish” arrive, for example. The camera is placed squarely in the middle of a bustling prison yard, filled with murmuring inmates, but not a sound is heard from the rear channels. Scenes in the cellblock are similar; there are plenty of opportunities for directional ambience, but nary a “mouse fart,” as head guard Byron Hadley would so eloquently put it, is heard from the rears. This is my sole complaint though, and in all other respects, this mix broadcasts Andy and Red’s passing years with steadfast clarity and warmth. Voices come through cleanly—important for a film that relies so heavily on Morgan Freeman’s narration—and Thomas Newman’s superb score accents the emotion of each scene without once turning manipulative or gaudy. There’s even some surprising LFE use that underscores a few of the more devastating moments with a throbbing low-end pulse. While the track won’t set anyone’s speakers ablaze with audio intricacy, I was more than pleased with The Shawshank Redemption’s newly lossless sound.

The Shawshank Redemption Blu-ray, News and Updates

• Today on Blu-ray - December 2nd - December 2, 2008


• Shawshank Redemption Gets Detailed - October 24, 2008


• The Shawshank Redemption Delayed... Again - September 12, 2008


• Shawshank Redemption Announced Again - February 25, 2008

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