What makes a great film? Well, first of all you need a great story, and a great screenplay (these two are not the same thing). Then you need great actors who have chemistry, directed by a great director. And then all the technical boxes need ticking, but they all need to be better than satisfactory - they need to be exemplary. And everyone forgets the editing - but there's no great film that isn't brilliantly edited.
This film is still No. 1 on IMDB. And I reckon the reason for that is in the pay off. Andy Dufresne we find out, is innocent of the crime he is serving two life sentences for, in a prison where he undergoes terrible brutality, and his one chance to be proven innocent is taken away from him. So it's the end of the film, where we find out not just that he's escaped, but the way he takes everything from his nemeses, that's such a beautiful pay off. And then the very end, with Red coming to join him - as Q says - it's a love story. And there isn't a dry eye in the house.
And it's pretty much all in Stephen King's long short story.. Then you start ticking 'exemplary' boxes with Tom Newman's score, Roger Deakins' photography, Terence Marsh's production design, Richard Francis-Brice's editing (also Dead Calm, The Green Mile, The Witches of Eastwick)...
I was also thinking that the DP is like a mini director who's in charge of his own unit, which would normally comprise camera operator and focus puller (neither credited here, so I assume Roger did these himself - I know he prefers to be the operator whenever possible) and then all sorts of grips, gaffers, assistants, steadicam operators and so on.
Some of it was filmed in a real prison - the exteriors and mess hall - but the main cell block was an artfully lit set.
No comments:
Post a Comment