THE OPENING SCENE


Music playing in the background whilst the opening credits are displayed: “if I didn’t care, more than words can say, if I didn’t care would I feel this way” – Inkspots. Remember later on in the movie Andy says that he neglected his wife. Feels responsible for her affair.


Flashback – Significant because it sets the tone for the movie and builds Andy up as a guilty man in the viewers eyes – this is essential to the success of the film.


Many close-up shots in this scene give away details of Andy’s character. In Shawshank, he is known as “a real cold fish”. This is reinforced in the opening scene where his facial expressions are devoid of emotion and he seems to let everything wash over him. Close up of Andy “Since I am innocent of this crime, I find it decidedly inconvenient that the gun was never found”. Andy’s composure is almost eerie.


Close Up of Andy’s hands unwrapping the gun. Andy removes a bottle of spirits from his pocket. The viewer is starting to think of actions connected to the gun and alcohol. Signifiers of what is about to come – murder?


Cut from the courtroom to a Close Up of Andy loading the bullets into the gun. Makes the viewer believe Andy is going to commit a murder.


A series of cut away shots of the flashback before the murder, and Andy’s wife and her lover, are intertwined to reinforce motive and guilt. The viewer is being lead to believe he is guilty – or are we?


Medium shots of Andy in the courtroom reveal his character seems to be sitting in a lighted space. This comes to be a symbol of hope. Likewise, when Andy is in the car, he is surrounded by relative darkness, this suggests that something sinister is about to happen.


Voiceover helps to build up Andy’s guilt – “We have the accused at the scene of the crime. We have footprints, tire tracks”. Viewer can hear and sees a ground level close up of the smashing bottle – suggests that Andy is not of his right mind and also reinforces that perhaps he is going to be violent. It can represent his life metaphorically ‘shattering’.


Close up of the judge. Zooms away to show he is talking directly to Andy: “You strike me as a particularly icy and remorseless man Mr Dufresne” – We learn later that this could not be further from the truth, his composure is misinterpreted.



Costume is important particularly with colour– dark, grey suits of the courtroom suggest the ominous tone of the trial. We get the feeling that Andy is proven guilty before he begins.


Zoom in to Andy to a Medium shot where we can see his reaction to the verdict. He closes his eyes, showing for the first time his emotion.


Panning of the jury in the courtroom shows that it is made up of mostly men dressed in grey, dark clothing aside from the one woman who is in a hat and light coloured dress(?) He is now surrounded in the grey of the courtroom which symbolises that he is about to become one of the criminals. Close Ups of the judge show that he is trying to rattle Andy’s composure. He is surrounded by grey and wears a grey suit. In this movie grey or darkness symbolises people that you cannot trust or have no sense of hope.


Sound of the gavel being hammered suggests the finality of the case and also of Andy’s life as he knows it.


Here is a brief summary of the opening sequence:

  • blank screen with major credits and Inkspots’ song over: ‘If I Didn’t Care’.
  • fade-up to night scene; long shot of two lights at the beginning of a drive; lit building in background
  • camera tracks back to pick up dark shape of car; silhouette of driver lit by dash lights; music track decreases in volume
  • camera tracks forward slightly and pans around to pick up driver in medium-side shot; he looks dishevelled, leans forward and reaches over to glove compartment; Foley track becomes more prominent
  • close-up of hand retrieving bundle from compartment; camera follows as bundle taken across to driver’s lap and opened to reveal a revolver and loose bullets; hand moves to find and open a small bourbon bottle
  • cut to medium-front-on shot of driver swigging
  • soundtrack of courtroom scene becomes prominent; cut to front-on close-medium shot of character being asked a question about a murder in court; piano music track in background
  • sequence of question-and-answer shots in day-lit courtroom
  • cut to medium-night shot of man backing through doorway; woman follows; door is pushed closed and they embrace against it
  • cut to another medium shot; question-and-answer sequence in the courtroom
  • cut to close-up of hands loading the revolver in the car
  • cut to medium-front shot of driver through windscreen
  • cut to sequence of question-and-answer shots in courtroom
  • cut to slow pan of jury
  • cut to close-medium question-and-answer sequence with characters becoming more intense
  • cut to close-up of hands preparing revolver, cut to close-medium shot of driver taking another swig
  • dash lights go out; courtroom voice-over becomes prominent; interior light comes on as driver opens door
  • cut to close-up of foot emerging from car; soundtrack of things falling; glass breaking; close-up of feet walking towards drive
  • cut to front-on full shot of driver walking unsteadily forward towards gate; he walks into medium shot
  • cut back to courtroom sequence, cut to series of close-ups of the lovers against the door; courtroom soundtrack still over
  • cut to sentencing scene in court; close-up of judge; cut to zoom in on Mr Dufresne
  • cut to black; soundtrack of door slamming loudly