COLLABORATION: THE SHAWSHANK FAMILY

I remember seeing this movie when I was not much over 12 years of age. While I didn't remember all of the film's production there were two things I distinctly remembered; the obvious-- "a young man digs his way out of prison", and for some reason I always remembered the story of Brooks, the ex- inmate who hangs himself when released on parole. I always marveled at the latter, as even as a child I wondered what had caused Brooks to take his own life just when he finally got his freedom from the Shawshank jail. 

Adapted from the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, Frank Darabont's 1994 prison thriller The Shawshank Redemption tells the tale of a group of men who over a period of time was able to form a bond behind the bars of the Shawshank prison. Nominated for seven Academy Awards in 1994 which included Best Picture, The Shawshank Redemption takes us beyond the guards, behind the walls and into the lives of the Shawshank prisoners.
The movie begins with Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) being wrongfully served with two life sentences for the murder of his wife and her lover. The scene then shifts focus to another one of Shawshank's life- sentenced Ellis Boyd 'Red' Redding played by Morgan Freeman being denied parole; a process which we soon learn is the norm at Shawshank. Both Andy and Red develop a strong bond and become the central figures for all incidences behind the Shawshank gates. Andy and Red's friendship further helps to solidify the Shawshank's inmates' creation of a family unit.  

Red's role as the go-to- guy or "the guy who can get it for you" even "Rita Hayworth"; positions him as somewhat of a patriarchal figure in the Shawshank family. When Brooks (James Whitmore) attempts to repeal his parole by accosting one of his fellow inmate, Floyd (Brian Libby) rushes over to Red and Andy to help quell the agitated Brooks.

Andy's unassuming nature is felt as he navigates his life sentence at Shawshank with an unsuspected and quite an impenetrable ease. He becomes a glimmer of hope for the Shawshank family. This idea is fully expounded upon in the blog post "Movies can give a hint to a life worth living" by Symbiotic Chirality, where the blogger explains that the hope as symbolize by Andy not only gives meaning to the lives of his Shawshank brothers but this hope also adds purpose and meaning to his own life.

 It took Andy a while to warm up to the Shawshank crew and they to him. He comes as a surprise to his fellow inmates, especially Red who "didn't think much of Andy first time [he] I laid eyes on him." In the end Andy earns his place at Shawshank's proverbial table, using his skills and tenacity to bring about an unprecedented change to the prison. He moved as one not impeded by the iron bars which separated him from the rest of the world but as a free man; at times the viewer even forgets that he is a part of an incarcerated team and rather sees him and the rest of Shawshank as residence of a secret community or the members of a family.

It seems that he never left his life behind but rather just shifted from one location to another. A former banker, Andy even returns to his vocation by providing financial services for the Shawshank prison guards as well as guards from neighbouring prisons.Andy's presence at Shawshank further helps to create another world and open up his fellow inmates to new possibilities.

Behind Mr Dufresne's goodwill and seemingly unending patience which bore him through years of attacks, betrayal and eventually being a part of an unscrupulous money laundering scheme led by prison warden Norton (Bob Gunton); was his confidence in his freedom. Although he is seen as one of the Shawshank family, he does not let his time there cause him to become "institutionalized" like Brooks who commits suicide when he is freed of the prison but is unable to operate out in the real world.

 

In explaining Brooks' seemingly irrational reaction to his parole he says " These walls are funny. First you hate 'em, then you get used to 'em. After long enough, you get so you depend on 'em. That's institutionalized." Taking him roughly 20 years Andy eventually gains his freedom. With a rock- hammer and a Rita Hayworth picture, he manages to escape the Shawshank prison as well as absolve his prison family of warden Norton's oppressive hand by exposing his (warden Norton) money laundering scheme. 

What do you think about the men of Shawshank? Leave us a comment below and share this post.

MAN AGAINST THE WORLD: TAXI DRIVER

 Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver  (1976) focuses on the antagonism between man and the modern society. Taxi Driver’s Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) portrays an aversion for the world in which he lives. A former civil servant, Travis Bickle settles into a life of self- imposed alienation and is further resigned to socially subversive behaviours. The subject of his writings translates his frustration with the pervading physical and moral decadence of his time. Scorsese's film examines the mind of a marginalized anti- hero who struggles against the changes of a modern society.
The narrative format in Taxi Driver is ideal for the viewer to distinguish the mental disposition of the movie's main character. The first person narration is achieved through the voice over technique. The accounts of Travis’ diaries are echoed by the main character himself, thus giving it a personal appeal. He plots his revenge against society, armed with guns and knives he waits to be opposed by anyone in order to unleash his anger. Living on the margins of society, Travis Bickle appears as an outsider in his own world. The streets of 1970’s New York City, littered with drugs, guns and prostitution, a grave abhorrence for Travis who wishes for “the rain to wash the trash off the sidewalk”, ironically has an influence on him as he unconsciously partakes in all its vices. His affinity for pornographic films as well as his nonchalant attitude towards the passenger, who explicitly reveals how he would deal with an adulterous wife, suggests Travis’ oneness with this place he professes to hate. Travis is not only isolated from their physical environment, he also bares an emotional detachment as he fails in his attempt to secure meaningful relationships with those around him. Travis describes himself as “God’s lonely man” and further laments his isolated and purposeless life, he says “All my life needed was a sense of someplace to go. I don't believe that one should devote his life to morbid self-attention, I believe that one should become a person like other people.” Although his line of work enables him to come into contact with a number of persons he does not know how to reach out and alienates himself in his taxi, observing the changing world through the windshield of his car.When his loneliness overwhelms him and he attempts to make a connection with his fellowmen, his lack of social graces and inability to articulate his opinions make his efforts futile. A relationship with Betsy(Cybill Shepherd) was a chance for him to integrate into society and gain a sense of purpose, but this also fails as he seems unaware that his movie preference is ill suited for a date.

 
The movie also features instances of anti- heroism in its main character. Travis is faced with the challenge of rescuing a young prostitute from a life of peril and although he successfully follows through with his intents to rescue his social victim, Travis’ self- hatred and acts of violence blurs his heroic image. 

He sees saving Iris (Jodie Foster) as a way to save him form a meaningless existence; “Now I see this clearly. My whole life is pointed in one direction. There never has been a choice for me.”

Martin Scorsese's 1967 film Taxi Driver explores the life of a marginalized anti- hero who struggles against the changes of a modern society. Travis tries unsuccessfully to re-integrate into a society which to him is suffering from moral decline. 

A CHANCE MEETING WITH THE LUNCHBOX

The Lunchbox is a narrative feature written and produced in 2013 by Ritesh Batra, an Indian born filmmaker. It is rated as a PG film and is narrated mostly in Hindi and in some English with English subtitles. The film was first screened at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival when it was awarded the Critics Week Viewer’s Choice Award. Thereafter, it was shown in 2013 at the Toronto International Film Festival and in 2014, it formed part of the Trinidad + Tobago Film Festival. In 2015 The Lunchbox gained a spot on the nomination list in the “Film Not in English Language” category of the British Academy Film Awards.
The sequence of events in The Lunchbox takes place in modern day Mumbi, India. The main characters include a young wife, a young husband, an aging pen pal and an off-screen Aunt. Common marital issues triggered by an uninterested and mostly absent husband forces the wife to take action to rekindle romance and happiness in her marriage.  She undertakes this quest by cooking tasty meals and sending them by a dabbawala to her husband. 

Surprised to find that the food is not reaching her husband she is forced to write the consumer in an attempt to find out where the food is being delivered. However, instead of notifying the dabbawala of the error she becomes pen pals with the consumer and they decided to meet. Meeting arrangements fall apart but the wife indicates her intention to leave the marriage to pursue happiness.

Set around the Metropolitan city, the director is successful in capturing its chaotic atmosphere as he takes particular interest in presenting the busy streets of Mumbai, India. His emphasis on sound, created by the ever present noise of the subway trains as well as cinematic shots of the dabbawalas hastening to complete their lunchtime deliveries, all contribute to the film’s time and place. Mumbai’s dense population is not only viewed by the crowded streets and offices of the city but Batra closely defines this area where Deshpande Auntie who lives in the apartment above Ila’s, is able to hear her when she gives an almost faint chuckle after reading about Saajan’s “things are not always as they seem” encounter on the subway. Batra additionally uses dialogue to express the film’s period. One indication of this occurs when Saajan is reading one of Ila’s letters and Shaikh says to him that nowadays everybody uses email. The director includes subtle dimensions to the film’s context which adds to its authenticity. Mumbai’s social environment shows a society which is sacrificing family life and community for economic advancement. This is reinforced as Saajan’s laments that “there is no place for talent in this country” and that everybody wants what someone else has. Central to the movie’s socio-economic framework are the dabbawalas, which is a lunch delivery system, unique to India. Although it is evidenced that the growing city may be shifting in values, the originality of the dabbawala system is a testament to Mumbai’s innovative spirit. The dabbawala’s prideful assertion that - “Delivery guys don’t make mistakes…. Harvard people came and did a study on us… The king of England has also come, he has seen our delivery system…” bares Batra’s initial interest in documenting the lives of these food delivery men.Although an urbanized state, the Mumbai of Batra’s film clings to its country’s traditions. The singing of traditional songs and Shaikh wedding are both examples of Indian cultural experiences. It is visible that Mumbai’s culture adheres to the patriarchal rule. Her mother objects to her financial assistance because it does not look nice since they are the “girl’s side”.   Moreover, Ila’s role as wife and mother, while it is void of certain cultural constraints, her mother’s routine of “breakfast, medicine, bath” shows that even in modern Mumbai, their lives are still outlined by the principles of the wider society. Deshpande Auntie’s cooking remedies and her preservation of the old cassettes further links the traditions of the past with the present day Mumbai, India.  Both Ila and Saajan bare a common struggle of being "othered", which the director alludes to by the experiences they share unknown to each other. Ila’s struggle to win the love and attention of her husband is the driving conflict and causes her to feel lonely. Despite his distance and  unwillingness to communicate, she tries to counter this by preparing meals for him and hopes that according to Saajan, having another child would bring them closer. When she suspects that he is having an affair, likewise she concedes, lacking the courage to confront him. Saajan also faces a similar conflict, where he is figured as social recluse. The audience gets a true sense of his isolation as he sits alone at lunch and at home he stares at a family, through the window of the apartment opposite his; he is always the outsider unable to be a part of the life happening around. Batra’s camera techniques especially in the lunchroom scenes separate Saajan from his colleagues. He only realizes his desire to belong to someone as his relationship with Ila grows. This sets out a change in Saajan, which the director emphasizes by no longer allowing Saajan stand out but after a while he takes effort to blend in with those around him. He also no longer fights against being teacher to Shaikh and even assumes the role as surrogate parent at his wedding. The Lunchbox is not just a romantic story of a chance meeting  and exchanged notes but is a brilliant take on the changing values the Mumbai society. 

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