The film tells the story of banker Andy Dufresne Tim Robbins , who is sentenced to life in Shawshank State Penitentiary for the murders of his wife and her lover, despite his claims of innocence. Over the following two decades, he befriends a fellow prisoner, contraband smuggler Ellis "Red" Redding Morgan Freeman , and becomes instrumental in a money laundering operation led by the prison warden Samuel Norton Bob Gunton. Darabont purchased the film rights to King's story in , but development did not begin until five years later, when he wrote the script over eight weeks.
While the film is set in Maine , principal photography took place from June to August almost entirely in Mansfield, Ohio , with the Ohio State Reformatory serving as the eponymous penitentiary. Thomas Newman provided the film's score. Many reasons were cited for its failure at the time, including competition from the films Pulp Fiction and Forrest Gump , the general unpopularity of prison films , its lack of female characters, and even the title, which was considered confusing for audiences.
Over , VHS rental copies were shipped throughout the United States, and on the strength of its award nominations and word of mouth , it became the top video rental of The broadcast rights were acquired following the purchase of Castle Rock Entertainment by Turner Broadcasting System , and it was shown regularly on the TNT network starting in , further increasing its popularity.
Decades after release, the film is still broadcast regularly, and is popular in several countries, with audience members and celebrities citing it as a source of inspiration or naming it a favorite in various surveys, leading to its recognition as one of the best films ever made.
In , the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry , finding it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In , Portland, Maine , banker Andy Dufresne arrives at Shawshank State Prison to serve two consecutive life sentences for murdering his wife and her lover.
