Shawshank Redemption
This modern film classic, an extraordinary tale of hope and survival inside a maximum security prison, follows the complex twenty-year relationship between two convicts who have little in common--except friendship. Based on the novella Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemptionby Stephen King, director/screenwriter Frank Darabont's film, starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, was nominated for seven Academy Awards(r), including Best Picture and Best Screenplay and has been named one of the 100 Best Films of All Time by the American Film Institute. The Newmarket Shooting Script Series(r) book includes: Introductions by Stephen King and Frank Darabont Complete shooting script Analysis of script-to-screen changes Behind-the-scenes photos Storyboards Complete cast and crew credits "Memo from the Trenches" by Frank Darabont
Stats for nerds
2recommend
2mentions
2people
2022–2023years
100% recommend
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- You made me think about this a little more, but I still don't quite agree.
I thought of two novels that I enjoyed:
First, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. I have no recollection of who the author is, but if I learned that the story had been computer generated, it would bother me a little. So... "point to you."
Second, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption. I know it was written by Stephen King, but the plot is so elegant that if you told me it had been computer generated, I don't think I would care. It's simply a great enjoyable story.
In the next 10 years, if the world is flooded with computer-generated novels that are hugely popular and the vast majority of people enjoy them without knowing their provenance, do you think those people will care that they are enjoying something that doesn't meet your definition of art?
edit: to be clear, this is not a position that I enjoy taking. There's something "Brave New Worldish" about it. Or it's a depressing version of the Turing Test.
- Honestly, I'd suggest starting out with a more contemporary and easy author before delving into the classics, for the same reasons Einstein gave about music: https://www.rd.com/article/the-night-i-met-einstein/
The classics tend to be harder to approach due to the many cultural references contemporary to their time, and also their literary devices and techniques that are part of what led to their selection as classics to begin with. Without that background knowledge, you'll feel lost and frustrated, and there's little point in reading things if you can't enjoy them.
I started my journey into history and the classics later in life. I never thought I'd ever actually enjoy reading Shakespeare, and yet King Lear is one of my favorites (but it takes a lot of background knowledge to enjoy).
So start with someone contemporary to the last 30 years or so. Think of the genres of TV shows or movies you do enjoy, and then seek out famous authors of those genres.
Here are some authors I've enjoyed in the more "addition and subtraction" end of literature. Temba, his arms wide:
- Stephen King (horror, suspense) - fun fact: Did you know that "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" is one of the few non-horror short stories he wrote? And I daresay his best.
- Terry Pratchett (comedy, fantasy) - Spent many an evening giggling uncontrollably with his Discworld novels.
- Douglas Adams (comedy, scifi)
- Robert Heinlein (scifi) - "Stranger in a Strange Land" is still my favorite scifi story. This is where the term "grok" comes from.
- Tom Clancy (drama, thriller, spy)
- John Steinbeck (drama, depression era) - "Of Mice and Men" is particularly good, and a source of many references. Whenever you hear references to Lenny and the rabbits and the puppy, it's referring to this book.
- Farley Mowatt (drama, environmentalism) - Most famous for "Never Cry Wolf"
TBH I'm a little jealous... You're about to discover a whole world.
