Movies

I love movies. Plain and simple. I love stories, and I love movies.

I recently used The Shawshank Redemption in a campaigner (bible study) lesson. There’s just so much there. The lesson took a lot from this class and was unofficially titled (i.e. in my notes) “Finding God in the Ordinary”. Shawshank was my personal example, designed to draw kids in, and hopefully allow them to open up.

Shawshank, for me, has always been about hope. And I always thought it was interesting the main character of the movie, Andy, is a static character. He never loses hope. The dynamic character in the movie… the one who really changes… is the narrator, Red. This movie speaks to me on so many levels. I’m pretty sure I could plan a semester of Bible studies for Young Life based solely around The Shawshank Redemption.

Anyway, the clip that I played for “campaigners” was where Andy gets the library supplies from the state, and he plays the Mozart record over the loud speakers at his own expense, and “every last man in Shawshank felt free that day”. I love this clip because it combines my love of music with cinema. I still get goosebumps when I hear that song. I started thing about Andy’s position in this scene, and what I would do if I were in it. Would I listen to the record at all? I’d like to think so. Would I try to talk the “nice guard” into letting me play it so low that no one else could hear? Probably. Would I dare to play it over the loud speaker? To instill hope and make my fellow prisoners feel free… if only for a while? Almost certainly not. Andy’s self-sacrifice here is not only humbling; it’s convicting.