Head-to-Head: 'Shawshank Redemption' vs 'The Green Mile'

Both beautifully made adaptations of Stephen King stories set in prison, where a very special fellow who's not all he seems arrives and influences the lives of its inmates and guards, albeit in very different fashions. Here I explore which film 

Direction

Either way, Darabont comes out as the winner here, so let's take a look at his style first and foremost. I've only seen The Mist outside of these two works, which is definitely a bit of a step down in terms of quality, though it's still a good enough film. With a broad, overall view of his work, however, Darabont likes choosing stories confined mostly to a singular environment, the Shawshank State Penitentiary here and the 'Green Mile'/ death row at Cold Mountain Penitentiary. Within these enviornments he likes to build little worlds within it, and his mastery for the 'mise-en-scene', of structuring events and exposition together and bringing characters together within the environment, is a skill I'll get onto in more detail later. Beyond that, they diverge quite differently. The Shawshank Redemption has a reputation for being the most inspirational, crowd-pleasing film of all-time, and those elements are brilliantly handled by Darabont as he brings out the powerful moments of Andy Dufresne's (Tim Robbins) quiet defiance against the prison system, and his subsequent 'redemption' and escape. He allows the quieter, more intimate moments where the acting is at the forefront to flow as beautifully as the moments where his director's hand takes control. Equally effective though is how he portrays the darker elements of the prison life, and when the film goes dark it goes very dark. I think the best example of how well he blends these two aspects together are in the following two scenes, one which is directed so beautifully and in a heartfelt way but depicts a most tragic end to a character, another which is directed with such grimy, gritty tones but ends up becoming the most iconically inspirational moment in the film:

I think I'll have to give the win to The Green Mile here however. Not that I necessarily think Darabont does a greater directorial job in one over the other, I just think there's an added challenge in The Green Mile as there's much more tonal shifting throughout the film. There's moments it verges on slapstick comedy territory, soon to be followed by some extremely dark moments; characters who are entertaining to watch are also extremely reprehensible; underneath every inspirational moment lies an undercurrent of cynicism, and vice vetrsa; and in the hands of a lesser director it could've come across as an entirely tone-deaf piece of direction. In Darabont's hands however, he expertly manages to make all sides of the film cohere wonderfully, and while he did a great job in bringing out the inspirational and emotional qualities of the material in The Shawshank Redemption, I think The Green Mile is an even more impressive example of handling what is technically a blend of fantasy, mystery, comedy and horror all into one beautiful cauldron. Despite the divisive and perhaps somewhat obvious Christian allegories prevalent throughout the film, it always feels natural in Darabont's hands, and he maanges to craft some truly amazing scenes that are a combination of both restraint and release of directorial flourishes. The two execution scenes in particular are remarkable examples of bringing out the horror and sadness of the situation but in the latter (SPOILERS) a certain humanity and beauty.

(EXTREMELY NSFW/disturbing)

(Extremely upsetting, and a SPOILER scene)

Winner: The Green Mile

Acting (Narrator/Audience Avatar): 

Both films feature a narrative voice to guide us into the stories; for The Shawshank Redemption it's Morgan Freeman for Ellis Boyd 'Red' Redding, for The Shawshank Redemption it's shared duties between Tom Hanks and Dabs Greer as young/old prison guard Paul Edgecomb. It's interesting to compare the two roles because while both are main characters, have a great deal of dialogue and are the ostensible 'leads' as in they are the ones whose personal arcs the film properly begin and end with, they are often not the focus, rather they are the point of view from which the audience witnesses the happenings within Shawshank and The Green Mile. Shawshank starts with Andy's courtroom sentencing, but it soon shifts over to Red's perspective and internal voiceover; The Green Mile begins with a scene of a crime which is not elaborated upon till later on, then we're immediately given focus to old Paul (Greer), who's at an old people's home and begins recounting the story of his time on the Green Mile to friend Elaine (Eve Brent) after breaking down in tears after seeing Top Hat on telly.

Morgan Freeman as Red vs Tom Hanks/Dabs Greer as Paul Edgecomb

I should mention that Morgan Freeman must've been quite a surprising choice for Red at the time, considering Red was written as a middle-aged redhead Irishman in the original novella. This is hilariously lampshaded in the film when Red is asked why he's called Red - 'Maybe it's because I'm Irish'. Far from just setting up this funny little joke, however, Freeman was pitch-perfect for the role because the first criteria of the job I'm guessing was 'good voice for narration', since there's an awful lot of it in this film. Well one of Freeman's greatest assets is indeed his mellifluous voice which can make even the most mundane thing sound very interesting, and proves that like Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, you can cast an actor against the book's description and still make it work beautifully. Now having a wonderful voice is good and all, but how is the effort behind it? Well Freeman is certainly an actor who can phone it in from time to time (I'm expecting he does so in Ben-Hur), but here there's definitely an investment in the character of Red, as we get such a clear picture of a man in jail for an unspecified crime, clearly regretful of it, but also content enough with prison life as it is. Freeman has such a naturally amiable presence that you'll fully believe he's the guy in the prison everyone turns to for advice and wants to be friends with, and the guy in the prison people go to when they need an extra something from the outside, which brings him into contact with Andy.

It would seem to be the requisite for Tom Hanks Best Picture films in the 1990s to have narrators/elderly figures bookend the films. Unlike Forrest Gump the narration is not handled by himself, it's done by veteran actor Dabs Greer. The latter's screentime in the film is not overly substantial, and the voiceover narration unlike The Shawshank Redemption is used more to set the cogs of the story going, rather than continually replenishing it like Freeman's narration. To Greer's credit he's very charming and sweet as the older Paul Edgecomb, suggesting hints of the younger man but also the disillusionment old age has brought to him, and carries the beginning and end of the film very admirably. The main meat of the character does go to Hanks though, and I have to say it's as if the role was written for him. Paul Edgecomb is the head prison guard of death row, and besides that he's a very average, normal man. He has a loving wife (Bonnie Hunt), takes pride in his job, is ambivalent that every man on the Green Mile, no matter what evil he's done is entitled to a fair final death on 'Old Sparky', and just seems to be an all-round swell guy. All-round swell guys Hanks can play in his sleep, and here he's just perfect in bringing that sort of likability to Paul. In addition to that he has really nice chemistry with fellow prison guards Brutus 'Brutal' Howell (David Morse), Harry (Darabont regular Jeffrey DeMunn), and Dean (Saving Private Ryan co-star Barry Pepper), and prison warden Hal (James Cromwell, two years removed from L.A. Confidential and still getting us to trust him); some fabulous anti-chemistry with the demented likes of sadistic Percy Wetmore (Doug Hutchinson) and 'Wild Bill' (Sam Rockwell). And of course another relationship I'll get to in a bit. Hanks plays his role in a very understated fashion for the most part throughout, often conceding the broader comedic moments or dramatic scenes to his co-stars. His performance is largely reactionary and thus slightly limited, but it must be said that he nails each and every one of these reactions perfectly.

I think this excellent video here shows how well Freeman builds his character's personal story up from start to finish, without having nearly as much direct focus as Tim Robbins does. From the first, to the very last parole meeting we see a man who's learnt how to stand up for himself and make a difference with his life.

Then of course there's the voiceover, every bit as crucial alongside the soaring score to so many of the most beautiful moments of the film. I have to say it adds a bit to every scene it features in, whether it be the opening introductory moments to Shawshank, how it's interspersed with the opera scene, or of course describing how Andy crawled his way through shit 'and came out clean the other side'.  The best example of it is of course, that powerful ending which is carried to a breathtaking conclusion by Freeman's voice.

As for Hanks, he doesn't get as much in the way of standalone scenes to shine as Freeman does. More often than not he's at an edge of a scene, graciously helping to add to a scene with his reactions; even his best moments often involve him adding to the emotional intensity of another character's personal scene. Which isn't to demean Hanks' work in any way. He's one of my favourite actors, and I thoroughly enjoy watching him in general. The role of Paul Edgecomb isn't thankless so to speak; it's a very well-written character that's given a lot of emotional weight throughout, particularly in the last few scenes. He does a great job of the little moments throughout the film involving his character's realization of John Coffey as a son of God, and I particularly love his line deliveries in scenes like the cornbread scene (his delivery of 'many times' is classic Jimmy Stewart stuff), and of course the final 'may God have mercy on your soul'. His performance is a powerful one, but I'll have to give the edge to Freeman here because his character not only has more focus and standalone scenes to thrive, but also because his performance is even more crucial to the film.

Winner: Morgan Freeman in The Shawshank Redemption

Acting (The Arrival):

Both films also share a similarity in that the story kicks off with a new inmate to their respective prisons; in The Shawshank Redemption it is mild-mannered banker Andy Dufresne who is convicted for the murder of his unfaithful wife and her lover. In The Green Mile, John Coffey is a far more imposing-looking sort, though perhaps even more milder in manner, a very, very tall black man convicted of the murders of two young children. As you can see, both new inmates are in for very different reasons, and carry with them very different stories. The similarity is that both remain extremely enigmatic at the start, the former due to his personality and the latter due to others' presuppositions and his appearance, and it's over the course of the film we gradually learn more about the both of them and get insight into who they are exactly. Also they're both innocent. I suppose it is a bit of a spoiler that I mention this, but neither film ever tries to really trick you into thinking either man is a murderer, which is kind of the point of them; they work hand in hand with the audience's omniscience.

Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne vs Michael Clarke Duncan as John Coffey

Interestingly enough for films of this sort of type, the new inmates aren't the sort of rabble-rousing radicals we've come to expect of all the Cool Hand Lukes and Randle McMurphy anti-establishment figures that regularly feature as the 'spark' to these sort of prison stories. In fact, Robbins' performance as Andy Dufresne stands as almost the complete opposite of Paul Newman and Jack Nicholson in those films. Where those superstars utilized all their screen presence to craft dynamic, energetic rebels whose every action seemed to be in defiance of confinement, Robbins, more of a character actor and occasional leading man up to this point, plays the role of Andy in a much colder fashion. In the beginning we see a man who's heavily drunk and vehemently jealous in flashback, but from that point onwards we get only the colder facade of Andy to start with.

In the court scene, and in his initial scenes in the prison Andy is a quiet, somewhat distant figure to both the audience, and other inmates, Red included. This is soon revealed to be a masterstroke by Robbins as it firstly suggests the background of Andy, a man more prone to use intellect and brains, than passion and heart, to make his way in the world. It gives a sort of insight into his methodical, precise way of doing everything for a particular reason, and Robbins suggests the intelligence of the man wonderfully through these initial scenes where he may not be the warmest man in the prison grounds, but he certainly still comes across as extremely compelling, and extremely unique.

John Coffey's entrance is expertly handled by Darabont's direction at first placing emphasis on the sheer size of the man, and soon after telling the audience about his supposed crimes - him having been found with two dead girls by his side, tearfully saying 'I tried to take it back...but it was too late'. Not the best first impressions one can have, and by that description alone you'd think Coffey to be an intimidating, grotesque-looking, violent and unpredictable brute. The brilliance of Duncan's performance is to immediately subvert, and yet not altogether reject, these sorts of preconceptions. Duncan is an actor who after this generally played an assortment of thugs and criminals, with the occasional comedic supporting role in the likes of Talladega Nights, so it's amazing how well he plays Coffey as this soft-spoken gentle giant whose first concern when entering his prison cell is whether or not the lights will be kept on at night.

John Coffey is never meant to be exactly suspected of having committed those crimes, but the circumstances, and warnings by other characters to Paul Edgecomb not to be fooled by the man's docile exterior, mean that in the initial stages at least we are a bit wary of him in case he reveals a darker side. Duncan makes this work through his performance by continuing to bring that mystery to John Coffey as a man no one knows where he's from or who he is, exactly, but also conveying that he was most certainly put on this earth for a reason beyond normal human knowledge. This brings the viewer and Paul to the supernatural element of the film, wherein Coffey is revealed to have a very special ability to remove afflictions and heal people by removing the 'bad' from their bodies. These scenes are directed by Darabont with an earthly but still very magical style, and Duncan fulfils his role in these scenes by playing them as a man consumed with an otherwordly gift, suggesting a man from outside the world, but at the same time the otherwordly curse of having to bear so many of the burden of the world upon his soldiers. Duncan goes a step further with his performance by, through all these supernatural occurrences and displays of power, keeping his very modest, understated and kindly approach to John Coffey.

Indeed, one of the most interesting aspects of the writing behind both characters that I must give an awful lot of credit to Stephen King for, is that they both subvert your expectations of the men while never entirely losing sight of your initial impressions of them. That might sound like a non sequitur but let me explain. For Andy, the prisoners initially view him as a bit of a snob, which is not entirely unjustified since he does consciously keep a certain sort of distance from the rest of the prison. As he begins to ask Red for help to obtain a series of contraband items from the outside, however, we get more insight into what compels him, which is a strong, quiet but very evident streak of resilience.

The cold facade is gradually lost as the relationship between him and Red warms up into a true friendship, and by the time Andy begins integrating himself with the prison guards to help them with their finances, and taking over the prison library, we don't see him as some snobbish uptight toady but rather a man doing his best to improve the prison life, helping his fellow inmates gain benefits from his actions, and slowly getting on the good side of the prison authorities to set future plans in motion. This streak of resilience is ultimately rewarded, and boy is it beautiful. That we begin to root for him is a slow, gradual but rather wonderful progression handled by Robbins, and helps make every obstacle and pitfall he encounters heartbreaking, and his final escape so beautifully realised and fulfilling. I particularly love the famous opera scene, the scene where he breaks out finally (shown above), and the scene where he goes to the bank to expose the wrongdoings within Shawshank, you see the changed man Andy is from the cynical, cold man he was at the beginning, a smile of satisfaction spread across his face that is just awesome.

Andy goes through more of an arc than John, that's for sure. John Coffey remains a constant mostly throughout in terms of who he is and what he stands for, good, and what he stands against, evil. I could use this to diminish his performance but I can't because what Duncan does in the role is so powerful. When advocating the good through his kindness towards the better inmates and the little mouse Mr Jingles, he's so heartwarming, sweet and utterly endearing, but never in an overly saccharine manner. John Coffey is a straightforward and simple man, not simple in terms of intelligence necessarily but simple as in he has no bitterness or jealousy, he's just happy and content to see others being happy and content, and never tries to hide anything he thinks about because all he has are direct, warmhearted nice thoughts, and never has anything but kind words to say for kind people. He's still mysterious because that's the nature of someone who's effectively a Christ figure (which by the way can also be an interpretation for Andy - see the pose he makes in the rain), but human through his very down-to-earth kindness. And when confronted with evil we see he hates evil, yet not in a hateful fashion, rather he wishes to eradicate it immediately when he sees it to avoid it from hurting the rest of the world.

This sounds like relatively simple stuff, but it could've all gone wrong had the actor seemed ill at ease with the simple kindness and love of John, or his stark goodness in the face of evil. Duncan manages to mend both these sides together beautfiully and creates a quiet but truly inspiring character who sells every magical moment in the film brilliantly, sending chills my spine every time he cures another soul, every time he gives Wild Bill his comeuppance. He makes the walking embodiment of an omnibenevolent, righteous soul resonate without ever making it seem like an artifice, as Duncan's performance never seems less than perfectly genuine and sincere. We grow to love Coffey, and this brings us to the end of the film where Coffey meets his end. The execution of John Coffey is an utterly heartbreaking scene, but even greater is the scene preceding it where Paul tries to get John to escape from prison. Duncan delivers one of, in my books, the top ten greatest film monologues in cinematic history with his speech about being 'tired' of this world. It never fails to break my heart.

Robbins gives an incredible lead performance and Duncan a magnificent supporting one, that help bring the emotional power to their respective stories so beautifully, and I can't possibly choose between the two so I'll leave it to a tie.

Winner: Tie

Acting (The Ensemble):

I guess the best way to divide the characters of both films are into the categories villains and supportive characters. I guess one could also put them into 'good' and 'bad' categories, but within the environment of a prison it's difficult to make such clear-cut distinctions of morality between the characters.

On the villain side of things, the ones in The Shawshank Redemption are pretty nasty sorts. Warden Samuel Norton, played well by Bob Gunton, is a falsely pious, inwardly twisted man who rules over the prison with an iron fist and is willing to resort to illegal means to preserve his supposedly 'clean' image. His chief of guards Hadley (Clancy Brown) is a blunt instrument of walking violence, terrifying in each instance he appears because you never know when he's going to run rampant. And from the inmates point of view there's 'The Sisters', a gang of prison rapists who led by Bogs Diamond (Mark Rolston) set their eyes on Andy. They all make for imposing figures who you properly fear, and their final fates are all the more satisfying as the rotten establishment of the prison crumbles as they crumble.

I have to give the edge to The Green Mile with regards to the villains however, as while the villains of The Shawshank Redemption are reprehensible and memorable, the ones in The Green Mile are repulsive, haunting and downright unforgettable. The most prominent one is of course the one and only Percy Wetmore, a prissy, creepy and downright disgusting prison guard played brilliantly by Doug Hutchinson as a representation of a man-child gone most horribly wrong. Percy is a violent and unhinged man who's utterly horrible to the prisoners and comes across as the most self-assured, smarmy git even when he's yet to do anything overtly terrible yet. The way he struts about the prison with such an air of self-assurance with his command and vehemence reminds me a bit of Ian Hendry in The Hill and makes him such a hateful presence, and makes his later actions even more reprehensible and difficult to watch, and his succession of comeuppances so satisfying. As for the opposite side of the villain spectrum, there's 'Wild Bill' played by Sam Rockwell in an early role. The character of Bill is initially used for dark comedic effect, and Rockwell does this brilliantly by making his harassment of the prison guards both quite disgusting and quite amusing (even to the guards themselves). Even in these moments however, Rockwell reveals a darker, twisted edge to the character best shown in the scene where he intimidates Percy sexually; it's really fascinating to see two evil characters, one who hasn't actually done anything 'unlawful' and one who's done everything 'unlawful', come face to face so to speak. The payoffs to each of these characters' finales is perfectly well-earnt, and it has to be said that their dynamic is one of the greatest parts of The Green Mile.

As for the supportive characters, The Green Mile has a plethora of them. The fellow prison guards to Paul, played by David Morse, Jeffrey DeMunn and Barry Pepper, are all likable, amiable presences, with Morse in particular adding rather golden little reaction shots that add so much to the humorous and dramatic sides of the film, and DeMunn and Pepper are also great with their more unassuming work.

James Cromwell's Hal is a bit limited initially as the strict but kind-hearted prison warden, but really nails the scenes where he's required to be a bit more incisive or emotional, and when he gets to do more he delivers. As Hal's wife Melinda who's suffering from a horrible brain tumour, Patricia Clarkson is very moving and difficult to watch in depicting the delibating effects of the illness, and absolutely wonderful after her 'healing' scene with her warmthful interactions with John.

Harry Dean Stanton is a lovable, if all-too-brief presence as Toot-Toot the rambunctious janitor who has a hilarious 'mock execution' scene. As for those on death row themselves, bar Wild Bill the other death row prisoners are painted in a decidedly more sympathetic light. Graham Greene's Arlen Bitterbuck has limited screentime but still makes an impression as a man regretful of a moment's hastiness ruining a beautiful life.

And Michael Jeter's Eduard 'Del' Delacroix is a heartbreaking portrayal of a man who's done terrible things but emanates kindness and regret. His relationship with the mouse of the Green Mile, Mr Jingles, is rather endearing, and Jeter gives such heart and soul to the man's roguish nature and humour that you don't mind that the film technically cheats by not revealing what he did to get on death row (which in the book is revealed to have been the rape and murder of a girl, and when burning her body the accidental burning of a whole building down). He helps make his execution scene one of the most painful scenes to watch in the whole film.

As for The Shawshank Redemption, most of the supportive characters are more than serviceable. Red's 'squad' of convicts, most notably William Sadler's Heywood, are all nice welcome presences to the plot who add a lot to each scene, and though I do think the character of Tommy Williams is a bit of weak writing by King the way he's inserted into the plot, Gil Bellows acquits himself nicely into the role and makes his little arc and exit affecting and disconcerting, respcetively.

The best of the ensemble, though, is easily veteran actor James Whitmore's Brooks Hatlen. Whitmore's performance starts of as incredibly lovable and endearing, a man who's been in the prison for over forty years and has gotten quite comfortably used to prison life. Brooks is just a nice man who loves his pigeons, although he's also done bad things in the past, and Whitmore plays him as such till he has to leave the prison after being paroled. The tragedy of it is that having been contained within the system so long, Brooks cannot adapt to the outside world, and such is the mastery of the writing and Whitmore's performance that it becomes so incredibly powerful and sad to watch him struggle with the pace of the outside world and feeling so lonely. It's a short but extremely powerful performance and I must say, makes me well with tears every time I watch it. It's close in terms of the supportive performances on the whole,  but the advantage of the villains by The Green Mile gives it the win in this regard.

Winner: The Green Mile

Screenplay

The screenplay to The Green Mile is very impressive in how it manages to compress a rather gigantic book into a manageable, compact plot, dealing with so many different characters without ever feeling like it shortchanges any of them, I particularly love the way it plays characters off one another through incidents both comedic and dramatic, often within the same scene, and yet never feels tonally imbalanced. The dialogue, though stylized in particular with regards to the scenes involving John Coffey, always feels tripping to the tongue, and there never feels an extraneous line out of place in a scene, nor do characters ever feel out of place in a scene. I'll have to give The Shawshank Redemption the win here though. While the screenplay to The Green Mile is amazing, the one to The Shawshank Redemption is perfection on so many levels. I've mentioned how great Morgan Freeman's voiceover narration is, well another part of that superlative strength is the lines behind him, many little touches having been added to the source material by Darabont himself to enhance the effect. The original novella to The Shawshank Redemption was quite short in length and also in incident, and the way Darabont expands on it without ever feeling overwrought is great. He employs the mise en scene terrifically in scenes where characters are just chatting or shooting the breeze to introduce more characters, more story elements or set up further plot elements. The 'Brooks Was Here' segment is a particularly great example of picking up on a completely throwaway character in the original source material and turn it into one of the most affecting moments in the film. It's a tough call, but I'll give The Shawshank Redemption the win in this regard.

Winner: The Shawshank Redemption

Editing

I love The Shawshank Redemption, but I will admit there are some parts in the midsection I feel lag a little. It's more than a nitpick really, but I've always felt the slightly slower pacing in the middle section, while effective in some parts, reveals some minor flaws in the editing in that it feels a bit too removed from Andy Dufresne's personal story. Again this is a nitpick, but The Green Mile has pitch-perfect editing through and through. It flows along beautifully for a three-hour film but never feels rushed, each scene transitions onto the next seamlessly, and there's never a feeling of anything more wanting from one scene to the next because it's all pieced together in a way that makes the sequences satisfying.

Winner: The Green Mile

Cinematography

The cinematography in The Green Mile is great. It creates such a vivid atmosphere of claustraphobia within the death row, and within the limits of one building even has a few nifty tricks for scenes involving Mr Jingles. The creative camera angles to make Michael Clarke Duncan tower over his already pretty tall co-stars David Morse, James Cromwell and Tom Hanks should not be sniffed at as they feel entirely realistic. Having said that, the cinematography to The Shawshank Redemption is of an all-time great standard. I'll show the iconic introductory scene to the prison everyone knows and loves here, as it really is just a pitch perfect example of how the film camera can tell so much with so very little.

Winner: The Shawshank Redemption

Sound

Both films capture the auditory vibes of the prison life incredibly well, especially in the escape scene for The Shawshank Redemption, and the execution scenes for The Green Mile. I'll give the edge to The Green Mile because of how immersive it is on a sound level in matching with the visuals onscreen, from the big sounds like John Coffey's 'healing' scenes to little touches like the clip clop of Percy Wetmore's shiny shoes on the Green Mile.

Winner: The Green Mile

Set Design/Lighting

Both films have beautiful sets, both films have beautiful lighting. The Shawshank Redemption exemplfies it best through the design of the prison life and prison courtyards, and of course that rain scene, but I have to say the design of the Green Mile itself, and the way the lights are employed throughout the film, is truly in its own league.

Winner: The Green Mile

Costumes

The costumes in The Green Mile are quite standard for a reason, the characters are either prisoners on death row, prison guards or average citizens, there's not much variation within these categories though I've always though John Coffey's overalls and the way Percy wears his hat and slicks back his hair, are particularly memorable. The costumes in The Shawshank Redemption however, add so much character. From Red's baseball cap to Brooks' old-style fedora, to those creepy glasses worn by Bob Gunton (though it's maybe the actor who makes them that creepy), all add a great deal to the film in the way the best of the best do.

Winner: The Shawshank Redemption

Soundtrack

Closer than you might think. The Green Mile has a great soundtrack by Thomas Newman that really strikes the perfect balance between being pleasing to the ears, and haunting to them as well. It works particularly well for Melinda's healing scene, and the melancholic ending of the film. The Shawshank Redemption though has one of the most recognizable themes of all-time for a very good reason. It's iconic because it's great, and I have to give it the win here because it helps elevate some scenes from 'really good' to 'magnificent'.

Winner: The Shawshank Redemption


The Green Mile 6, Shawshank Redemption 6

I suppose it'll have to be a tie then. I thought of once again doing the 'emotional impact' category but I realized it would be most erroneous, considering both films go for almost diametric approaches with the final emotional impact they imprint upon the viewer. Shawshank tells of indeed, redemption and hope, through all the pain and suffering Red will find his friend once again; The Green Mile ends on a beautiful but powerfully sad note, with the only bright spot being that John Coffey is free from this terrible world but Paul Edgecomb must stay for a much longer time. I'd say I probably feel more affected during viewings of The Green Mile with its power, but that's more because it's close to being one of my top 10 films of all-time, and The Shawshank Redemption is no slouch either, it's up there among my all-time favourites. In the end I don't think one's better than the other, I prefer The Green Mile but objectievly I think they're just about equal in terms of being great films.

1960s The Green Mile (directed by Robert Mulligan)
Paul Edgecomb (young): Burt Lancaster
Paul Edgecomb (old): Frederic March
John Coffey: Ossie Davis
Brutal: Martin Landau
Jan: Jean Simmons
Hal: Jack Albertson
Del: Harry Dean Stanton
Percy: Robert Blake
Wild Bill: Warren Oates
Harry: Richard Erdman
Dean: Robert Duvall
Melinda: Shelley Winters
Toot-Toot: Wallace Ford
Burt Hammersmith: Arthur Kennedy
Arlen Bitterbuck: Chief Dan George
Klaus: Frank Overton

1960s The Shawshank Redemption (directed by Robert Mulligan)
Andy Dufresne: Sidney Poitier
Red: Gregory Peck (I know it's not the most obvious choice, but come on, that voice. Alternatively, Robert Shaw.)
Norton: James Whitmore
Heywood: Frank Gorshin
Hadley: Strother Martin
Tommy: Bobby Darin
Brooks: Claude Rains