The 1994 classic based on Stephen King’s short story is considered one of the greatest films ever made.
Despite being a box-office disappointment, The Shawshank Redemption would go on to be nominated for seven Oscars.
Set over two decades between the 1940s-1960s, the story follows Tim Robbins’ Andy Dufresne, who is wrongly sent to prison for the murder of his wife and her lover.
Inside the jail, he befriends another lifer, Morgan Freeman’s Red, and becomes a key player in the warden’s money laundering scheme.
But did you know one of the most iconic scenes in the movie was improvised by Robbins?
The scene in question takes place around halfway through The Shawshank Redemption when Andy locks himself inside the warden’s office and plays opera on the prison’s speakers. As a result, the convicts all stop what they’re doing and stare up in wonder at the beautiful female vocals, which make them feel like free men for a moment. When the warden screams at Andy from the other side of the locked door to shut off the record player, the original script had him doing so.
However, Robbins improvised, turning the opera recording of The Marriage of Figaro up, in an act of defiance. As a result, he’s sent to solitary confinement before later making his great escape.
The Shawshank Redemption is streaming on NOW.
