[QUOTE=Sauron]
I can’t remember if it was brought out in the movie, but in the book Andy brings a wad of money into the prison with him. Red speculates that Andy greased the palms of the guards to keep his prison cell from being searched too carefully. (That’s also why Boggs gets beaten up in the book … Andy paid a guard and some inmates to do it.) Later, as he becomes the de facto CFO of the warden’s clandestine business, Andy uses his status as the way to keep his cell from being searched much.
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I don’t think Andy paid anyone to beat up Boggs. In the novella, Andy does have a roommate for awhile…he mentions to Red that the cell was “always drafty.”
Andy’s ability to do taxes does make him a “wonderful pet” as he says in the movie. So, while he may have come in with some cash, he went further because of his financial abilities. Plus, it was also a weapon for the warden to use…if Andy didn’t behave, he would go back down to the laundry and lose his solitude in his cell.
Also, in the novella, when Andy asks Red for Rita Hayworth, Red asks “The big one or the little one?” Later it’s revealed he’s talking about poster size. So, the argument could be made that posters were not considered contraband.
[QUOTE=ivylass]
I don’t think Andy paid anyone to beat up Boggs. In the novella, Andy does have a roommate for awhile…he mentions to Red that the cell was “always drafty.”
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Same thing happened in the book … I think the guy that told Red the cell was always drafty was named Normaden. In the book, as the wardens changed, Andy’s status would fall and rise. Since there was only one warden in the movie, that got modified.
But yeah, in the book Andy advises the guard about the way to shield his inheritance from taxes, and that, plus some cash, got Boggs beaten up.
It’s interesting to see how the two sides manipulated each other, isn’t it?
They were contraband, but generally winked at. Red says something in the book about the administration knowing he provides all this stuff, but they turn a blind eye most of the time because it provides a release valve for the pressure.
[QUOTE=ivylass]
There’s a scene from the book that I wish they’d kept in the movie, but I believe they cut it for time.
It’s when the guard is crawling through the hole to try to see where Andy ended up. As you know, he crawls through the sewer pipe, and the guard’s reaction to the smell sets Red off, until he starts laughing hysterically, realizing his friend escaped. He can’t stop laughing, and says he did the two weeks in solitary (that he got as punishment) standing on his head.
I bet Morgan Freeman could have pulled that scene off with no problem.
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I have no cite, but I remember seeing a special on this movie and Freeman filmed the scene you mention. Darabont cut it because it didn’t flow. Freeman was pissed because it was actually a difficult scene to film for him. Very draining if I recall correctly.
I saw this movie in 1994 at the theater, never read the book, and I thought Andy was going to die.
One other thing: this movie was a box office non-factor. Budget $25 million
Gross revenue $28,341,469. I imagine much of that came after it was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. (1994 was the best year ever for BP!)