Different Seasons

The Shawshank Redemption is based on 'Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption', a novella in King's 'Different Seasons' collection. Andy Dufresne, a banker wrongly convicted of murdering his wife, arrives at Shawshank State Penitentiary and strikes an unlikely friendship with Red, a man who knows how to get things. Over two decades, Andy finds quiet ways to resist. King's prose is uncharacteristically gentle — this is the author of The Shining writing about hope.

Darabont's film surpasses even King's source material in emotional resonance, thanks to Morgan Freeman's narration — the warmest voice in cinema — and Roger Deakins' photography. It bombed on release but became the highest-rated film on IMDb within a decade. The adaptation adds several scenes not in the novella, all of which feel essential. A rare case where the screen version might edge out the source.