When the film “Shawshank Redemption" first hit theaters, it was a box office flop.
It wasn’t until the film came out on DVD and aired frequently on cable that it gained a lot of traction. Now, thanks to the Stephen King adaptation’s iconic scenes and memorable lines, it’s a classic and IMDB’s No. 1 movie of all time.
This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of the film’s release. It’s so beloved that, even decades later, it still attracts more than a 100,000 visitors each year to the north central Ohio city where it was filmed: Mansfield.
President of Destination Mansfield Lee Tasseff said the town has been transformed by its claim to movie fame.
“It's been one of the most amazing things any of us have ever been through, and we're grateful that the movie was filmed here. We're grateful that it turned out the way it did,” Tasseff said.
Landing the movie
The film’s director Frank Darabont was in need of an old prison, and Mansfield just happened to have an abandoned one. The Ohio State Reformatory served as a correctional facility for nearly 100 years, until it was shut down in the 1990s.
By 1993, it was dilapidated and neglected, but, with the right fixes, it was fit for the silver screen.
Tasseff got a call from one of the film’s producers: if he could find them a place to build the interior prison sets, Darabont would bring the movie to Mansfield. Tasseff arranged a meeting with a local warehouse the next week.
“Two hours later, they had a deal done … It happened that fast.”
And when the up-and-coming director first toured the prison, Tasseff said he was enthralled. He thought it was the perfect fit to be one of the movie's “main characters”.
“[Darabont] crawled all over that prison like it was a playground,” Tasseff said. “He loved it. He went everywhere: upstairs, in closets, in the basement and the attic. He was everywhere.”
A pilgrimage for Shawshank fans
When the movie first released, it wasn’t clear that much would change in Mansfield.
“We didn't know it was resonating with people. Until people started randomly showing up in town, at our office, from all over the world, wanting to see the Shawshank Prison,” Tasseff said.
But it only took a couple of years for the movie to transform Mansfield into a mecca for some moviegoers. Cinephiles come to Ohio State Reformatory for tours to see the protagonist Andy Dusfrene’s cell and the warden’s office where Dusfrene broadcasts Mozart.
The movie even saved the prison from total demolition. Local residents advocated for its survival, and the city sold the prison to a community group for just $1. Now, it brings in tourism dollars for the town.
“This thing took off and now we're known all over the world for it.”
The 30th anniversary festival
Not only does the city offer tours of the prison, it also has a whole “Shawshank Trail” where superfans can see the hotel where Brooks stays, the pawnshop window Red peers through, and the cabin where the opening scene takes place.
And this weekend, it’s celebrating the movie’s anniversary with even more to do. It’ll host movie screenings around town. While Morgan Freeman (Red) and Tim Robbins (Andy), the film’s main characters, won’t be attending the festivities, some of the cast and crew will be in town to answer questions, including director Darabont.
Tasseff is excited to show them how much Mansfield has changed since they first set foot in the small Ohio city. Prior to the movie, businesses were closing and the town’s population was declining. Now, the town is inextricably linked to a classic.
“You ask [anyone], ‘Do you know the movie Shawshank?’ And 99.9% of people light up and say ‘Yeah, I love that movie,’” Tasseff said.
And while Mansfield’s slow-paced revitalization can’t be traced to the filming of “Shawshank Redemption” alone, Tasseff said it certainly gave the city some hope. And, as Dusfrene narrates in the movie, hope is a good thing.
“Maybe the best of things. And good things never die.”
