Despite its underwhelming performance at the box office, The Shawshank Redemption has earned its place in cinematic history as one of the greatest movies ever made. However, the inclusion of certain deleted scenes could have altered its fate, potentially jeopardizing one of its seven Academy Award nominations.
Similar to many iconic films of the ’90s, the discarded scenes from The Shawshank Redemption have become accessible to the public through taped television specials and online platforms like YouTube. The decision to cut a particular scene can sometimes be perceived as an oversight, while in other instances, it becomes evident why the scene was omitted. In the case of The Shawshank Redemption, there is one deleted scene that unequivocally falls into the latter category.
From a narrative perspective, the deleted scene unfolds immediately after Andy successfully tunnels out of his cell. It depicts the moment when prison authorities discover his escape and decide to dispatch a younger officer in pursuit. However, the pursuit takes an unexpected turn when the guard encounters an exposed sewage pipe, prompting him to exclaim, “Oh my God, it’s excrement,” followed by projectile vomiting amidst the flowing waste.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Stephen King, the author of the novella upon which the movie is based, explained that although the scene was “funny,” its inclusion ultimately “slowed down the action” and was consequently cut for the sake of pacing and runtime.
King mentioned that these cut scenes haven’t made it onto various DVD and Blu-ray releases, but they have been aired on television a few times. Fortunately, someone foresaw the value of preserving them, leading to their existence on platforms like YouTube for audiences to explore.
