MANSFIELD, Ohio — Thirty years ago in the city of Mansfield, a movie centered on the topics of love, friendship and corruption was filmed.
Little did the cast and crew of "The Shawshank Redemption" know their movie in 2024 would hold the No. 1 spot in IMDB's "Top 250 Movies" chart.
"I think that is some of what makes this film great: people can really relate," said Alfonso Freeman, the son of legendary actor Morgan Freeman, who plays the role of the "Fresh Fish Con" in the movie. "Tough circumstances, but your friend is right there."
"The Shawshank Redemption" is widely considered one of the greatest movies of all time and is celebrating its 30th birthday this weekend at Mansfield.
On Friday at the Renaissance Theatre in downtown Mansfield, cast and crew members from the film held a meet-and-greet with fans, as well as a media event.
One of the actors in attendance was Bob Gunton, who played the role of Warden Norton.
He said he still watches the movie three decades later when it comes on TV.
"I've seen that movie 20,000 times, but if I come home and it's playing on the TV, I got sit and watch the rest of it," Gunton said.
The movie follows the story of Andy Dufresne, played by Tim Robbins, a banker who is later found to be wrongly sent to prison for murdering his wife and her lover.
While inside Shawshank Prison, portrayed by the Ohio State Reformatory (which has now been turned into a museum for the film), Dufresne meets and later befriends Ellis Boyd Redding, better known as Red, who is played by Morgan Freeman.
Throughout the movie, Dufresne is surrounded by challenges, including corruption with the warden, as well as multiple instances of violence.
But in the end, hope shines through.
"I love stories that give me hope at the end," said film director Frank Darabont. "They all don't have to mind you of course. There are all kinds of stories to tell, but this one was particularly keen."
Even 30 years later, those who were part of its production treasure the scenes that were important to them, like Gil Bellows, who played the role of "Tommy."
"I love when Andy puts on the opera and everybody just stops and listens," Bellows said. "There's just something about that scene that I think sort of connects to a bigger idea within the movie itself, which is there are certain things that go beyond words. "
And the impact that the film has had worldwide is not lost on those part of the special reunion, and at special places like the reformatory.
"People I talk to all over the world, really have this sense of almost religious," Gunton said. "If they came here, they'd call it a pilgrimage."
A pilgrimage to a movie first crafted in the form of a book by author Stephen King in the 1980s and brought to the big screen in the '90s, all with the help of characters like Mark Rolston, who played the role of "Bogs Diamond."
"The reason why it's remained at the top of IMDB is because people just eat it up, because it's all about the human condition," Rolston said.
The reunion runs from Aug. 9-11. For more information, click here.
A gallery of photos from iconic filming location and more is below:
