Fans Step Up to Defend the Plot Hole Pointed Out by Viewers of THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
Ask most hardcore movie fans their top ten favorite movies of all time, and a least a handful of them are going to include The Shawshank Redemption. Based on a novella by Stephen King, much like Stand By Me, this movie tells a tale of life, friendship, and the persistence of the human spirit. Some may call it a perfect film, and many have, but some may tell you that there’s just one thing that keeps it from holding that title.
Over the years, one plot hole in the film has driven some viewers crazy, and it has to do with the hole in the film. The escape hole that Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) dug through his prison wall to escape to freedom was covered by a poster of 1960s icon Raquel Welch. And after he executes his plan and is gone, the poster is perfectly placed back in its spot, attached so precisely that when the warden pokes his finger through the poster, it has enough tension to tear a very deliberate hole. Some viewers wonder how that’s possible.
The issue was pointed out on Watch Mojo (via CheatSheet), and some fans were ready to come to the defense of of the film by debunking this supposed plothole.
One commenter pointed out that Andy has more tools than the normal prisoner available to him. “Andy in Shawshank has rock tools. He could have folded the bottom of the poster upward and back. Then put flat stone in the fold and glued it with almost anything.” Indeed, Dufresne was hauling a lot of stone out of his cell into the yard. It wouldn’t have been hard or overcautious for him to weight the bottom of the poster in his 19 years of digging.
Another fan authoritatively remarked, “The poster in Shawshank Redemption is not a mistake: the scotch tape was invented in 1925, for 1930 its use was common already. The movie starts in 1947, and Andy worked in the library, it is reasonable that he had access to the adhesive tape.” Everyone knows the old hat looped tape trick, so this theory could carry some water.
The commenter further continued, “…well established that the guards gave him special treatment, so is clear why they didn’t make good inspections of his cell.” It’s true, the only reason Dufresne was even allowed the poster in the first place was his preferable treatment from the warden.
It doesn’t seem so far-fetched to me that he would have been able to reattach it from the other side. Get half of it placed before crawling in, then the third, and maybe a fourth with extra tape or gum. Inmates have nothing but time, and they can be super crafty. I’m sure that reattaching the poster didn’t go overlooked by our friend, Andy Dufresne.