Deleted Scenes
While the film feels complete as it is, a few deleted scenes could have added more depth to the story. In one cut scene, the inmates discover Brooks’ pet crow dead in a field and give it a heartfelt burial after Brooks is paroled. Another omitted moment shows Tommy’s wife visiting him, inspiring him to turn his life around and work toward earning his GED. Lastly, a removed scene depicts Red having a panic attack in a grocery store, retreating to the bathroom as the environment reminds him of his prison cell. This would have made his journey to the tree and rock wall even more poignant, symbolizing a stark contrast to the choice Brooks made.
Deleted Scenes
There Was A Recording Issue
Famous for its narration by Morgan Freeman, the voice-over was initially recorded before filming began and played on set to establish the rhythm of each scene. Freeman completed the entire narration in Iowa in just 40 minutes. However, the recording was plagued by a persistent hiss that sound engineers in Los Angeles couldn’t fix. As a result, the entire narration had to be re-recorded in a professional studio—a process that, this time, took three weeks to finish.
There Was A Recording Issue
