Theres a reason this film is number one on the Internet Movie Database. It touches on so many universal themes: hope, friendship, betrayal, corruption, freedom and of course redemption. Its far more than just another prison drama. It shows how even under the harshest conditions, we can still make something of ourselves. You can certainly debate which Stephen King prison movie, this or The Green Mile, is the superior product. But you cant deny that Shawshank has earned its reputation as a modern-day masterpiece. And since TNT shows it so often, the people in charge of selecting films for the registry are bound to notice it eventually.