Differences between the movie and book: Shawshank Redemption

Books that are made into movies are always changed, even if they are minor changes, but changes are made nonetheless.  There were only a few minor changes made in the process from making the book into a motion picture film.  When this book was made into a film, the plot and overall idea/ message of the movie remained the same.  The movie version changed its name from the book version Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption to Shawshank Redemption.  In both versions, Rita Hayworth has very little to do with the story in the scheme of things, so this is why it was probably removed.

One of the minor changes that occured in the translation from book to movie was that the lead guards come and go in the book version, but Byron Hadley is the lead guard until the very end in the movie version.
  Also, in the film, Norton is the warden the entire duration, but in the novel there are 2 other wardens prior to Norton.The director of the movie probably did this so that the audience would not have to keep learning who the new characters were.  In both,  Warden Norton has embezzles hundreds of thousands of dollars. However,  in the novel, Norton quietly resigns after Andy escapes whereas,  in the film, when Andy escapes and makes Norton's crimes known, Norton commits suicide in his office rather than allow himself to be arrested.

There are no changes to the setting and theme to the story.  Some more minor details that are changed are that  in the book Andy goes through two rock hammers while making his hole. He only uses one in the movie. In the novel,  Andy did not steal warden Nortons shoes and clothes in the novel, and he did not ask Heywood for a line of rope.  However, in the movie Andy did do these things.

The endings in book and movie were changed up some the book ends with Red en route to find Andy in Mexico but not sure that he will, ending with the words "I hope." The movie shows Red finding Andy on the beach in Mexico.  This final scene in the movie shows that Red meets up with Andy.  This never happens in the book.