BY KENYA SUGAWARA

"Death Row is called the last mile. But because the floor of Cold Mountain prison has faded green, it is called the Green Mile." With this opening line, we become engrossed in the world of the "Green Mile."

This American movie was directed by Frank Darabont and stars Tom Hanks. The filming took place at an old prison in the state of Tennessee. But it has a low ceiling and a lot of cells on both sides of the corridor. Therefore, Darabont made a set from scratch to give a historic and mysterious feeling. The creation of a long window--like temple especially makes a deep impression.

Paul Edgecomb, played by Tom Hanks, thinks back over a mysterious

experience that he had in 1935 during the Great Depression. Paul, the head prison guard, has common sense and kindness. Though they wear uniforms, the guards never abuse their authority and sometimes encourage condemned prisoners. Death Row is a mixture between the fear that will visit soon and the guard's kindness, and this complexity leaves a deep impression and causes tension to the viewers.

A black condemned prisoner named John Coffey comes to Death Row for murder. He is a big man of over 2 meters with a childlike innocence. He cures Paul's sickness just by the touch of his hand. Another time, the wife of the prison warden recovers from a brain tumor by the strange power of Coffey. These phenomena are like miracles. Did he really committed the murder? Actually, he is innocent. He grasps Paul's hand. Then an image poured like an electric current into Paul. This image was of a violent criminal named Wharton, who happens to be imprisoned there. The image is just before he cruelly murdered twin girls. Though Coffey held the girls to help them, they were already dead. Since their parents saw Coffey holding the girls and was covered with blood, they assumed that he was the murderer. He became the convicted killer of Wharton's crime. But using his mysterious power, Coffey had a prison guard kill Wharton. This scene is a kind of revenge, but it leaves the audience with a sense of a God-like justice.

However, Paul must execute Coffey. It is impossible to disobey the law. And Coffey wants to die. "I'm tired because people hurt each other. I'm tired of the crying pain which I feel and hear for the world." Steven King, the author of the original story, must be trying to convey to movie-goers about discrimination against blacks. Coffey opts for death because he wants to put an end to living in this era. Paul shakes hands with Coffey on the eve of Coffey's execution. Coffey must give him solace for his pain at being faced with this absurdity. He repays the handshake, which naturally makes the viewer feel deep sorrow.

What can we learn from this film? We can see that racial discrimination is a kind of slavery, and that even in a modern democracy innocent people can suffer under the U.S. constitution. After all, what is important for us is to learn consideration for the feelings of human beings regardless of race.