Music from the Big House (2012)
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44% of critics liked it
(9 reviews) -
83% of users liked it
(95 ratings)
In Music from the Big House, Rita Chiarelli, Canada's Queen of the Blues, takes a pilgrimage to the birthplace of the blues, Louisiana State Maximum Security Penitentiary a.k.a Angola Prison - what used to be the bloodiest prison in America. Rita's trip turns into a historic jailhouse… More In Music from the Big House, Rita Chiarelli, Canada's Queen of the Blues, takes a pilgrimage to the birthplace of the blues, Louisiana State Maximum Security Penitentiary a.k.a Angola Prison - what used to be the bloodiest prison in America. Rita's trip turns into a historic jailhouse performance - playing with inmates serving life sentences. Their shared bond of music, and Chiarelli's vivacious personality, draw striking revelations from the inmates. Rather than sensational stories of convicts, we witness remarkable voices of hope as their love of music radiates humanity and redemption on their quest for forgiveness. -- (C) Official Site
- Directed By
- Bruce McDonald
- Written By
- Tony Burgess
- Genres
- Documentary, Musical & Performing Arts, Special Interest
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Jun 1, 2012 Limited
- Studio
- Caché Film & Television
Critic Reviews
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Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
Even with a gripping subject like blues-singing convicts, the documentary "Music from the Big House" has a disconcerting emotional distance.
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Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
Don't look for Elvis in this stark musical doc set in a maximum security prison.
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Nicolas Rapold, New York Times
[It] gets across a general notion of music as universal solace. But the filmmakers hesitate at going deeper into the dark places of the prisoners' biographies and the storied prison itself.
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Benjamin Mercer, Village Voice
It finally feels too cautious, as if digging a little deeper might compromise the prevailing tone of tentative uplift.
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Derek Adams, Time Out
McDonald's film ultimately boils down to being just another competent but slightly dull prison doc, albeit a toe-tapping one.
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