Music from the Big House

Music from the Big House is really good. It's very interesting the way they deal with the inmates who all are such interesting thoughtful people. The music's really nice.

It seems that the inmates are people who have grown older and wiser during their time inside. They are really thoughtful and talk about redemption and forgiveness. They are spiritually sophisticated.

Documentaries can take the audience into places, lives, and situations we wouldn't otherwise be able to go. Narrative film does that to a certain extent, but only a documentary can go to a place like Angola Prison and show what it is really like to live there and how it's possible to end up there.

I knew what Music From the Big House was going to be about, in a very general sense, and being a blues fan I was looking forward to it. I'd never heard of Rita Chiarelli but I became a fan very quickly; her passion for the blues and her own craft is genuine and contagious. As you learn the history of Angola Prison and the individual stories of the inmates you kind of lapse into feeling sorry for these men. The whole time I was trying to remind myself that these inmates were serving life terms for a reason, and without being told what crime they had each committed almost made it worse as I imagined every heinous crime in the book.

But as the movie went on, I became so engaged with these men's stories that the fact that they were imprisoned almost fell to the wayside. They were funny and gentle and seemed like normal people and the dynamic there between the people I was witnessing and the fact that they were convicted felons created a very real tension that kept me invested in the story. For any fan of the blues, watching the inmates perform with Chiarelli was incredibly raw and emotionally visceral. When these guys are belting out lyrics about death and loneliness and redemption, specifically on the Chiarelli-penned "Lay My Bones To Rest," you believe every word they sing. It feels real, feels so absolutely honest and heartfelt that you can't help but be enraptured by their performances and feel like a part of the experience. They croon like the condemned men they are, the shadows of their sentences hanging over their heads like vulture.

That kind of emotion can't be faked, can't be bought, but can only come from experience. They're doomed and they know it, and that raw, emotional,cathartic release is refreshing in a world of bubble-gum pop stars and flavor-of-the-month radio hits. It offers a constant gut check on the nature of forgiveness and who should be forgiven, and there's no way to leave the movie without conflicting emotions. These men have nowhere to go but up, and witnessing these seemingly changed men, men who seem absolutely peaceful and at peace with themselves, bear their souls and stories is beautifully haunting.

I can only echo what has been stated by majority of reviews here. This movie takes a warm and engaging look at the blues and roots music coming from Angola Prison Louisiana while balancing that with the reality of the men that live behind bars. We don't learn a lot about why the men are doing time, but this adds an ability to empathize without being pushed to judge those same men. The cinematography is beautifully shot and the action paced well, interspersing forward movement with history and biography. Nor does the film avoid the gritty and dismal living conditions at the prison. The music for the men in Angola becomes a much need cathartic and creative outlet. And the music itself is great. Regardless of your musical preferences it would be hard not to find sympathetic joy from seeing the performances. Chirarelli's performances are great and it's apparent from the start that she genuinely cares about the men she performs with. Overall, Music from the Big House is a great story with great music, what else could you want?

Watching Music from the Big House is like diving into a world that society has long forgotten and chooses not to remember. The black and white exposure of the film gives it an interesting take, reminding the viewer that sometimes life is lived in the gray. It has a particular raw footage grounding effect in part due to its inspirational original music and camera work. It takes you on a journey as if you were seated shotgun during filming. While it's not a story of second chances or new beginnings it reminds us all that life is what you make of it and you must make due with what you have. The film does an extraordinary task of distracting you from the real nature of the individuals being documented, only then to bring you back to a sense of reality right before rolling the credits.

This is the first time I have heard this song. I give 9 marks because I like it. This music has succeeded in highlighting the emotions of a human being. This music has taken my mind to another world. This song shows how to behave in a disaster.