Music from the Big House

Music From the Big House was beautifully created to tell an impactful story in the form of a documentary. Unlike most documentaries that simply tell cold, hard facts about an issue through a monotonous narrative, MFTBH captures the mind and heart simultaneously through an image-driven journey. It follows renowned Blues artist, Rita Chiarelli in her quest through the Angola State Prison in Louisiana, were she attempts to both heal and reform inmates through experimentation with Blues music. Chiarelli deserves recognition for this spectacular film and all that she does. In our society, we tend to forget that prisoners are human too and despite their mistakes they have thoughts running through their minds and emotions coursing through their veins. She gives them a chance to prove themselves and make something of their lives, where most of us would not even dare. Throughout the documentary one develops a connections with several of the Angola Prison inmates that are interviewed. This film succeeds in helping the audience view prisoners for more than just their crimes. An unconventional feat, it is an inspiring story that attempts to progress societal views and reform the prison system. It is a must watch.

I can't even begin to get into the inspiration this movie gives out. How a little women goes into the prison of Angola and gives prisoners the gift of blues music, this not only touched them but me too. I have a heavy appreciation for blues music but hearing it come from men who could have given up on life changed my feelings about music. Watching people evolve and come together strictly because of the music they share among each other is a rewarding experience. There are plenty behind the scenes documentaries that shed light on prison life. I will say that this particular film is nothing like a regular boring prison documentary in respects that it paints the inmate from another point of view. I never thought getting to know people I've never met would touch me the way these random inmates did. The ending is even more surprising, it set the tone for the whole purpose of the movie.

This film truly shows the lives of these inmates and how it can be a struggle every day through prison. The characters are introduced evenly and their stories are dread out throughout the documentary evenly a well, it has a nice flow to it. The overall theme of this movie, to me, is the power of music can save anyone. These inmates are either there for life, or have many years lefts in their sentences but what gets them through the day is music. It brings out the best in them and the director helps the audience see their story in the best way possible. With each new inmate that is presented, the camaraderie of the inmates becomes clear, even if they don't associate with each other normally, through the music that Rita Chiarelli offer them to play in a televised concert, through that they can connect together and we can connect with them better as an audience

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.

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.