Music from the Big House
Music from the Big House

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- 85/100 based on 102 votes

Rita, an award winning recording artist, takes a pilgrimage to the birthplace of the blues... Louisiana State Maximum Security Penitentiary, a.k.a Angola Prison. She never imagined that her love for the blues would lead her to raise the roof in a collaborative jailhouse performance with inmates serving life sentences for murder, rape and armed robbery. Music has given these inmates something to live for behind the bars of what was once the bloodiest prison in America. It is t... (Full plot summary below)

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Actors in Music from the Big House:

Rita Chiarelli

Full Plot Details

Rita, an award winning recording artist, takes a pilgrimage to the birthplace of the blues... Louisiana State Maximum Security Penitentiary, a.k.a Angola Prison. She never imagined that her love for the blues would lead her to raise the roof in a collaborative jailhouse performance with inmates serving life sentences for murder, rape and armed robbery. Music has given these inmates something to live for behind the bars of what was once the bloodiest prison in America. It is their only escape. Steeped with hope, these remarkable voices guide us on a journey of men on a quest for forgiveness. One woman, four bands, and two hours of the Blues. It's time to make a new soundtrack.

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Movie Reviews

Capital Times (Madison, WI) - 8/10 by Rob ThomasHow do we reconcile the horror of their crimes with the humanity of their music? "Big House" could have gone much deeper in tackling this question, but it does open the door.
Variety - 8/10 by John AndersonThe performances are fun, if musically only adequate -- there are no evident virtuosi languishing within Angola's walls -- and Chiarelli's attempts to frame matters philosophically fall a little flat.
The Stranger (Seattle, WA) - 7/10 by Kathy FennessyI've rarely seen a prison film with so little anger, bitterness, and resentment on display.
ViewLondon - 6/10 by Isabel StevensWhen the camera does stray beyond the stage, the cramped, grim conditions are laid bare, the film's lyrical black and white cinematography arrestingly capturing the bleak prison landscape.
Hollywood Reporter - 6/10 by Frank ScheckThe proceedings have a certain haunted quality, thanks to the dramatic setting and the stark black-and-white cinematography by Steve Cosens that fully conveys its bleakness.
Village Voice - 6/10 by Benjamin MercerIt finally feels too cautious, as if digging a little deeper might compromise the prevailing tone of tentative uplift.
Los Angeles Times - 5/10 by Robert AbeleEven with a gripping subject like blues-singing convicts, the documentary Music from the Big House has a disconcerting emotional distance.
Orlando Weekly - 4/10 by Justin StroutMusic from the Big House middles along as a formless, touristy showcase for Chiarelli.
User Review - 10/10 by Michael FâMusic From the Big Houseâ? was beautifully created to tell an impacting story in the form of documentary. Unlike some documentaries that simply tell cold-hard facts about an issue through a boring narrative, MFTBH captures the mind and heart simultaneously. It follows renowned Blues artist, Rita Chiarelli in a journey through the Angola State Prison in Louisiana, were she attempts to heal and reform inmates through experimentation with Blues music. Chiarelli deserves recognition for this spectacular film. 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 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. Everyone should watch.
User Review - 10/10 by Eric WI've never seen anything like Music From the Big House. Knowing the premise, I knew it would be an emotional ride and probably pretty powerful stuff, but that can be said for a plethora of movies and I underestimated the way the film would genuinely move me. It's hard to describe certain emotions I felt during the movie, but its raw power was sublime. The whole movie being in black and white established a very unique, very tangible, and distinctly southern atmosphere. The film had this quiet authority that just captivated me. Seeing the different prisoners perform in their respective bands they had formed was awesome and these men knew their instruments. I liked how organic the movie was, it just trudged on at its own pace and there were no fancy frills to distract it from its path. A couple close ups of some of these inmates just playing their instruments were some of my favorite scenes. One man plays his harmonica with such quiet confidence that you can't help but feel his passion. During that and similar scenes I couldn't help but try and figure out what these inmates were thinking, what could possibly be going on in their minds. I can't imagine knowing that the rest of my life will be spent in one place and I'll die in that place and there's nothing I could do about it. The inmates have nothing to lose and everything to give and you can tell that the music is really a guiding light for some of these men, probably for some the only thing that is keeping them sane or giving them some semblance of a purpose. The concept of forgiveness is central to the movie and who is worthy of forgiveness, and it's easy to sit back and say these men should be forgiven. It's hard not to feel that way; they seem gentle, peaceful, and genuinely changed. But it's impossible to make that decision without being one of these men's victims, or a part of their victims' families. It creates a constant tension that truly invests you in the film, and it's impossible to leave the movie without an impression.

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