The film makes the case -- one that always needs making -- that, despite what they've done, these men retain some shred of humanity.
Comment
04/14/06
Shakespeare Behind Bars (2006)
92
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:26
Fresh:24
Rotten:2
Average Rating:7.8/10
Consensus: Shakespeare Behind Bars is a moving testament to the power -- and universality -- of art.
Theatrical Release:Mar 10, 2006 Limited
Synopsis: Shakespeare's plays have been performed in every major city, in every possible venue, but perhaps the most unusual and emotionally-charged performances of OTHELLO and TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA have... [More]
Director: Hank Rogerson
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Reviews for Shakespeare Behind Bars
Top CriticThe mere fact that Shakespeare can teach hardened criminals to search their souls gives hope that forgiveness and redemption are possible -- even at the bottom of the human barrel.
03/10/06
Top CriticRogerson lets the cameras roll, and we get real insight into daily prison life. But he doesn't stop to create context, and we feel stuck inside the razor wire.
04/14/06
Top CriticA truly inspiring documentary that depicts the salutary effects of prison inmates performing in an annual Shakespeare production.
03/13/06
In Shakespeare Behind Bars, the most restricted people in society find freedom in performance and release in words.
03/09/06
Top CriticI found this documentary to be sobering, even optimistic ... it's a reminder that being human means being complex.
08/10/06
Rogerson and producer Jilann Spitzmiller ably convey the humanity of the inmates while also exposing them as deeply flawed individuals. The film also reconfirms the enduring relevance and power of Shakespeare and his adaptability to almost any milieu.
05/12/06
Top CriticShakespeare himself couldn't have written better or more complex characters, and far from strange, by the end of this extraordinary film you couldn't imagine Shakespeare performed anywhere else.
03/10/06
... a truly compelling examination of the extent to which art can lift the human spirit, no matter how tragic the surrounding circumstances may be.
07/10/07
The search for inner forgiveness is a ribbon that runs throughout the film...
04/08/06
This fascinating video documentary covers a nine-month rehearsal of Shakespeare's final play by inmates at the Luther Luckett Correctional Complex in La Grange, Kentucky.
08/12/08
Top CriticThere's no denying the pic's overall impact as a compelling study of art as a source of transcendence.
03/09/06
Top CriticAn immensely moving tribute to the power of art.
03/31/06
Rogerson has crafted an emotionally satisfying exploration of the creative process through people who, before the program started, weren’t comfortable with expressing themselves at all.
04/08/06
Observes as the inmates use theater to massage knots of guilt and anguish in their psyches.
05/05/06
Top CriticIt's a tribute to the dry-eyed empathy of the filmmakers that these men, guilty of the most heinous crimes of murder and violence, somehow manage to win your sympathy.
03/01/07
The up-close interviews with the prisoners, many of whom are in jail for murder, are the heart of the film.
05/19/06
By presenting murderers as actors and then filming those actors discussing their sins, the line between performance and soul-searching blurs in unnerving ways.
04/14/06
Rogerson's structure is ingenious: He dilutes our initial skepticism by showcasing the prisoners' thoughtfulness and intelligence, and as soon as we've come to care for the men he shocks us with the details of their crimes.
03/07/06
Top CriticWe'd all like to believe that art is a lot more powerful than it is, but during rehearsals, two inmates who swear that Shakespeare has shown them the light are instead cast off to the Hole for breaking prison rules.
03/10/06
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