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Shakespeare Behind Bars

Manipulative, yet engrossing documentary
By NINA MACLAUGHLIN  |  May 3, 2006
2.5 2.5 Stars

Shakespeare Behind Bars
Shakespeare Behind Bars

Hank Rogerson’s engrossing, manipulative documentary follows a group of inmates who put on a production of The Tempest inside a Kentucky prison. Yes, the film speaks to the power and timelessness of art. And yes, the convicts’ dedication to the play is compelling. But there’s something more complicated afoot. Rogerson waits to reveal what crimes the actor/prisoners committed until we know them. Big G, a jolly bear, plays Caliban. He killed a cop. Hal, who looks — and speaks — like an aging hippie, plays Prospero. He dropped a hairdryer into the bath he’d drawn for his pregnant wife. Leonard starts rehearsals as Antonio, then gets transferred to maximum security. He’s in jail for sexually abusing seven girls. Rogerson lets the prisoners speak — and speak they do, about redemption, freedom, forgiveness. But it’s when they talk about their crimes and their repentance that the notion of performance feels blurred indeed.
Related: Mentally ill inmate gets care, despite state's objections, The 10th Annual Muzzle Awards, 92. Rick Ross, More more >
  Topics: Reviews , Criminal Sentencing and Punishment, Prisons
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