Shakespeare Behind Bars

By: Denis Blot

August 2006

DVD Features Video: 1.33:1 Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo Prisoner Commentaries Filmmaker Commentary Deleted Scenes Bonus Performance Footage Troupe Update Theatrical release: 3/10/2006 DVD released on 7/18/2006 by Shout Factory Running time of 93  minutes Director: Hank Rogerson Plot: Shakespeare Behind Bars is a compelling film that follows an all-male Shakespearean theater company composed of convicted felons. For one year, while incarcerated at Kentucky’s Luther Luckett prison, the cast rehearse and perform a full production of Shakespeare’s great last play, The Tempest.

In every Shakespearean play, whether it is in the genre of romance, comedy, war, or a combination of several, the human emotional core is revealed allowing theatre goers to comprehend the true essence of the characters. In watching “Shakespeare Behind Bars” the viewer is exposed to the frustration, sadness, loneliness, and brief moments of jubilation that prisoners experience while living behind bars. More importantly it is in the rehearsing process for a production of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” that the prisoners, like Shakespeare’s characters, reveal their internal emotional turmoil.

Filmmaker Hank Rogerson frequently transitions from a play rehearsal that could easily pass for any type of actors’ workshop to interviews with the actor inmates sharing the often violent tales of what led to their incarceration. The effect is often jarring and yet at times poignantly touching as several of the stories are somberly told with remorse and regret. Most astounding is the dedication the prisoners put into learning their roles and working together as an ensemble, and learning about themselves and each other as the play production moves forward.

In a documentary in which objectivity could easily be compromised, Rogerson manages a well balanced film. Inmates who are allowed to tell their own story and who are shown in moments of compassion and amicability are also seen in disputes and twice stuck in the “hole” (solitary confinement) for disobedience to prison regulations. The one aspect which seems lacking in the film is footage of the parole board hearings which seem to weigh heavily on the prisoners minds and creates the constant possibility of setting back the play’s production. None-the-less Rogerson has captured one of the best representations of prison life since “The Farm: Angola USA”. It is never easy to witness prison life, and there is always debate as to how inmates should be treated and what they deserve. “Shakespeare Behind Bars” demonstrates that a program which many would consider an undeserving frivolous expense of tax payer money is actually effectively therapeutic and provides an outlet for prisoners to prove their responsibility and dedication to something other than crime.

The DVD extras provided are superb; deleted scenes and additional footage of the play’s performance (including one at a women’s prison) enhance the understanding of the importance of the play’s production to the inmates and the joy it brings them. There are also several commentaries, all of which are intriguing to listen to. It is certainly interesting to hear director Rogerson and producer Jilann Spitzmiller discuss some of the back story and behind the scenes activity of the film, but what is really fascinating is the prisoners’ commentary. Listening to them reflect and discuss the images of themselves and those of their troupe members is at times humorous and moving, their silent pauses having as much impact as their comments.

The DVD is a must buy for teachers of Shakespeare, whether it be a high school English class, or a college acting class. For everyone else, even those who stray away from the documentary genre, this film deserves at least a rental.

Reviewer’s Opinion: RENT IT!!