Shakespeare Behind Bars

During the Elizabethan era the theater had one major difference; women were not allowed to perform on stage. As such all the original performances of William Shakespeare’s plays had all male casts. While many of us looking at Shakespeare’s plays today would balk at the thought of a man as young, fair Juliet but that is the way Shakespeare would have witnessed his plays. It helps to keep this in mind while watching the fascinating documentary ‘Shakespeare Behind Bars’. Upcoming documentarian, Hank Rogerson, spent a year chronicling a group of men incarcerated at the Luther Luckett Correctional Complex. This institution is a medium-security prison in located in Kentucky where for seven years the authorities have permitted the inmates to perform a Shakespearian play. For this particular year the men have decided on The Tempest, usually considered to be Shakespeare’s last play. While many such institutions as Luckett have become warehouses for prisoners they actually feel that they are there to help each man there to finds some rehabilitation. The prison was built some twenty five years ago and now is home to 1,100 men, almost two and a half times the population that was intended. Larry Chandler proudly states for the camera, "I am a warden who hates prisons." As the warden he is truly dedicated to help each man in his care to find some touchstone to humanity, some means to pull himself up from his crime instead of being forever crushed by the sentence. Chandler does not see prison as a place to separate the criminal from society, he feels that it is the obligation of his institution to help ready the men to reenter the society they wronged, to come out of prison better men then when they entered.

The choice of the play by the production’s director Curt Tofteland is perfect. The themes of the Tempest are readily relatable to the men, both on stage and in the audience. All the prisoners are well versed in the realty of betrayal, imprisonment and redemption, the focus of the play. The setting of the play is a isolated island, the protagonist Prospero cut off from the life that is rightfully his. Prospero is also a sorcerer, a man that lives outside the natural law, something the prisoners can identify readily with. Even the format of the play rings true to the men presenting it. The Tempest is considered the only play by Shakespeare to adhere to Aristotle's classical unities, a set of well defined rules that demand one setting, one main plot and basically in real time. This was in many ways the Dogma ’95 of its time. The men behind bars are used to a strict set of formal rules so the very structure of the play reflects the imposed structure of their lives. Back in Elizabethan times actors and others involved with the theater where not exactly considered part of polite society, another aspect of commonality for the men to hold on to. This documentary highlights just how the Tempest resonated with the men in the troupe, it was something they could see as part of their own personal experience. As a line from the play resounds "as you from crimes would pardoned be let your indulgence set me free." This is a sentiment well considered by all involved.

There is no attempt to cover up the fact that these men deserved to be in prison. They are not innocent men incarcerated because of a mistake of circumstances or a quirk in the law, they are convicted felons. Hal, who plays the role of Prospero, is serving time for the electrocution murder of his pregnant wife. Antonio is portrayed by Leonard, a man that is as hated behind bars as he was by society. He was convicted of the sexual molestation of seven girls. Even in prison this is seen as an unforgivable crime. His role forces him to face the repercussions of his actions and the struggle he must constantly face for any slight glimmer of forgiveness. In this way the participation in the production serves as a form of intense therapy, allowing the men to see themselves through the eyes of their characters. First time actor Red plays Miranda, a 15 year old girl. This would be a rough role for any man but it is particularly difficult in such a setting. Red goes through a journey of discovery as he is able to relate to his own life through a completely different character. Sammie postponed his parole in order to walk the boards one last time. In prison he oversees some 200 men involved in a computer project and he was offered a job with the troupe after his release. The documentary does not make excuses for the men or the reason they are behind bars. It does show that there is hope for even the most hopeless men. These men are offered a chance to improve their lives and make changes. While many prisons just server as institutions of higher criminal learning Luckett is a place that helps the prisoners to see there just may be a different life outside.

Writer/Director Hank Rogerson has created a powerful, albeit flawed work here that is well worth the effort. It certainly well deserved its nomination for the 2005 Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize. Rogerson manages to maintain an objective eye with his film. He does not condemn and he certainly is not saying that a program such as this would be as successful with a wider population of inmates. He keeps his the center of his attention of the moment, what a few men discarded by the society they wronged where able to do. There is no narrator used here, the story is related to the viewer by the men themselves. The film follows the process from the pre production work through the auditions, rehearsals and final the big night. There where some set backs as a performer is set to solitary but that is part of doing a production in this setting. Some of the celebrities that are interviewed are gratuitous. I could have done without the input by Rosie O’Donnell for example. One interesting little bit was from B.D. Wong an actor who was in the HBO prison drama ‘Oz’. The last season of that series showed a prison production of Hamlet that had a much different outcome than achieved here. I was surprised by just how talented the prisoners where and how committed they where to the production.

As usual Shout Factory brings the DVD public the very best in entertainment most of us would never know existed. Sure most studios focus on the big money draws and blockbuster hits but Shout looks for something much rarer, incredible productions by talented people. The video done on digital is remarkably well done. There is a clarity that many larger budget films would love to have. The stereo audio is occasionally marred by the ambient noise but over all it is excellent. Typical of Shout presenting the film alone is not enough they give us extras that are better than average. There are two commentary tacks by the prisoners and one by the director. They go beyond the usual back patting and get into the meat of the production and the effects it had on the participants. They also include some deleted scenes but it is not difficult to see why the director left them on the cutting room floor. Also included are some extras scenes of the performances. Too bad the entire stage production was not included, that would have been absolutely great. While watching this film the fact that these men may be criminals but they still retain some glimmer of humanity hits home. This is a work that achieves what it set out to do, give us a little understanding of men we would normally want nothing to do with.

Posted 7/24/06