Storyline
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.
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Music From the Big House
In Theaters: June 1, 2012
Genres: Documentary
Distributors: Matson Films
Synopsis:
Rita Chiarelli, Canada's Queen of the Blues, takes a pilgrimage to the birthplace of the Blues: Louisiana State Maximum Security Penitentiary, a.k.a Angola Prison - formerly the bloodiest prison in America.
Rita's trip turns into an historic jailhouse performance, playing with - rather than for - musician inmates serving life sentences. Their shared bond of music, and Chiarelli's ebullient personality, draw striking revelations from the inmates.
Rather than sensational stories of convicts, we witness remarkable voices of hope as their love of music radiates humanity and redemption on their quest for forgiveness.
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