Product Description

Called "riveting and beautifully made" by The New York Times, the Academy Award®-nominated DOING TIME: LIFE INSIDE THE BIG HOUSE takes a hard-edged look at life inside the walls of Lewisburg, a maximum security federal penitentiary where the notion of rehabilitation and parole have all but been abandoned.After gaining unprecedented permission from the Justice Department, Emmy® Award-winner Alan Raymond spent five weeks inside Lewisburg. With access to the entire prison, the Raymonds captured the stories of corrections officers as well as the inmates, including drug lords, "lifers" with no possibility of parole, and prisoners convicted of leading prison riots. Detailing a world where prisoners carry "shanks" and officers respond to violence in full riot gear, this candid documentary reveals what life inside "the big house" is really like. A rare, unprecedented look at the prison subculture, DOING TIME: LIFE INSIDE THE BIG HOUSE will challenge the way you look at incarceration in America. DVD Features: Filmmaker Interview; Filmmaker Biographies; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #25586 in DVD
• Brand: NEW VIDEO GROUP
• Released on: 2006-06-27
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 60 minutes

Features

• Alan and Susan Raymond's film takes a hard-edged look at life inside the walls of Lewisburg, a maximum security federal penitentiary where rehabilitation and parole have all but been abandoned. After gaining unprecedented permission from the Justice Department, Alan Raymond spent five unescorted weeks inside the prison. Focusing on several inmates, as well as the corrections officers, "Doing T

Customer Reviews

Upsetting, Insightful; Phenomenal Achievement
Alan Rudolph (& wife) have crafted a film of unusual intensity. They were given permission to film inside Lewisberg, the maximum security prison that seems to be the end of the line for serious criminals. These are men who seem to have no hope of rehabilitation, and the interviews are riveting, whether from inmates or guards. Indeed, the warden seems to have a definite idea of what works. Much has been said about abuse in the prisons, and this film somewhat dispels that myth. To appreciate the power of this film is to know the power of evil; I won't blab away a lot, but I was totally absorbed in the material at hand. The Raymonds are to be commended for this Oscar-nominated effort. Extras on the DVD are fine and insightful.

Pretty good...but not your best academy award nominee...
Good interaction with subjects and great access to a high security prison.... since there is no story you just kind of hop from one cell to the next, to the patios, to the kitchen, etc. The building is beautiful for a prison, designed in a renaissance style it has a high tower similar to those cute European villages, but, not much story for that. Most of the content are small conversations with high freaky minded assassins that make you wonder what kind of species is the human being.