Doing Time: Life Inside the Big House
| Doing Time: Life Inside the Big House | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Alan Raymond |
| Produced by | Alan Raymond Susan Raymond |
| Starring | Alan Raymond |
| Cinematography | Alan Raymond |
| Edited by | Alan Raymond |
| Music by | Patrick O'Hearn |
Production company | Video Vérité |
| Distributed by | HBO |
Release date |
|
Running time | 60 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Doing Time: Life Inside the Big House is a 1991 documentary film about the Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary, directed by Alan Raymond. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.[1][2] It was shown as part of HBO's America Undercover.[3]
Plot summary
Doing Time: Life Inside the Big House documents daily life inside Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary through interviews with inmates, guards, and prison officials. The film examines the effects of long-term incarceration in a system where rehabilitation and parole are largely absent.[4]
Cast and crew
Cast
- Alan Raymond – Narrator
Crew
- Director: Alan Raymond
- Producers: Alan Raymond, Susan Raymond
- Cinematography: Alan Raymond
- Editing: Alan Raymond
- Negative cutter: Jim Finn[5]
Production and release
The documentary was produced by Video Vérité and directed by Alan Raymond, who also served as cinematographer and editor. Susan Raymond was credited as producer, and Patrick O'Hearn composed the music. The film was originally released in 1991 and was later issued on DVD by Docurama and New Video Group in 2006.[6]
Reception
In a 1991 review for The New York Times, Walter Goodman described the documentary as a tough and direct look at life inside Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary. He noted the filmmakers’ cinéma vérité approach and wrote that the Raymonds "let their camera do the walking" as it follows inmates, guards, and officials through the institution.[7]
In another review, Robert Koehler of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the film offers an intimate look inside Lewisburg Federal Prison but said the Raymonds’ point of view stays mostly in the background. He felt the documentary provides only basic material about prison life and adds little that is new, comparing it to their earlier work on "An American Family."[8]
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Academy Awards | Best Documentary Feature | Nominated | [1] |
References
- 1 2 "The 64th Academy Awards (1992) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
- ↑ "NY Times: Doing Time: Life Inside the Big House". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2008.
- ↑ critic, Rick Kogan, Television. "BEHIND BARS". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ "Doing Time: Life Inside the Big House". Video Verite. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
- ↑ "Doing Time: Life Inside the Big House – Full Cast & Crew". IMDb. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
- ↑ "Doing Time: Life Inside the Big House". University of Iowa Libraries. Docurama / New Video Group. 2006. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
- ↑ Goodman, Walter (February 12, 1991). "Review/Television; An Hour's Journey Into a Night Of the Soul". The New York Times. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
- ↑ Koehler, Robert (February 12, 1991). "TV Reviews: 'Doing Time': Little News From the Big House". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
External links
- Doing Time: Life Inside the Big House at IMDb
- Doing Time: Life Inside the Big House at Video Vérité