[.ca] Farm, the:Life Inside An (ISBN 6305295867)

From Amazon.com:
Angola Prison in Louisiana is the biggest maximum security prison in the country. This is where the most dangerous criminals go and where parole hearings are a mere formality. A startling 85 percent of all inmates die inside. A small video crew was given unprecedented access to the inmates, of which six were chosen from 5,000 to give a portrait of life in the facility, also known as "the Farm." Two of the men continue the fight to prove their innocence. Two veterans have found redemption in personal transformations, one man as a prison activist, the other as a preacher. Two men prepare for death--one faces execution, the other is being eaten away by cancer. It's unlikely any of them will emerge from prison alive. What begins as a traditional documentary transforms into an investigation of the human spirit, of hope in the face of hopelessness. We see the parole board pass judgment before the applicant even makes his case and make their decision before the door has closed behind him. Yet this is not so much a work of investigative journalism as a cultural study. What the viewer comes away with is a glimpse into an almost surreal atmosphere best defined by an incongruously chipper clown who wanders the halls on Christmas Eve to cheer up the prisoners in isolation. On the surface this seems like a well-integrated, safe, supportive environment, but under the surface of normalcy is a mix of doom and hope. --Sean Axmaker

a very powerful documentary:
*Add 1/2 of a star to my rating* I rank this film up there with my other favorite documentaries such as the "Up" documentaries and Bud Greenspan's Olympic documentaries. The film shows that racism is alive and well in our "justice" system. I was particularly moved by the man who says he was falsely charged with rape and the parole board refuses to hear exculpatory evidence about his case. This film will stick with you for a very long time. It's a shame that consevatives who believe that prison is a joke filled with luxuries ignore films like this. As a muslim, I wish they had shown the presence of Islam at Angola, for that reason I gave the film 4 1/2 stars.

The Farm: Life Inside Angola Prison.:
This film is free of Hollywood glamour, and you love it for just that reason. It's a great documentary, and definitely worth the price. About 15 minutes into the film you get that weird sensation in your throat, and have trouble swallowing. Everything becomes clear, from now on you'll be a preacher boy just to keep clear of Angola, and anything that could resemble it.

Most Amazing, Inside depth, Prison Documentary!!!:
It is no wonder this film took the 1998 Best Film documentary by the National Society of Film Critics,Association, and Oscar- nominated for Best Documentary. The Farm is the incredible and heart wrenching story of six inmates at Americas most infamous Prison...Angola, a former slave plantation spreading across 12,000 acres of Louisiana farmland. Do not miss this movie.......you'll have a greater understanding oif how the system works and a sence of darkness of some lifes, and how the heart can cry out. Once you start watching, you won't want to be disturbed. 5***** all the way. Very touching!

Masterpiece of Non-Fiction Cinema:
This outstanding look at the prison system was voted Best Documentary of 1998 by the three major critics groups, and it's easy to see why. You simply cannot walk away from "The Farm" without being touched by it. Originally produced for the A & E cable network, "The Farm" went on to deservedly bigger and better things. It belongs in the company of "Paradise Lost...", "Crumb", "The Thin Blue Line", Spike Lee's "4 Little Girls" and "Hoop Dreams" among other recent greats in nonfiction cinema.

Gripping documentary detailing the lives of six prisoners:
The Farm is easily the best documentary I have seen this year. It takes you on an inside look into the lives of six inmates at Angola State Prison. Ironically Angola was a slave plantation, it now is a maximum security prison. Not like other prison documentaries that I've seen. No preachiness. Just Powerful unintrusive film making. Check this out. It's worth it.