“Everyone is worth more than their worst act,” said Roman Catholic sister and anti-death penalty advocate Helen Prejean, and it’s with these words that “45 Seconds of Laughter” closes. It’s an apt sentiment on which to leave Tim Robbins’ sincerely felt documentary study of the therapeutic acting workshops run by his own theater company in a California prison — not least because the film is itself at pains to identify its human subjects only by their present, not their past. But if it’s also an obvious callback to Robbins’ penitentiary-set 1995 drama “Dead Man Walking,” which won Susan Sarandon an Oscar for playing Prejean, the self-reference doesn’t exactly flatter the new film: Occasionally heart-stirring but also rather slight, Robbins’ mellow first foray into docmaking is far removed from his pre-millennial era of artistic and political urgency.
“45 Seconds of Laughter” is, in fact, Robbins’ first big-screen directorial outing since 1999’s “Cradle Will Rock,...
“45 Seconds of Laughter” is, in fact, Robbins’ first big-screen directorial outing since 1999’s “Cradle Will Rock,...
- 9/20/2019
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Can laughter change the world? Can happiness save a life? Those are the kind of questions that might come to mind while watching this documentary, and at times, you could actually believe the answer is yes. 45 Seconds of Laughter is a doc film directed by actor Tim Robbins. He takes his acting group called The Actors Gang inside of a high security prison in California, running a week-long workshop where prisoners participate in a group in various theater / acting exercises. We've seen films like this before, and performing theater inside prisons isn't new, but it is always moving to watch. There's just something remarkably stirring about seeing prisoners, perpetually unhappy and angry, suddenly finding happiness and making tiny steps forward. It reminds us once again how the incredible power of positivity can be as a great force for change. 45 Seconds of Laughter takes us right into the prison from the start.
- 9/3/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Inmates doing theater in prison has been captured on film many times before. In Italy, the Taviani Brothers shot their Golden Bear winner Caesar Must Die(2012), in which prisoners in Rome try their hand at Shakespeare, only seven years after the documentary Balordi (2005) looked at Neapolitan prisoners tackling Brecht's Threepenny Opera. In Lebanon, 12 Angry Lebanese (2009) saw inmates stage a production of 12 Angry Men while the nonfiction feature Shakespeare Behind Bars (2005), filmed in a correctional complex in Kentucky, showcases exactly what the title suggests.
45 Seconds of Laughter is the latest addition in what has ...
45 Seconds of Laughter is the latest addition in what has ...
Inmates doing theater in prison has been captured on film many times before. In Italy, the Taviani Brothers shot their Golden Bear winner Caesar Must Die(2012), in which prisoners in Rome try their hand at Shakespeare, only seven years after the documentary Balordi (2005) looked at Neapolitan prisoners tackling Brecht's Threepenny Opera. In Lebanon, 12 Angry Lebanese (2009) saw inmates stage a production of 12 Angry Men while the nonfiction feature Shakespeare Behind Bars (2005), filmed in a correctional complex in Kentucky, showcases exactly what the title suggests.
45 Seconds of Laughter is the latest addition in what has ...
45 Seconds of Laughter is the latest addition in what has ...
Tim Robbins’ documentary “45 Seconds of Laughter,” which premieres Sept. 3 in Venice, follows a group of prisoners in a California facility as they take part in drama workshops led by Robbins’ troupe The Actors’ Gang. In the film, covering 10 sessions over an eight-month period, the inmates reconnect with emotions long buried and form bonds that cut across gang and racial boundaries. Variety speaks to Robbins about his film.
How will the film alter our view of the prisoners?
It’s my hope that the film can help us look with new eyes at something that is largely an abstraction right now. We don’t really think very much about who is inside prisons or whether they have any human potential. I would love if the film reminded us of our shared humanity with people that we tend not to think about.
What changes do the prisoners undergo?
Using the characters...
How will the film alter our view of the prisoners?
It’s my hope that the film can help us look with new eyes at something that is largely an abstraction right now. We don’t really think very much about who is inside prisons or whether they have any human potential. I would love if the film reminded us of our shared humanity with people that we tend not to think about.
What changes do the prisoners undergo?
Using the characters...
- 9/2/2019
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Academy Award-winner Tim Robbins is the quintessential Hollywood multihyphenate: actor, writer, director and producer. But the role he takes on daily is that of activist.
For the past 13 years, the Dead Man Walking director has gone to a place where few Hollywood stars have ventured: prison. With his innovative theater troupe, The Actors' Gang, he's been instrumental in advocating for prison rehabilitation programs through The Actors' Gang Prison Project. In his new documentary 45 Seconds of Laughter, he takes viewers behind the scenes of this program, offering a personal look into how its techniques have transformed the lives of those incarcerated ...
For the past 13 years, the Dead Man Walking director has gone to a place where few Hollywood stars have ventured: prison. With his innovative theater troupe, The Actors' Gang, he's been instrumental in advocating for prison rehabilitation programs through The Actors' Gang Prison Project. In his new documentary 45 Seconds of Laughter, he takes viewers behind the scenes of this program, offering a personal look into how its techniques have transformed the lives of those incarcerated ...
- 8/29/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Academy Award-winner Tim Robbins is the quintessential Hollywood multihyphenate: actor, writer, director and producer. But the role he takes on daily is that of activist.
For the past 13 years, the Dead Man Walking director has gone to a place where few Hollywood stars have ventured: prison. With his innovative theater troupe, The Actors' Gang, he's been instrumental in advocating for prison rehabilitation programs through The Actors' Gang Prison Project. In his new documentary 45 Seconds of Laughter, he takes viewers behind the scenes of this program, offering a personal look into how its techniques have transformed the lives of those incarcerated ...
For the past 13 years, the Dead Man Walking director has gone to a place where few Hollywood stars have ventured: prison. With his innovative theater troupe, The Actors' Gang, he's been instrumental in advocating for prison rehabilitation programs through The Actors' Gang Prison Project. In his new documentary 45 Seconds of Laughter, he takes viewers behind the scenes of this program, offering a personal look into how its techniques have transformed the lives of those incarcerated ...
- 8/29/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Films on Merce Cunningham, Roy Cohn and Oliver Sacks are among the notable titles set for the Spotlight on Documentary lineup at the 57th New York Film Festival.
Alla Kovgan’s “Cunningham 3D” centers on dancer and choreographer Cunningham, who was at the forefront of American modern dance for half a century. The Cohn documentary “Bully. Coward. Victim” is directed by Ivy Meeropol, whose grandparents, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, were prosecuted by Cohn. Ric Burns’s “Oliver Sacks: His Own Life,” examines the British neurologist and author.
The Spotlight on Documentary also include Michael Apted’s “63 Up,” the ninth iteration of his “Up” series that followed the lives of 14 British children since 1964; Nick Broomfield’s “My Father and Me,” a portrait of his relationship with his father Maurice Broomfield; and Nicholas Ma’s short documentary “Suite No. 1, Prelude,” which captures the perfectionist tendencies of his father Yo-Yo Ma.
Two...
Alla Kovgan’s “Cunningham 3D” centers on dancer and choreographer Cunningham, who was at the forefront of American modern dance for half a century. The Cohn documentary “Bully. Coward. Victim” is directed by Ivy Meeropol, whose grandparents, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, were prosecuted by Cohn. Ric Burns’s “Oliver Sacks: His Own Life,” examines the British neurologist and author.
The Spotlight on Documentary also include Michael Apted’s “63 Up,” the ninth iteration of his “Up” series that followed the lives of 14 British children since 1964; Nick Broomfield’s “My Father and Me,” a portrait of his relationship with his father Maurice Broomfield; and Nicholas Ma’s short documentary “Suite No. 1, Prelude,” which captures the perfectionist tendencies of his father Yo-Yo Ma.
Two...
- 8/21/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
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