From the first sounds of prison guards calling for inmates to 'wake up' the piece captured my complete attention.
The story touches on the crossroads of life sentencing and the inevitable elderly issues that occur.
It's amazing to hear an elderly inmate speaking with wonder of the 'superhighways' he's heard of, the television being the only connection to the ourside world. What they must think of us with only that window.
It breaks your heart to hear an old black man (most or all of the inmates interviewed are black)wondering whether the Cosby show accurately portrays life on the outside.
The stories of men running - fruitless, tragic efforts though they are - still inspire the listener to root for the inmates.
I've never been able to get my mind around the concept of life imprisonment. It's more alien than death somehow. This piece manages to capture the horror of lost hope, the intricate psychology of the older prisoner, and the tragedy of the young.
It's impossible not to draw a mental picture of Morgan Freeman when you hear the narrator's voice. It's cadence and timbre are both reminiscent of the actor in the prison film Shawshank Redemption.
Great variety of interviews, voices, sounds, music and information. It's a great piece, and I hope that somehow it speeds Mr. Rideau's pardon and release.
Comments by Stefan Tornquist
Comment for "Tossing Away the Keys"
Stefan Tornquist
Posted on January 21, 2005 at 03:42 PM | Permalink
Review of Tossing Away the Keys
From the first sounds of prison guards calling for inmates to 'wake up' the piece captured my complete attention.
The story touches on the crossroads of life sentencing and the inevitable elderly issues that occur.
It's amazing to hear an elderly inmate speaking with wonder of the 'superhighways' he's heard of, the television being the only connection to the ourside world. What they must think of us with only that window.
It breaks your heart to hear an old black man (most or all of the inmates interviewed are black)wondering whether the Cosby show accurately portrays life on the outside.
The stories of men running - fruitless, tragic efforts though they are - still inspire the listener to root for the inmates.
I've never been able to get my mind around the concept of life imprisonment. It's more alien than death somehow. This piece manages to capture the horror of lost hope, the intricate psychology of the older prisoner, and the tragedy of the young.
It's impossible not to draw a mental picture of Morgan Freeman when you hear the narrator's voice. It's cadence and timbre are both reminiscent of the actor in the prison film Shawshank Redemption.
Great variety of interviews, voices, sounds, music and information. It's a great piece, and I hope that somehow it speeds Mr. Rideau's pardon and release.