AMAZING GRACE
*****
Directors: Alan Elliott and Sydney Pollack
Principal cast:
Aretha Franklin
Rev. James Cleveland
Pastor Alexander Hamilton
Rev. C. L. Franklin
The Southern Californian Community Choir
Country: USA
Classification: G
Runtime: 89 mins.
Australian release date: 29 August 2019
Previewed at: Sydney Film Festival, Ritz Cinema, Sydney, on 10 July 2019.
Oh, happy day… after being shelved for almost half a century, Amazing Grace, the visual record of the making of the vinyl album of the same name, graces our screens with a performance from the Queen of Soul which is totally spine-tingling. At the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles in January 1972, Aretha Franklin recorded Amazing Grace, the most successful gospel album of all time and the entire two-night process was filmed for posterity. For the price of US$10 a ticket - including a fried chicken dinner - Aretha took the audience on a journey that was simply heavenly (pun intended)! Now, at long last, modern-day cinema-goers get to do the same.
From the moment Reverend James Cleveland introduces Aretha and the Southern California Community Choir, explaining that she could have used a recording studio but chose the atmosphere of the church to create an authentic experience, the excitement is palpable. As soon as Lady Soul arrives at the piano she begins to raise the roof, singing Marvin Gaye’s, “Ah, wholy holy, come together, wholy holy, people got to come together…”, which is followed closely by What a Friend We Have In Jesus and a host of well-known gospel songs, culminating on the second night with Never Grow Old. At that opening moment, you are immediately transported and you feel goose-bumps on your skin. Members of the congregation sang and danced together during the recording and one woman became so overwhelmed she had to be comforted by others. For a brief moment we glimpse Mick Jagger in the back of the church and he is very much ‘in the zone’ as well. Throughout the performance, Aretha is completely transfixed and at one point her father, the Rev. C. L. Franklin, tenderly wipes her perspiration-covered brow. The entire experience is mesmerising.
The question has to be asked, why did it take so long for Amazing Grace to be completed and shown? According to sources, there were both legal and technical problems holding things up. For reasons unknown, Aretha didn’t want the film to be released and it was only given the go-ahead by her family after she died. The technical issues came about because Sydney Pollack had never filmed a doco before and, incredibly, didn’t use any clapperboards during the shoot, so the sound and image were almost impossible to synch. It was only thanks to modern technology that, many years later, Alan Elliott was finally able to restore one of the finest concert performances captured on film. His edit is straightforward and unadorned, with no tricks nor sleight of hand and no added interviews; he allows the performance to speak for itself. The result is an experience that stays with you long after the final note and makes you appreciate why Amazing Grace remains to this day history’s highest-selling gospel album. Ms. Franklin takes you to emotional and spiritual heights with her grace, dignity and humility. And, of course, her extraordinary voice. May she forever rest in peace. R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
Principal cast:
Aretha Franklin
Rev. James Cleveland
Pastor Alexander Hamilton
Rev. C. L. Franklin
The Southern Californian Community Choir
Country: USA
Classification: G
Runtime: 89 mins.
Australian release date: 29 August 2019
Previewed at: Sydney Film Festival, Ritz Cinema, Sydney, on 10 July 2019.
Oh, happy day… after being shelved for almost half a century, Amazing Grace, the visual record of the making of the vinyl album of the same name, graces our screens with a performance from the Queen of Soul which is totally spine-tingling. At the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles in January 1972, Aretha Franklin recorded Amazing Grace, the most successful gospel album of all time and the entire two-night process was filmed for posterity. For the price of US$10 a ticket - including a fried chicken dinner - Aretha took the audience on a journey that was simply heavenly (pun intended)! Now, at long last, modern-day cinema-goers get to do the same.
From the moment Reverend James Cleveland introduces Aretha and the Southern California Community Choir, explaining that she could have used a recording studio but chose the atmosphere of the church to create an authentic experience, the excitement is palpable. As soon as Lady Soul arrives at the piano she begins to raise the roof, singing Marvin Gaye’s, “Ah, wholy holy, come together, wholy holy, people got to come together…”, which is followed closely by What a Friend We Have In Jesus and a host of well-known gospel songs, culminating on the second night with Never Grow Old. At that opening moment, you are immediately transported and you feel goose-bumps on your skin. Members of the congregation sang and danced together during the recording and one woman became so overwhelmed she had to be comforted by others. For a brief moment we glimpse Mick Jagger in the back of the church and he is very much ‘in the zone’ as well. Throughout the performance, Aretha is completely transfixed and at one point her father, the Rev. C. L. Franklin, tenderly wipes her perspiration-covered brow. The entire experience is mesmerising.
The question has to be asked, why did it take so long for Amazing Grace to be completed and shown? According to sources, there were both legal and technical problems holding things up. For reasons unknown, Aretha didn’t want the film to be released and it was only given the go-ahead by her family after she died. The technical issues came about because Sydney Pollack had never filmed a doco before and, incredibly, didn’t use any clapperboards during the shoot, so the sound and image were almost impossible to synch. It was only thanks to modern technology that, many years later, Alan Elliott was finally able to restore one of the finest concert performances captured on film. His edit is straightforward and unadorned, with no tricks nor sleight of hand and no added interviews; he allows the performance to speak for itself. The result is an experience that stays with you long after the final note and makes you appreciate why Amazing Grace remains to this day history’s highest-selling gospel album. Ms. Franklin takes you to emotional and spiritual heights with her grace, dignity and humility. And, of course, her extraordinary voice. May she forever rest in peace. R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
