Amazing Grace **** / *****
Directed by: Sydney
Pollock & Alan Elliott.
In 1972,
Aretha Franklin recorded the bestselling Gospel album of all time, over two
nights at New Bethel Baptist Church in Watts in Los Angeles. She was joined on
stage by Pastor James Cleveland, and backed up by his great Community Choir,
and performed in front of a large congregation, who were encouraged to be as
loud as they wanted to. Franklin could have, of course, recorded this in a
studio, but she wanted to get the feel of a Baptist service for the album, and
thought the best way to do that was live. The great filmmaker Sydney Pollock
(who had already made They Shoot Horses Don’t They? at this point) was hired to
film the two-day event for television – but because of some kind of technical
error, syncing the audio with the visual was impossible at the time, and so the
footage sat in the vault for 35 years with no one looking at it. As Pollock was
dying of cancer in 2008, he gave the footage to Alan Elliot, in the hopes that
a film could be completed. It took a while – technical challenges, legal battles,
etc. – stymied the release. And now, finally, we all get a chance to see it.
It is
amazing to see this film – mainly because it’s amazing to see Franklin sing
these songs – songs that obviously meant a lot to her, and that she pours
everything into over these two nights. Franklin doesn’t really speak in the
documentary – I don’t remember her doing so anyway – but instead does all her
speaking in the singing. There is a lot of talk in between the songs – but it’s
almost all done by Reverend Cleveland, who if he were a fictional character,
who would say he was a little too much of a clichéd black Baptist Preacher – as
he does everything you expect him to do. He’s funny and charming, playing with
the audience, but also capable of delivering his sermons – getting his meaning
across. The other major speech is by Franklin’s father – another black
preacher, a little less clichéd than Cleveland, but that could be because he’s
speaking from the heart about his daughter.
But let’s
be honest, if you watch the movie, you are watching to hear Aretha Franklin
belt out these sings – and she does not disappoint. This is an artist at the
height of her powers, knows it, and pushes herself even farther. Since the
album was such a hit, you may well know these songs – and these renditions of
those songs – better than I did, but you’ll still want to watch the film to see
Franklin belt out the songs. And to the see the reaction from the congregation
and crowd (including some celebrities, who don’t speak and aren’t even introduced
in the film). The best reactions may be those of the choir members themselves –
they are a great choir, and they can see – and they are still in awe of what
she does.
It’s also
interesting to see the film because it’s almost a documentary about the making
of itself. Pollock and his crew are visible throughout the film – perhaps had
he assembled it at the time, he would have picked different shots to edit
himself, and his camera people out. As it stands, it’s interesting to see them
all work – see them film, and all the work they did. Most of it undone because
of a silly mistake by Pollock.
But man,
the music. If you have any interest in this film, see it in a theater. You want
to experience it there – where it can have the biggest impact. For the second
time this month, we have a film that will likely go down as one of the best
concert docs in recent memory – this one uncovered at long last and released so
we can all see it.
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