| Product: |
Ray Charles in General |
| Date: |
04.06.07 (26 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: True stories do make the best movies
Disadvantages: I can't fault this film
Well I highly doubt that I was the only person who caught the movie premiere of Ray last night on ITV, the true story following the life of Ray Charles Robinson. The 2004 release saw the man himself heavily involved with the direction of the film, however he sadly passed away a few months before it actually began hitting the screens (Ray was fortunately able to attend a showing of the completed film before it hit the public theatres). When it came to casting, director Taylor Heckford saw fit for Ray to meet the plan who would be playing him.. Jamie Foxx. The rumours go that after two hours of playing the piano together, Ray stood up and hugged Fox, proclaiming "He's the one... he can do it," obviously referring to playing his character in the film. So as you can see, Ray is no run of the mill film, and this is going to be no run of the mill review.
Going into the film I was honestly only watching for reviewing purposes, needing something new to review, but little did I know I was going to be blown away by a film detailing the life of someone I never knew. As it was on ITV, it was going to take about three hours to get through the film with advert breaks, however the actual length of the film is apparently two hours and six minutes. That may seem long to some, but this film is done brilliantly so it doesn't feel like that long at all. I would recommend this film to absolutely anyone over the age certificate of 15, because anyone of that age should be able to sit still and truly appreciate the movie. For those who have never heard of Ray Charles before you will be treated to an entertaining visual biography of his life with some not half bad music. For those who were Ray Charles fanatics, you will be treated to a reminder of the character you loved and some of your favourite songs of all time.
I think this film could make Jamie Foxx fans out of all of us, showing that he is so much more than just an R&B singer with his courageous performance that earnt him an Oscar for Best Actor in 2004. This man truly has it all, also being a talented pianist and comedian. It is noticed in the closing credits that some things in the movie have been fictionalised for dramatization purposes, however for me this does not take away from the beauty of the film. The key to the movie is Ray's life through the 50's and early 60's, where segregation and racism was still rife on the streets of America. Ray didn't have it any easier being blind, but his music was key to people letting him into their hearts. Flashbacks in the film show Ray's childhood, going blind at the age of seven as a result of glaucoma, although it is never said in the actual film that was the reason for going blind. The flashbacks show a horrible, horrible childhood for Ray, as his younger brother drowned and as a result of this Ray still feels the guilt - resulting in him imagining he is surrounded by water himself. Aretha Robinson is played fantastically by Sharon Warren, and you truly do feel sorry for all the emotions going through their family - but Aretha doesn't want peoples pity, as she wants to work for what she gets, and tells Ray never to let anyone make him become a cripple. The scenes in his flashbacks later on in the film where he first becomes blind are stunning. I still can't believe Sharon Warren hasn't got more big film appearances to her name after her tearjerking performance at the funeral of her baby boy.
You all must have heard of Quincy Jones, and Ray first meets the man himself as he steps out of a cab to leave his country singing routes and try some jazz. Forgive me if I ever describe the genre of music Ray is singing wrong, this film was more about the story than it was the singing for me - not that there isn't some unforgettable tunes included along the way. Quincy is played by Larenz Tate, and the pair do meet again later in the movie where they talk about doing a project together, although to my knowledge nothing ever becomes of that. Drugs feature heavily in the movie, and as Ray's success spirals high, his heroin addiction goes up with him. This is more than just what he was smoking at the jazz club that he starts off in, and I don't know about you but the idea of someone as talented as him doing that to himself makes you want to cringe. You really do hope that he can kick the habbit. When Ray first begins to make records he is given critiscm for sounding like everything else out there, and is encouraged to find his own sound. Some find that the sound Ray doesn't find for himself to be sacrilegious, however there's certainly an audiance out there for it. At this height of his popularity, Ray marries Della Bea Robinson (Kerry Washington) and plans to begin a family emerge. You get the feeling things are going to begin going wrong for Ray at one point, because every film has to have its down point, but lets face it - Ray's downs with all his multi-millions of dollars are better than some of the downs we have in our lives, so it's hard to feel sorry for Ray when he begins to make his own problems.
Bea is the only love Ray will ever have, but from the minute Bea discovers Ray's "shaving kit" as she is pregnant with their first child, things begin to bad. Going on tour and not fixing the argument he's just had with his wife leads Ray to seek other women, and it's not long before he has his stay at home wife and his tour wife. As the film progresses his tour life and his home life seem to get closer and closer together, whilst it's hard to believe Bea can actually stand to stay with him. You'll find some good characters and some bad characters in the movie, and it's generally the good characters that end up getting screwed. Ray leaves his family-like producing contract at Atlantic Records for a contract "better than Sinatra's" at ABC, where he produces his like 'Georgia', however the people working with him do not feel he is the same man he once was. Performances by Regina King (Margie Hendricks), Bokeem Woodbine (Fathead Newman) and Curtis Armstrong (Ahmet Ertegun) make this the complete movie, and much better than the 2-star flop I was expecting it to be when I first sat down to watch it, and the authentic 50's-60's atmosphere just adds to the quality. I may have a new idol.
RAY CHARLES ROBINSON
September 23rd, 1930 - June 10th, 2004
Summary: Honoured to watch Ray the movie.
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