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DVD/Video/Film Reviews
Ray Charles 1930-2004: The Movie Ray, Part 4 of 4
C. Michael Bailey
...wants to know if Gene Harris is playing "Summertime" in Heaven...In 1962, Charles took a major right turn, much to the chagrin of the ABC suits, and recorded the incredible Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, his third continental American musical shift. And that is pretty well where the movie ends regarding Ray Charles' influence on American music. That Charles did not shake the ground again after his country music recordings is of no matter. He didn't have to; his legacy was secured.
In the film, the childhood scenes, flashbacks and similar devices are intended to (in a brief three hours) display the life circumstances that molded Charles with specific attention paid to his blindness and ultimate self-sufficiency, the death of his brother, his philandering, and his eighteen-year heroin addiction, all against the backdrop of the musical history he was continually rewriting. It adds the necessary drama and romanticism to appeal to the audience who hold that important. Foxx brings this all off as with no effort.
The most compelling settings in the movie deal with those scenes showing Charles installing the hinges of musical history, beginning with his improvement of Ahmet Ertegun's "The Mess Around. Next are the performances of "I Got a Woman and "Hallelujah I Love Her So. The true pinnacle scenes are where the singer is obligated with filling the final twenty minutes of a performance contract. Instructing his band to follow his lead, Charles turns to his Wurlitzer electric piano and begins to spin the gold thread of "What'd I Say. The second pinnacle was the "Georgia on My Mind recording session performed live with strings and choir. Foxx's performance is most soulful here. Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music supplies the remainder of the soundtrack, beginning with "I Can't Stop Loving You and ending with "Bye Bye Love.
Of course, there are other fine performances in the film. The aforementioned Curtis Armstrong as Ahmet Ertegun and Richard Schiff as Jerry Wexler, introduce two titans in American music, responsible for recording the likes of Charles, Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Solomon Burke, Wilson Pickett, and the soul list goes on. Bokeem Woodbine as David "Fathead Newman paints a convincing picture of the great saxophonist and Chris Thomas King swaggers as bluesman Lowell Fulson. Regina King played Charles' most compelling and sexy mistress Margie Hendricks, member of the original Raylettes and Sharon Warren who played well the long suffering wife of Charles, Aretha Robinson. Worthy of mention are the bit parts with Larenz Tate as a youthful Quincy Jones and Rick Gomez as the mythic Atlantic engineer Tom Dowd.
Production Notes
Ray (2005, 153 minutes, color)
Directed by Taylor Hackford
DVD Extras: Commentary by Taylor Hackford; two complete and uncut musical performances; "Walking in His Shoes" and "Ray Remembered" featurettes; theatrical trailer
Language: English (also available: French). Subtitles: English, Spanish, French.
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
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