What'd I say? (That's right I'm cracking out the puns) I say it's an extrordinary film about the genius of Ray Charles, the musician and his life - from growing up in a poor area in Florida and slowly turning blind, to becoming one of the worlds greatest musicians. This film features excellent acting by all involved, the classic Ray Charles hits, which punctuate the performance well and a tragic but ultimately uplifting story of a man who is truly iconic.
The DVD
The film itself is 146 minutes long and is rated a 15 certificate. I'd say this is pretty fair due to the harrowing scenes involving Ray's heroin use and subsequently getting clean. Although, for a modern young audience I wouldn't say that any of the material was shocking or traumatic.
You can buy Ray on DVD from online retailers such as Play and Amazon, for differing prices. I had a quick look and at the moment Amazon's New and Used starts at £2.09
The Story
The film starts with Ray as a young man, waiting for a bus to take him from the country in Florida to city life in Seattle, Washington. The opening sequence sets the scene in showing the viewer that racism
and predjudice in America during this time was rife and very much ingrained into society. For young viewers this is great as it's subtly integrating a history lesson that they may not have come across in much detail previously.
We then see Ray becoming a musician in Seattle, alongside the likes of Quincy Jones, and becoming incresingly popular - all the while having to increase his independance and stand up for himself due to his lack of sight allowing others to take advantage. It's from these difficult times that we see flashbacks into Ray's childhood - witnessing his brother drowing when he was five years old and becoming blind due to undiagnosed glaucoma when he was seven. It's here we see Ray's mother who teaches Ray to go about every day life and not let his disability hold him back. The flashbacks appear now and again throughout the film and are heartbreaking and towards the end uplifting.
Ray's career takes off and he's catapulted into a world of money, women and drug use. Sadly Ray's herion addiction escalates, as does his unfaithful behaviour to his wife. From the outside it appears that Ray has everything - success, a family, money - but to insiders it's apparent that he's struggling with drugs and inner demons to use a cliche. The latter section of the film shows Ray dealing with this.
I've tried to sum it up without giving much away - but I think I've made the film sound not as interesting as it actually is. I'd definately recommend watching a trailer on youtube as the plot translates really well to film. I'm sure you'll want to see it then!
Personally I really enjoyed the bits in the studio, as Ray develops musically, and the scenes involving Ray as a young man are my favourite - but this doesn't mean that the films quality deteriorates, it's consistantly good throughout. It's just my personal preference.
The Cast
It's true what they say - Jamie Foxx gives the performance of a lifetime in Ray, and carries the film from 'very good' to 'outstanding'. He was quite rightly nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor.
I really enjoyed Sharron Warren's performance as Ray's mother - I found her a really powerful character and Warren really shows the strong bond that Ray and his mother had.
Kerry Washington stands out as Della Bea Robinson - Ray's wife.
The Music
You won't have to be a Ray Charles fan to appreciate the music in the film. Rather than simply showcasing the songs, as the film could have easily done, the music punctuates various moments in Ray's life. I really enjoyed this as I felt that it provided an insight into the songs and made the film all the more realistic in terms of making the story that I didn't know (the life of Ray Charles) fit in with the history of the music, which I was very familiar with.
Songs such as Mess Around, Hit The Road Jack, and I Got a Woman feature, and I was happy to hear others such as Night time Is The Right Time and Hallelujah, I Love Her So. There was a good representation of the Ray Charles discography in the film. So there are a few great tracks missing, but then they didn't necessarily fit in with the film, so I didn't mind at all.
Special Features
On the regular DVD you get the theatrical version and the extended scene version - which in my opinion is a little clumsy and not well put together. If the quality was the same as the original bits of film and it didn't back track to earlier scenes when playing the 'extended scenes' then it would have been watchable. But I found it irritating. I'm happy to stick with the original - I think that material has been chosen because it makes for the better version.
There is also a commentary from Taylor Hackford who directs the film, and an audio feature for the visually impared.
You also get a great feature called Stepping Into The Part - which shows Jamie Foxx taking on the role of Ray Charles and there's even sections of the two of them sat at a piano, playing.
Personally I enjoyed the special features on the DVD.
Overall
An outstanding film, that stays close to the story of one of music's most iconic men.
Having reviewed the film, I feel like watching it again - I might just go home and do that.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Jamie Foxx'suncannily accurate performance isn't the only good thing aboutRay. Riding high ... more
on a wave of Oscar buzz, Foxx proved himself worthy of all the hype by portraying blind R&B legend Ray Charles in a warts-and-all performance that Charles approv...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Jamie Foxx's uncannily accurate performance isn't the only good thing aboutRay. Riding ... more
high on a wave of Oscar buzz, Foxx proved himself worthy of all the hype by portraying blind R&B legend Ray Charles in a warts-and-all performance that Charles appro...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Wonderful performances, great soundtrack, great insight into Ray's life Disadvantages: Some unanswered questions (probably deliberate though)
CaptainDisaster 31.05.2005 (31.05.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of RayDVD
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Aug 18th, 2009
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