Mar 20, 2005 09:27 AM
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(Updated Mar 20, 2005 09:27 AM)
A small town Georgia kid who goes blind after seeing the unconscionable sight of his brother George drowning in a water bucket and dying a dreadful death, goes on to become the greatest African-American singer of the century.
An incorrigable womansier who sleeps with reckless abundence on his 'roadshow' trips and practically addicted to Heroin. A vulnerable and loving father who from time to time wants his wife to believe that he 'still' loves her despite his infidelites.
A terrible cripple for a large part of his life due to his addiction to weed and thus ends up in a rehab only to emerge successfully and become the greatest living legand of the last century. That's Ray Charls for you, the insufferable musician who makes you want to let go of those inhibitions and jazz away with his melodies!
Ray can undoubtedly be called as one of the best films of the year for its is a superbly authentic and undestorted, unbiased , autobiographical demonstration of a life thats extraordinary in every sense of the term. Its very easy to take a biased, or politically correct view of a life and interprete it the way you want, but lack of authenticity and Undisputed credibility is a stature very few people achieve and the director Taylor Heckford certainly deserves a thumbs up!
The sets are magnificantly pilot. A fabulous depection of the 1950's America with its nightclub culture taking a lead off! The Georgian town is certainly what it should be like. The film also tackles the important issue of racism and discriminatory or abusive behavior towards the Afro-Americans which was a cause that was close to Charl's heart and for which he rebelled with gutso thus being banned from his own home state of Georgia!
Ironically his very song about his heart longing to go back to Georgia was officially declared as the national anthem of the state!
Jamie Fox gives a performance of a life and rightly deserved the acadamy!
The other actors , especially playing the young Ray and Ray's mother and wife are superb in small but significant roles! (Forgive me for forgetting the names)
On the downers I could only say that the film drags and tends to become slightly longish in the latter half, but so what??!!! Don't we have K3G's and Swadeses and most of the other heap of dirt from Bollywood that last for eternity??
Don't miss!
Cheers!
