Ray Director: Taylor Hackford Cast: Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Regina King, Clifton Powell
DVD - Wide Screen Learn more
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- DVD Release Date: 02/01/2005
- Original Release: 2004
- Rating:
- Sales Rank: 1,824
| More Formats | |
|---|---|
| DVD - Limited Edition Wide Screen | $19.99 |
| DVD - Wide Screen | $14.99 |
| DVD - Wide Screen | $14.99 |
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Scenes
Features
14 never-before-seen deleted scenes; Complete uncut music performances from the movie including Ray & the Raelettes performing "Hit the Road Jack"; "Walking in His Shoes": A revealing look at Jamie Foxx's incredible transformation into Ray Charles - including a jam session between the actor and the legendary musician himself; Ray Remembered: Friends and fellow musicians remember Ray Charles; Feature commentary with director Taylor Hackford
Full Product DetailsScene Index
Side #1 -- Side A
1. Main Titles/Seattle Bound
2. Talent Night
3. Golden Goose
4. To the Piano Born
5. The Chitlin' Circuit
6. Unnatural Death
7. No Tears
8. Messing Around
9. Hummingbird
10. The New Ray Charles
11. Devil Music
12. On the Road
13. Double Life
14. Cat Fight
15. Junkie
16. Improvising
17. Disharmony
18. Moving On
19. M.O.R.
20. Breaking the Rules
21. Battling Jim Crow
22. Busted
23. Going Country
24. State of the Art
25. Broken Hearts
26. Border Crossing
27. Rehab
28. Salvation/End Titles
Editorial Reviews
One of America’s best-loved musicians, the late Ray Charles deserved a big-screen biography that did justice to his incredible life and career -- and he got it, thanks to director Taylor Hackford and star Jamie Foxx. There’s rarely been a biopic that’s done a better job of capturing its subject’s essence, which is why Ray can be forgiven its occasional departures from the historical record. The film doesn’t simply present the hit songs and other professional triumphs, although those are extremely well represented; it delves into the psyche of Ray Charles Robinson, whose destiny was shaped by back-to-back childhood traumas: his brother’s accidental death by drowning, which Ray witnessed; and his sudden descent into blindness a few years later. Driven by his poor but proud mother to succeed despite his handicap, the boy gets an education and becomes a talented musician who eventually carves out an amazing career. Hackford faithfully illuminates scripter James L. White’s biographical narrative, which posits that Ray’s subsequent excesses, including heroin addiction and marital infidelity, sprang from the tremendous guilt he felt for not saving his brother’s life. The film also depicts the difficulty a black musician had in playing white towns during the latter days of the Jim Crow era, which Charles helped end by flexing his increasing cultural muscle. Hackford does not skimp, though, on depicting the spectacular successes that elevated Charles to iconic status, first as a rhythm-and-blues star and then as an innovator who fused R&B and gospel music into soul. The film ends in 1966, but it features many of the songs for which Charles was best known, including “What’d I Say” and “Georgia on My Mind.” Although he’s lip-syncing to the Charles vocal tracks, Foxx perfectly replicates the musician’s stage manner and body language: You’ll swear you’re watching the genuine article in action. Very nearly as good are Kerry Washington as Ray’s long-suffering wife, Della Bea; Regina King as his backup singer and lover Margie Hendricks; Clifton Powell as close friend and business associate Jeff Brown; Curtis Armstrong as record producer Ahmet Ertegun; and Larenz Tate as the young Quincy Jones. The movie doesn’t spare Ray by glossing over his most egregious failings, but it reaches an uplifting climax by showing his recovery from heroin addiction and, more important, his unburdening of the guilt he had long shouldered over his brother’s death. Extraordinarily moving and ultimately inspiring, Ray is among the very best films of this type Hollywood has ever turned out. Ed Hulse, Barnes & Noble
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