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By
WAYNE KLEIN
No matter which name they
announce on Oscar night, Jamie Foxx will still be
the winner. The only true competition this year
would have been Jeff Bridges' searing performance
in "The Door in the Floor" or Paul Giamannti in
"Sideways" and neither one of these actors was
nominated. Foxx's performance in the film "Ray"
towers above everyone else nominated this year. He
channels Ray Charles' energy, quirks, movements
and personality in a performance that doesn't just
mimic but goes right to the heart of the man.
Director Taylor Hackford's love of music infuses
this film as it has just about every other one
he's directed. The difference here is that
Hackford truly has found a larger-than-life but
very mortal artist that changed the sound of R&B
by merging it seamlessly with the emotional power
of gospel, country and western and just about any
other genre Charles effortlessly tackled. What
makes "Ray" so powerful is its unflinching honesty
about Charles' demons and infidelities. It also
shows that, regardless of Charles' sins, his
salvation always could be found in the emotional
core of his music.
"Ray" looks very good on DVD. The length of the
theatrical release along with the inclusion of
deleted scenes for the longer DVD release means
that the image quality has been compromised just a
tad. The colors are rich with remarkable detail
and the solid blacks are highlights of this
transfer. 25 minutes of additional footage has
been added back in for the extended version -- you
have the option to watch either the original
version or this extended version. The image
quality, color and clarity vary a bit as the movie
cuts between the theatrical version and the
deleted scenes. Clearly, this wasn't recut and
retimed for this "extended" version. The
difference between the finished film and the added
scenes are quite noticeable and jarring. The 5.1
soundtrack features a rich full-bodied sound that
immediately pulls you into the action. Charles'
songs (featuring both original and new recordings)
sound terrific in the 5.1 format.
The inclusion of the 25 minutes of footage is a
welcome addition but there are a couple of
problems. Unlike Fox's superb extended branching
editions of the Alien films, the disc pauses as it
searches for the deleted scenes. This disrupts the
continuity and flow of the movie. Personally, I
would have preferred this in a 2 disc set
featuring both the theatrical cut and the extended
version along with extras on the flipside of one
of these discs.
Now, there is a two-disc edition, but it's bogged
down by extras, many of which are little more than
padding. We also get to see the complete uncut
performances of Ray & The Raelettes performing
"Hit the Road Jack" and a number of other tracks
cut for the film. "Walking in His Shoes" features
Jamie Foxx discussing his performance of Charles,
and Charles himself performing with Foxx. Luckily
Foxx was trained as a classical pianist so he
acquits himself very well when they goof around on
the Charles chestnut "Mess Around." It's fun to
watch and a worthwhile addition to the set. "Ray
Remembered" features interviews with those that
worked with him past and present both on his
albums and those that observed him while working
on the film.
The differences between the single disc edition
and the double disc are in the extras. The
two-disc edition features a number of fascinating
featurettes on the women in Charles' life, the
"Soulmates" featurette, a documentary on Taylor
Hackford's love of Charles' music and difficulty
in getting the project made and an exceptionally
good documentary on Charles entitled "Ray: An
American Journey." If you aren't likely to dip
your toe into these featurettes and documentaries
then the extra cost for the two-disc set isn't
probably going to be worth it for you. There's
also a booklet on Charles and the making of the
film.
The single disc edition of the movie is presented
in the dreaded dual sided, dual layered format.
Why dreaded? Because this format doesn't stand up
to wear and tear well. Universal probably should
have released two editions: a two-disc set (vs.
the dual layered, dual sided version) and a
three-disc set at affordable prices. Surely if
other studios can release the two disc sets and
make a profit, then Universal can as well.
Taylor Hackford's incisive commentary track
tackles a wide range of topics from the challenges
of shooting the film, recreating the past and the
wonder and awe he felt working with both Foxx and
Charles. Hackford also documents where the film
veers from reality and the dramatic reasons why.
It's one of the few solo commentary tracks worth
listening to from beginning to end.
A flawed masterpiece, "Ray" would have been a
better film if the 25 minutes of additional
footage had been integrated into this DVD in a
better fashion than it is. Nevertheless,
Hackford's passion for music and interest in the
subject along with the terrific performances from
Foxx and the rest of the cast makes this an
essential purchase for fans of Charles' music.
Although the portrait it paints is frequently less
than complimentary and unpleasant, it also allows
us to understand the passion that drove this
singular artist to help create a unique sound in
music. |
