Ray

Ray / Ray. US (c) 2004 Unchain My Heart. Released by Universal. D: Taylor Hackford. SC: James L. White. DP: Pawel Edelman. M: Ray Charles. Starring Jamie Foxx (Ray Charles), Kerry Washington (Della Bea Robinson), Regina King (Margie Hendricks). Curtis Armstrong (Ahmet Ertegun), Richard Schiff (Jerry Wexler). (Director's cut 178 min). 152 min. Digital look. Released by Buena Vista. Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Janne Staffans. Viewed at Tennispalatsi 12, 23 Jan 2005. The fine biopic boasts excellent interpretations from the actors and handles three delicate subjects. Race: how Ray Charles emerges from a poor single-mother home in the South and fights his way to the top as a black entertainer. Blindness: how he learns to live by the ear. Drugs: his struggle with heroine addiction. The music is wonderful, and the career from the Southern circuit to Seattle and from Atlantic to ABC/Paramount is very interestingly told. "I've Got A Woman", "What'd I Say", "Unchain My Heart", etc. are movingly integrated in the storytelling. Ray Charles is a major figure in the birth of soul. For lovers of soul and the Atlantic sound this is a must. At least ***