AMAZING GRACE - Aretha's Gospel Recording from 1972 Released as a Doc.

Arguably the greatest singer of the 20th & 21st C is Aretha Franklin who passed away last year.  Her musical legacy is nothing short of miraculous.  The just released film "Amazing Grace" is footage from a 2 day concert of Aretha Franklin's gospel album in January of 1972.  The recording was held in a Baptist Church in Watts. Sydney Pollack was the young director who went onto to highly successful career in the movie industry.  However, he notoriously flopped with this film when he failed to utilize the technology necessary to sync sound.  This did not stop Franklin's recording of the album that has become the best selling gospel album of all time.  (It also didn't derail Pollack's career.)  Technology has now restored the film to be presented as intended.  There's no mistaking the incredible gift Franklin possessed to sing and arrange music that is otherworldly and touches the soul.  Still, it's questionable why the film has only just been released after her death.  The answer may be found by observing Ms. Frankel and the seemingly strained interaction between her father, the Rev. C. L Franklin.  Not to take give too much attention to her egotistical father who took to the podium not only to sermonize but to subjugate his daughter's talents outside the realm of the Church.  At the time Franklin had 11 top singles and 5 Grammy Awards.  One can feel for Ms. Franklin and sense her incomparable grace & restraint while listening to her father preach.  When Franklin is singing, heaven and earth are swayed by the voluminous richness in her voice and her stirring renditions.  There are sublime shots of Franklin in her white glittered gown as sweat glistens down her face rejoicing while singing with abandon. The concert is held in the Baptist Church with the aid of Rev. James Cleveland and the S. CA Community Choir led by Alexander Hamilton.  The raw footage shows Pollack and film crew coming in and out of view.  The congregants oftentimes were moved to join in and the audience is carried along by their candid and intimate responsiveness.  The religious fervor is stirred to an ultimate pitch.  This film is testament to the miraculous talents Ms. Franklin possessed and the celestial aura surrounding her singing.  Whenever Aretha Franklin sings, she sings with the voice of an angel setting us free.