Dir. Taylor Hackford, 2004, USA, 152 mins
Cast:
Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Regina King
Biopic: Definition. Man or woman predictably overcomes the odds to become top of their field before dying tragically young. Often filmed in soft focus particularly as subject is nearing the end of life.
How refreshing then to see Ray, not just because the subject, Ray Charles, lived a long albeit turbulent life, but also because it's filmed in such a fresh way that it breathes life into the sad old biopic genre and sets a standard for others to follow. With cracking performances throughout, this is one of the best ensemble casts ever to grace the silver screen and with a script sharp enough to stab someone in the eye, Ray is an absolute must-see. There's been much talk of Jamie Foxx's outstanding depiction of Ray Charles himself and he more than lives up to the hype, bouncing along on his piano stool boogy woogying for all he's worth, seducing anyone in a skirt that comes within arm's reach and sweet-talking his way up the music ranks to the very top.
A labour of love for director Taylor Hackford (The Devil's Advocate, An Officer And A Gentleman), Ray has been 15 years in the making. Sadly, the real Ray died earlier this year and never got to see the finished film, but he was heavily involved in the making of this beautiful piece of work. Ray Charles, for those who don't know much about him, was a musician of the highest calibre, one of the most influential artists of the 20 th century, he merged jazz, blues, gospel and even country and western into his tunes to create something entirely different - rock and roll. The arguments over the definitive 'first' rock n roll tune is still rambling on, but what matters about Ray's music is that not only was he inarguably a pioneer but he simply made dozens of damn fine tunes.
The story of Ray, as in virtually every biopic under the sun, is more or less chronological. Starting with the young Ray in his home state of Georgia where he was surrounded by the sounds of gospel, we follow the story of both his music and his traumatic personal life. At the age of five he witnessed his brother drown, an incident that he often blamed on himself, and shortly afterwards, the combination of this devastating incident and his glaucoma, caused him to go completely blind. However before we are even introduced to the infant Ray, Hackford first throws in a small scene that is a mini masterpiece in itself. The adult Ray resplendent in his shades, waits by a bus stop for his bus to Seattle. The bus driver spots him and refuses to take him on board on account of not wanting to look after "a blind nigger'. Ray comes out with a little tale of how he was blinded in WW2 and the driver immediately takes him under his wing. A tiny smile from Ray reveals that he made the whole thing up. Immediately, Hackford has introduced all the main themes of the film - racism, the prejudices Ray has to face because of his blindness and the personality of Ray himself, a cheeky chancer who uses what tricks he can to get on in life.
Sumptuously filmed, Ray's childhood is saturated with colour and life, his determined mother (played with assured confidence by newcomer Sharon Marshall) guiding him through the gradual loss of his sight until his newfound blindness is slowly reflected in the washed out colours of his adult life. Greys, blacks and whites dominate the mis en scene of the adult Ray except for when women grace the screen, always apparelled in brighter colours as if to reflect the light they bring into Ray's life. Hackford's use of colour and his subtle direction is never intrusive but is intrinsic to the film. Subtle shifts in colour and lighting shift the mood without overtly pulling at heart strings. And that's another thing about this film, for a movie about a blind man, it's surprising how rarely we are asked to regard him with pity. Only twice do we feel genuine pity towards Ray - when his little brother drowns (a scene so shocking its like being punched in the stomach) and when he starts going blind and feels and listens his way around his home. Not once, when Ray is an adult, do we feel sorry for him. This is a particularly brave move, the film could so easily have descended into over emotional Hollywood fare, but instead, it focuses on the man himself and his own infallibility. Ray goes on the road after being cheated out of money by a club owner, discovers drugs and begins a slow downfall to addiction and disaster. All this time though, he's making great music. One of the big advantages of a biopic of a musician means that the soundtrack is already present and waiting. Foxx actually sings some of the tunes in the film as well as playing the piano proving to one and all that he's a damn sight more accomplished than many of the white leads he's spent most of his career playing the sidekick to.
Hackford has spoken at length about Ray's story being a very American story of triumph over adversity, but he seems to have missed the point somewhat. This is more a story of Shakespearean scope, of an antihero with a fatal flaw, in Ray's case, his addiction to drugs. It's only when his wife issues him with an ultimatum that he finally pulls his life back together again and the tale turns from tragedy to hope again. And thankfully so. With all the headlines of black music and drugs going together hand in hand, here's a truly inspiring and true story where a black man overcomes temptation and gets on with making music and living his life. Hopefully Ray will become compulsory viewing in schools both in the States and in the UK but its positive black role model and messages of equality and triumph over adversity will only ring true when Hollywood gets off its lazy arse and starts casting some of the brilliant actors that star in Ray alongside Foxx as the leads in mainstream films. And lets face it, even if Foxx gets the Oscar which he surely will, that's not going to happen any time soon.
Elizabeth Hyder
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