Amazing Grace (2019) - Movie Review

It’s not every day you go to church for a séance, but that’s what this film has set itself up to be. Released for audience consumption after the tragic death of its main subject, this documentary is the live recording of Aretha’s album of the same name, a work that remains the most commercially successful live gospel album of all time and a substantial part of the Aretha catalogue. Between its lightning-in-a-bottle framing, its backing by the likes of Spike Lee’s 40 Acres And A Mule Filmworks, and its direction by legendary filmmaker Sydney Pollack, this looks to be one hell of a concert flick. And that it is but, for reasons I’ll get to, I can’t shake the feeling that something is missing from all this.

Those here just for Aretha Franklin’s cyclonic pipes will certainly get their money’s worth, as witnessing her in her Atlantic Records-era prime is quite the experience. While marginally bookended with titbits about her background in gospel singing at her local church as a child, enforced by opening text and a monologue from her reverend father, the energy and power behind her vocals as captured on film feel like the Holy Spirit is pushing its way out of her. Combined with the grainy 16mm camera stock and the copious amounts of sweat on-screen that make Aretha look as star-studded as her sequin vest, it is quite invigorating… in places.

Despite being the recording of an actual record, with a running time only slightly longer than the recording itself, the track listing for what we’re seeing has been shuffled compared to the original album. While there’s nothing wrong with doing so on paper, the end result gives the audience some very wonky moods throughout. The energetic and spirited highs like Old Landmark end up being sorely-needed pick-me-ups, as the arrangement of those highs alongside the more mellow numbers leave the film’s ebb and flow swerving all over the place. Probably doesn't help that the shots of the people in attendance show them being quite bored with things.

Which brings us to this film’s biggest problem, to the point where it’s the main reason why it took this long for us to even see it: The editing. It was originally slated to be released alongside the album proper, but due to a certain mishap during shooting (Pollack didn’t use clapperboards, a staple in filmmaking when it comes to synchronising visuals with audio in post-production), it was declared impossible to edit properly. It rested in the Warner Bros. vault for a good few decades until producer Alan Elliott bought the raw footage and tried to work around that problem. Legal snafus happened afterwards, but for the most part, this is what held the film from being completed.

Now, rather than question why someone as learned as Pollack would make such a mistake, or delve into the logistics about why a clapperboard at what is essentially a live church service may not have been ideal, I want to ask a simple question: Why this? Specifically, of the reputed 20 hours of footage that were captured, why did they stick solely to the performance footage? Documentaries like this, ones where the right person was there at the right time to film something no-one else would’ve been able to get at, thrive on minor details and things beyond the scope of what everyone else has seen and/or heard, i.e. the album itself. Hell, even if it was just footage of Aretha and the choir rehearsing what would become the album, that would’ve been something.

But instead, likely as a result of the initial editing problems, what we get is a serviceable depiction of one of the queens of American music at her peak, but one that could have been greatly elevated if Alan Elliott, editor Jeff Buchanan or even Pollack himself were able to deliver more than just the obvious. For the die-hard fans, or even those of a more faithful persuasion, this could be more than serviceable and make for a great time at the movies. But for me, as someone who has discussed the spiritual power of music in past reviews and truly appreciates how even worship music can move the secular, ‘Fairly Decent Grace’ feels more accurate.