There aren’t too many singers (if any, really) whose voices make you want to instantaneously genuflect, notwithstanding your belief system. One exception to that rule is the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin. In January of 1972, Aretha sang a repertoire of gospel favorites at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, and it was filmed by the late director Sydney Pollack. His footage was never synced up with the audio recordings, and the project was seemingly lost forever — until now.
Franklin’s double-platinum album, Amazing Grace (which is also the eponymous movie’s title, and her best-selling album of all time), remains inspirational nearly 40 years later, and is sure to be a fiery success as one of the Toronto International Film Festival’s official film selections. According to the Los Angeles Times, commercial release plans for "Amazing Grace" are undetermined after the film’s run at TIFF, but we will certainly keep an eye out for this one to hit the mainstream after all these years.
Take your first peek at the trailer below, and keep an eye open for some cameos (wink wink, Mick Jagger, nudge nudge).
This is how people (personified aspects of God) behave in buildings they falsely call \’church\’ during the 1/2 day a week, when they pretend to \’worship\’ the S-A-M-E GOD who also ANIMATES the people \’outside\’ of said building, and against whom many of them behave like vicious attack dogs, loudly protesting, demonstrating, hating, shouting angrily, constantly being \’outraged\’, and robbing, looting, killing yet demanding food stamps and welfare, during the remaining 6 1/2 days of each week, but having the audacity of expectation that their hypocritical \’prayers\’ be heard- let alone answered.
This is the ignorance that leads to death: There is only God- nothing else, and He animates ALL things and ALL people, whether inside or outside the \’church\’.
We have not waited 43 years for this film just to hear that it finally was finished and played at one film festival. It will see wide release and it will win new awards for Aretha Franklin and Sydney Pollock.
This is a documentary film that MUST see wide release!