Ray Charles plays on forever
by Adam Goldstein
The Metropolitan
Soulful notes sing from a Wurlitzer electric piano, coalescing in a lively, resounding riff as the movie opens. The camera flashes from a shot of frenetically tapping feet to tawny fingers tackling a piano with expertise. As cymbals chime in with their support, the screen is filled by a fish-eyed, trembling field of black and white keys. The focus pans out and this jaunting, dizzying view of the ivories remains reflected in a blind player's glasses.
So opens "Ray," the highly hyped biopic starring Jamie Foxx as the legendary soul maverick Ray Charles. The film, which opened this year's Starz Denver International Film Festival, explores Charles' rise to musical stardom. It chronicles his career, from his first gigs in smoky bars imitating Nat King Cole and Charles Brown to his groundbreaking sessions at Atlantic and ABC Records. The drama of the film spins like a record around the trials and travails of Charles' private life-the death of his younger brother, the loss of his sight to glaucoma at the age of seven, the prejudices and condescension of his peers. The film also examines with unflinching detail Charles' addiction to heroin and his eventual recovery.
"You live or die by the person who plays the main role," said director Taylor Hackford at the film's Denver premier Oct. 14.
When Hackford learned that Foxx had studied piano since the age of three and had received a music scholarship in college, he knew he had his lead actor.
"(Foxx) had a great deal in common with Ray," Hackford said.
Indeed, Foxx's performance in the film is almost seamless. He expertly adopts the physical mannerisms and ticks of Charles. When Foxx stamps his feet to the music, breaks into the trademark beaming smile, and hugs himself as the audience roars, the difference between imitator and imitated is blurred indistinguishably.
"This movie is an absolute blessing to anyone who loves music," Foxx said.
At the premier, Foxx talked about meeting Charles and of playing piano alongside one of the legends of soul. When Foxx played a bum note, Charles responded with his characteristic good humor and offered advice gleaned from a lifetime in music.
"He told me that the notes are right underneath your fingers," Foxx said. "All you gotta do is find out what they are."
From these words of wisdom, the actor pulled a more profound lesson.
"I realized that life is notes underneath our fingers," he said. "All we've got to do is take the time to figure out what they are."
The soundtrack of the film is pulled entirely from Charles' original and supplemental recordings; it is all Ray, expertly lip-synced by Foxx. Unlike past musical film biographies, the filmmakers did not alter the art that distinguished the artist. In this way, even with the crew's exhaustive research and the actors' expert performances, the true star of this film is the music.
Those notes that Charles always found so easily were the leading lights of this year's opening ceremonies. They pierced the hype, the glitz, and the pomp of the evening to deliver a message of a hope that conquers despair, of a light that shines in the darkness, no matter how profound. |
