Ray

Jamie Foxx Director: Taylor Hackford Taylor Hackford

Overview

Directed by Taylor Hackford, this biopic profiles the life of legendary musician Ray Charles. Despite humble beginnings and the loss of his eyesight due to glaucoma at the age of six, Charles, depicted by Jamie Foxx, would nonetheless become an icon in both the music industry and the civil rights era. While the film delves into his problems with drugs and women, the bulk of the story details his career; among the highlights of that career are 12 Grammy awards and 11 R&B chart-toppers, such as "Unchain My Heart," "Hit the Road, Jack," "Georgia," "Doin' the Mess Around," and "Hallelujah I Just Love Her So." Also among the cast are Larenz Tate as Quincy Jones, as well as Regina King, Kerry Washington, and Clifton Powell. Charles' son, Ray Charles Jr. helped produce the film. ~ Tracie Cooper

Product Details

Release Date:	02/01/2011
UPC:	0025192046834
Original Release:	2004
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Universal Studios
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound, Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound]
Time:	2:33:00

Special Features

Introduction by director Taylor Hackford; Deleted scenes; Complete uncut music performances from the movie including Ray & The Raelettes performing "Hit the Road Jack"; Stepping into the part: a revealing look ay Jamie Foxx's incredible transformation into Ray Charles - including a jam session between the actor and the legendary musician himself!; Ray remembered: friends and fellow musicians remember Ray Charles; Feature commentary with director Taylor Hackford; A look inside Ray; The filmmakers' journey; The woman of Ray; Ray: an american story

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jamie Foxx	Ray Charles
Kerry Washington	Della Charles
Regina King	Margie Hendrix
Clifton Powell	Jeff Brown
Aunjanue Ellis	Mary Ann Fisher
Curtis Armstrong	Ahmet Ertegun
Harry J. Lennix	Joe Adams
Terrence Howard	Gossie McKee
Larenz Tate	Quincy Jones
Bokeem Woodbine	Fathead Newman
Sharen Warren	Aretha Robinson
Richard Schiff	Jerry Wexler
C.J. Sanders	Young Ray
Wendell Pierce	Wilbur Brassfield
Chris Thomas King	Lowell Fulsom
David Krumholtz	Milt Shaw
Warwick Davis	Oberon
Patrick Bauchau	Dr. Hacker
Robert Wisdom	Jack Lauderdale
Denise Dowse	Marlene
Thomas Jefferson Byrd	Jimmy
Rick Gomez	Tom Dowd
Kurt Fuller	Sam Clark
Julian Bond	Julian Bond
Kimberly Ardison	Ethel McRae
Renee Wilson	Pat Lyle
Willlie Metcalf	Mr. Pitt
Mike Pniewski	Bus Driver
Terrone Bell	Young George Robinson
Richard A. Smith	Til
Gary Grubbs	Billy Ray
Carol Sutton	Eula
Bill Breaux	Cop #1
Alex Van	Cop #2
Roland "Bob" Harris	Jesse Stone
Tom Clark	Alan Freed
Afemo Omilami	Angry Husband
Elizabeth Omilami	Angry Wife
Vernel Bagneris	Dancin' Al
Fahnlohnee R. Harris	Trudy Daniels
Michael Travis Stone	Robert
Eric O'Neal	Ray Charles, Jr. (5-6 Yrs.)
Tequan Richmond	Ray Charles Jr. (9-10 Yrs.)
Matthew Benjamin	Musician In Billy Ray's
John Swasey	Customs Agent #1
James Huston	Customs Agent #2
Marc Lynn	Downbeat Reporter
Kyle-Scott Jackson	King Bee
Todd J. Smith	Student Reporter
Rutherford Cravens	White Promoter
Darnell Williams	Fast Girl
Jedda Jones	Mercedes
Jeffrey Galpin	Cop #3
Michael Arata	Cop #4
Estella Denson	Lady In Rain
Jeffrey Glapin	Stunt Coordinator
Derrick Simmons	Stunt Double "Ray Charles"
David Hash	Stunt Double "Wilbur Brassfield"
Ralph Tresvant	Sam Cooke

Technical Credits

Taylor Hackford

James L. White

Jimmy White

Taylor Hackford	Director,Original Story,Producer,Screenwriter
Stephen Altman	Production Designer
Craig Armstrong	Score Composer
Karen Baldwin	Producer
Howard Baldwin	Producer
Bob Beemer	Sound Mixer
Stuart Benjamin	Producer
Alise Benjamin	Co-producer
Steve Cantamessa	Sound/Sound Designer
Ray Charles	Songwriter
Sharen Davis	Costumes/Costume Designer
Pawel Edelman	Cinematographer
Stephanie Girard	Set Decoration/Design
Jerry Grandey	Asst. Director
Paul Hirsch	Editor
William J. Immerman	Executive Producer
Jaime Rucker King	Executive Producer
Nancy Klopper	Casting
Molly Mikula	Set Decoration/Design
Scott Millan	Sound Mixer
Nick Morton	Co-producer
Thomas J. Nordberg	Editor
Greg Orloff	Sound Mixer
Adele Plauche	Set Decoration/Design
Scott Plauche	Art Director
Ray Charles Robinson	Co-producer
Curt Sobel	Musical Direction/Supervision
James L. White	Original Story,Screenwriter
Jimmy White	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

One of America’s best-loved musicians, the late Ray Charles deserved a big-screen biography that did justice to his incredible life and career -- and he got it, thanks to director Taylor Hackford and star Jamie Foxx. There’s rarely been a biopic that’s done a better job of capturing its subject’s essence, which is why Ray can be forgiven its occasional departures from the historical record. The film doesn’t simply present the hit songs and other professional triumphs, although those are extremely well represented; it delves into the psyche of Ray Charles Robinson, whose destiny was shaped by back-to-back childhood traumas: his brother’s accidental death by drowning, which Ray witnessed; and his sudden descent into blindness a few years later. Driven by his poor but proud mother to succeed despite his handicap, the boy gets an education and becomes a talented musician who eventually carves out an amazing career. Hackford faithfully illuminates scripter James L. White’s biographical narrative, which posits that Ray’s subsequent excesses, including heroin addiction and marital infidelity, sprang from the tremendous guilt he felt for not saving his brother’s life. The film also depicts the difficulty a black musician had in playing white towns during the latter days of the Jim Crow era, which Charles helped end by flexing his increasing cultural muscle. Hackford does not skimp, though, on depicting the spectacular successes that elevated Charles to iconic status, first as a rhythm-and-blues star and then as an innovator who fused R&B and gospel music into soul. The film ends in 1966, but it features many of the songs for which Charles was best known, including “What’d I Say” and “Georgia on My Mind.” Although he’s lip-syncing to the Charles vocal tracks, Foxx perfectly replicates the musician’s stage manner and body language: You’ll swear you’re watching the genuine article in action. Very nearly as good are Kerry Washington as Ray’s long-suffering wife, Della Bea; Regina King as his backup singer and lover Margie Hendricks; Clifton Powell as close friend and business associate Jeff Brown; Curtis Armstrong as record producer Ahmet Ertegun; and Larenz Tate as the young Quincy Jones. The movie doesn’t spare Ray by glossing over his most egregious failings, but it reaches an uplifting climax by showing his recovery from heroin addiction and, more important, his unburdening of the guilt he had long shouldered over his brother’s death. Extraordinarily moving and ultimately inspiring, Ray is among the very best films of this type Hollywood has ever turned out.

Barnes & Noble - Ed Hulse

Taylor Hackford's Ray is at heart little more than a run-of-the mill biopic that hits all the familiar story points for that genre. What keeps this film from becoming totally pedestrian is the fierce, commanding performance of Jamie Foxx. This is not an impersonation of Ray Charles, nor is it a vain attempt to bask in the glow of Charles the celebrity. Foxx finds difficult emotional places to go to, and his Ray Charles is often more interesting than the one Hackford seems to want to tell the audience about. One can believe that these amazing songs are coming from this man, and that may be the biggest compliment one can pay to the performance. That point also leads to the other aspect of the film that keeps it afloat: the superb music. The film was made with Charles' approval, and he allowed the filmmakers to use his original recordings. Had this been a play, a one-man show with the same music, it would make for a fascinating and memorable evening. As he always does, Hackford fills his film with convention after convention, and in doing so, undercuts the real and complicated issues apparent both in Foxx and in the music.

All Movie Guide - Perry Seibert

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