Ray [HD DVD]
![Ray [HD DVD]](/Images/B000FZEQRI/medium.jpg) | Starring: Jamie Foxx, Vernel Bagneris, Patrick Bauchau, Rutherford Cravens, Warwick Davis Universal Studios, 2004, HD DVD Customer Rating: 362 reviews Recommend |
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Nominated for 6 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Ray stars Oscar winner Jamie Foxx as the one-of-a-kind innovator of soul who overcame impossible odds to become a music legend. It’s the triumphant and remarkable story of one of America’s true musical geniuses, Ray Charles. "Ray is electrifying," hails Peter Travers of Rolling Stone. Witness the incredible true story of a musician who fought harder and went further than anyone could imagine.
Jamie Foxx's uncannily accurate performance isn't the only good thing about Ray. Riding high on a wave of Oscar buzz, Foxx proved himself worthy of all the hype by portraying blind R&B legend Ray Charles in a warts-and-all performance that Charles approved shortly before his death in June 2004. Despite a few dramatic embellishments of actual incidents (such as the suggestion that the accidental drowning of Charles's younger brother caused all the inner demons that Charles would battle into adulthood), the film does a remarkable job of summarizing Charles's strengths as a musical innovator and his weaknesses as a philandering heroin addict who recorded some of his best songs while flying high as a kite. Foxx seems to be channeling Charles himself, and as he did with the life of Ritchie Valens in La Bamba, director Taylor Hackford gets most of the period details absolutely right as he chronicles Ray's rise from "chitlin circuit" performer in the early '50s to his much-deserved elevation to legendary status as one of the all-time great musicians. Foxx expertly lip-syncs to Ray Charles' classic recordings, but you could swear he's the real deal in a film that honors Ray Charles without sanitizing his once-messy life. — Jeff Shannon
Title: Ray [HD DVD]
Sales Rank: 4798 in DVD
Actor: Jamie Foxx, Vernel Bagneris, Patrick Bauchau, Rutherford Cravens, Warwick Davis
Studio: Universal Studios, 2006-08-08, Theatrical Release: 2004-10-29
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen, Acpect Ratio 1.85:1
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Running Time: 152 minutes
Item Dimensions: 3 pounds
Package Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.42 x 0.58 inches, 0.18 pounds
- "Ray" is OK
- "Ray" is what I would describe as a standard Hollywood version of a high budget biography film. What makes this movie special is the subject; Ray Charles. We get a somewhat complex picture of Ray Charles with interspersed flash backs to give us "deep background". It was generally known that Mr. Charles had his weakness for drugs but I didn't realize how strong the… More reviews
- Ray: Miss the Movie, Hear the Music
- In the opening scene of the 2004 docudrama "Ray" we see a tree hung with bottles to trap evil spirits, and Ray's mom Aretha telling him "Don't let nothin' or nobody make you no cripple." He didn't, but director Taylor Hackford did. It's certainly tough for anyone to tranform the 73 year life of the genius of Ray Charles into a two hour… More reviews
- Ray: Just Another Life Story of the Lucky
- Joel Siegel from Good Morning America calls Ray "One of the best films I ever saw." I couldn't disagree more. Ray is an attempt to present the life story of the musical genius, Ray Charles Robinson. His career all begins in Seattle; his journey to the city from North Florida 1948 served as the movie's opening scene. The plot revolves… More reviews
- A Legend
- Bored, I pulled out this video to watch again. It was better than when I first saw it. I bought RAY when it first hit the video stores. What an outstanding movie about the life of the legendary Ray Charles! Jamie Fox pulled off an extraordinary Academy Award winning performance for his portrayal of the late Ray Charles. This excellent… More reviews
- first rate biopic - warts, genius, and all
- This is a wonderfully vital story of a man who made it to the top of his profession in a way that may be possible only in America: he was black from the Jim Crow South, blind, and poor, but he rose by talent and guile, with many injuries along the way. The portrait is completely believable and emotionally compelling, from his strong and wise… More reviews
