Amazing Grace - Film Review

Very few films make you feel as though you're witnessing history in the making. The 2018 documentary, ‘Amazing Grace’, is crafted from never-before-seen footage from the recording of Aretha Franklin’s 1972 live double album of the same name. Produced by Alan Elliott, the film is a beautiful insight into the Zeitgeist of Black America and the Gospel scene; the film’s reflexive Verite perspective offering a candid window into the past. I felt as though I was in the room witnessing the queen of soul herself.

The 18-time Grammy award winner is captivating, but the most gripping thing about this film is how long it took for the footage to resurface. Sydney Pollack and camera crew were hired by Warner brothers to film the recording session, but a basic error in the sound synching process meant that the audio and video could not be exactly matched. The film reels were abandoned for almost 30 years until 1990, when Elliott approached Pollack with a proposal to revive the project.

Despite a lack of synchronized sound, and thus years of drastic audio manipulation, not to mention copious screenings for critical review, the film was lovingly stitched into nothing short of a masterpiece. Elliott recalls that the first cut “was three and half hours,” but the review process saw more and more content cut from the final product. Elliott’s passion for authenticity saw members of the Southern California Community Choir, who backed Aretha on the album, working with him to bring the memory scape to life. Even choir director Alexander Hamilton joined Elliott for a screening to offer advice. Australian audiences can see this glorious feature when it releases on the 29th of August 2019. With careful collaboration, Elliott has helped shaped one of the most significant stories of black American heritage. This is powerful, authentic storytelling. What a miracle!