Clapperboards – those black and white things that clack in front of the camera – may seem like just a piece of antiquated kitsch to casual movie fans, but their purpose is to sync the film with separately recorded audio, vitally important to the analog filmmaking process. Case in point is “Amazing Grace,” a concert movie filmed in 1972 that not only features Aretha Franklin, probably the greatest American singer of the twentieth century, but was also directed by the award-winning Sydney Pollack, yet it has never seen the light of day because the film’s crew forgot to use the clapperboard. This absence is all the more shocking considering that the audio of the concert was successfully recorded and released as a double platinum album, making it one of the biggest gospel releases of all time.
Over the years, various efforts to rescue the footage have fallen short, including one attempt that billed members of the choir for lip reading services and another that planned to have Michel Gondry shoot a contemporary epilogue at the same church. But with the aid of digital technology and an uptick in interest following the Queen of Soul’s passing in 2018, “Amazing Grace” has finally been assembled and is ready to hit screens. The result is a minor miracle, all the more so for being so completely of another era, like a bottle of old wine that’s only gained flavor.
The film was shot over two days at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Watts, California (which just hosted the premiere all these years later). While Aretha is always center stage, the Reverend James Cleveland handles emcee duties while accompanying Franklin, and the duo is backed up by the Southern California Community Choir. The excitement is palpable as the instruments are tuned and the choir files in, with Cleveland working the crowd until Aretha’s dramatic entrance, in a bedazzled robe that splits the difference between faithful and fabulous.
The music is a mix between Gospel standards (“Old Landmark,” “Climbing Higher Mountains,” “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”) with a few contemporary tunes like Marvin Gaye’s “Wholy Holy” transformed into Sunday fare by Franklin’s soulful rendition. “Amazing Grace” is an uptempo affair, for the most part, filled with so much energy that it’s hard to stay seated in a dark theater; it feels more appropriate to take the aisles and dance like the crowd in the church. But this all changes when the title track starts. Tremors shoot through the crowd, the piano builds, and Franklin holds notes so long they become tactile, living things, finally exploding into a frenzy of testimony and joy. It’s a song we’ve all heard, but Aretha takes it to the realm of the extraordinary.
While there are a few other notable appearances, such as Mick Jagger and Keith Richards clapping in the back and remarks from Aretha’s father, the Reverend C.L. Franklin, “Amazing Grace” is really all about Aretha. “Amazing Grace” is a showcase of one of America’s greatest talents and a rush of pure spiritual uplift. There are only so many ways to praise Franklin’s voice and they all fall short – just go and hear it for yourself. [A]