3/31/2023 0 Comments Ray charlesHe stayed there until 1945 and, in the process, learned how to live on his own and acquire a degree of independence. Permanent blindness rapidly set in by the age of seven Charles, receiving strong guidance from a destitute but resourceful mother, succeeded in getting enrolled at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in St. He started losing his sight at the age of four due to glaucoma. The music was naturally great.Born in Albany, Georgia, Charles experienced a poverty-stricken childhood and didn’t become a truly successful recording artist until the late 1950s. We understand that the awarding of an Oscar has to do with much more than the performance, but whether or not you win, we want you to know that you have done something that is in a class absolutely by itself and you should take enormous pride in your unparalleled achievement. I can think of no other movie I've ever seen in which a person playing a part so completely and convincingly became the person portrayed. Foxx took this to a whole nuther level, one which we've never witnessed before and doubt that we may ever see again. I'll admit that we haven't seen all of the other performances up for an Oscar this year, but that really doesn't matter. You didn't watch the movie with the feeling that you were watching Foxx do an outstanding job of portraying Ray Charles - you watched it somehow believing or understanding that you were watching Ray Charles himself. We had heard much of the hype before seeing the movie, but this was uncanny. The line between actor and character was not blurred - but rather it disappeared completely. Now for the big question: what are the criteria for an Oscar? The wife and I have seen untold numbers of films in our years, but we immediately agreed that we have never seen a performance the equal of Jamie Foxx's. We could have wished for another hour chronicling his life after 1980, but I suppose that would have tended to turn the film into an homage and, while it would have also allowed for the resolution of several things that were left hanging at the end, on balance I guess it was better as presented. Ray Charles' strengths were evident throughout the film and his weaknesses were neither amplified nor sugar-coated. Given that, the makers of this film did an admirable (and I'm sure quite agonizing) job of putting together a film that could not tell the whole story yet managed to set forth a representative sampling of the man and his music. There was simply no way to fit it all - or even touch on it all - in a standard length movie. Ray Charles was a brilliant, fascinating man who lead a complex, challenging life. Let's get the flaw out of the way right off the top - the movie should have been much longer. Ray Charles: Well, I gotta keep my eye on you city boys. I always knew Atlantic was bigger than Swingtime. Ray Charles: Well, it looks like Jack Lauderdale's bad luck is my good fortune. ![]() Ray Charles: I like the way you put things together. What I will do is promise you five cents a record and pay you five cents a record. Can you do that?Īhmet Ertegun: Man, I could promise you fifteen cents a record but you won't get it. Ray Charles: What if I want to go to another company? There's a guy out there right now that's willing to pay me seven cents a record. When your name came up I jumped at the chance to work with you. ![]() I ain't for sale.Īhmet Ertegun: You see it seems that Jack Lauderdale has found himself, shall we say, a little over extended and has had to unload some of his talent. Charles, my company, Atlantic Records, has just acquired your contract from Swingtime. Ray Charles: You're here now, what do you want?Īhmet Ertegun: Mr. Ray Charles: What do you want, man? I'm at church.Īhmet Ertegun: I'm sorry. Ray Charles: Who is it?Īhmet Ertegun: Mr.
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