Ray

Theatrical Release Date: 2004 10 29 (USA)

UPC: 025192594427

Studio: Universal Studios

MPAA Rating: PG13   Contains:[Mild Violence, Adult Situations, Adult Language, Substance Abuse, Sexual Situations]

Summary: 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, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Film Presented – Toronto International Film Festival Best Picture – National Board of Review Best Actor – National Board of Review Best Actor – Boston Society of Film Critics Best Supporting Actress – Boston Society of Film Critics Best Picture - Musical or Comedy – null Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama – null Best Picture – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Actor – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Director – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Soundtrack – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Director – Directors Guild of America Best Actor – National Society of Film Critics Best Actor – Screen Actors Guild Best Ensemble Acting – Screen Actors Guild Best Cinematography – American Society of Cinematographers Best Original Screenplay – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Actor – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Film Music – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Sound – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Costume Design – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Director – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Editing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound Mixing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound Mixing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound Mixing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound Mixing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture - Musical or Comedy – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Features: 14 never-before-seen deleted scenes
Complete uncut music performances from the movie including Ray & the Raelettes performing "Hit the Road Jack"
"Walking in His Shoes": A revealing look at 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

Ray

Format: DVD

Release Date: 02/01/2005

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 153 Minutes

Sides: 2

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French

Subtitles: English,Spanish,French

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 -- Side A
1. Main Titles/Seattle Bound
2. Talent Night
3. Golden Goose
4. To the Piano Born
5. The Chitlin' Circuit
6. Unnatural Death
7. No Tears
8. Messing Around
9. Hummingbird
10. The New Ray Charles
11. Devil Music
12. On the Road
13. Double Life
14. Cat Fight
15. Junkie
16. Improvising
17. Disharmony
18. Moving On
19. M.O.R.
20. Breaking the Rules
21. Battling Jim Crow
22. Busted
23. Going Country
24. State of the Art
25. Broken Hearts
26. Border Crossing
27. Rehab
28. Salvation/End Titles

Perry Seibert

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. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Ralph Tresvant  Actor 
Karen Baldwin  Producer 
Howard Baldwin  Producer 
Stuart Benjamin  Producer 
Taylor Hackford  Director 
Taylor Hackford  Producer 
Taylor Hackford  Screenwriter 
Craig Armstrong  Composer (Music Score) 
Jaime Rucker King  Executive Producer 
William J. Immerman  Executive Producer 
Jimmy White  Screenwriter 
James L. White  Screenwriter 
Jamie Foxx  Actor 
Kerry Washington  Actor 
Regina King  Actor 
Clifton Powell  Actor 
Aunjanue Ellis  Actor 
Harry J. Lennix  Actor 
Terrence Howard  Actor 
Larenz Tate  Actor 
Bokeem Woodbine  Actor 
Sharen Warren  Actor 
Curtis Armstrong  Actor 
Richard Schiff  Actor 
C.J. Sanders  Actor 
Wendell Pierce  Actor 
Chris Thomas King  Actor 
David Krumholtz  Actor 
Warwick Davis  Actor 
Patrick Bauchau  Actor 
Robert Wisdom  Actor 
Denise Dowse  Actor 
Thomas Jefferson Byrd  Actor 
Rick Gomez  Actor 
Kurt Fuller  Actor 
Julian Bond  Actor 
Kimberly Ardison  Actor 
Renee Wilson  Actor 
Willlie Metcalf  Actor 
Mike Pniewski  Actor 
Terrone Bell  Actor 
Richard A. Smith  Actor 
Gary Grubbs  Actor 
Carol Sutton  Actor 
Bill Breaux  Actor 
Alex Van  Actor 
Roland "Bob" Harris  Actor 
Tom Clark  Actor 
Afemo Omilami  Actor 
Elizabeth Omilami  Actor 
Vernel Bagneris  Actor 
Fahnlohnee R. Harris  Actor 
Michael Travis Stone  Actor 
Eric O'Neal Jr.  Actor 
Tequan Richmond  Actor 
Matthew Benjamin  Actor 
John Swasey  Actor 
James Huston  Actor 
Marc Lynn  Actor 
Kyle-Scott Jackson  Actor 
Todd J. Smith  Actor 
Rutherford Cravens  Actor 
Darnell Williams  Actor 
Jedda Jones  Actor 
Jeffrey Galpin  Actor 
Michael Arata  Actor 
Estella Denson  Actor 
Jeffrey Glapin  Actor 
Derrick Simmons  Actor 
David Hash  Actor 

Country: USA