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Actors: Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Regina King
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Ray |
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Ray was born in Georgia and he was raised in Florida. Ray went blind when he was seven after watching his younger brother drown. Ray was supported by his single mother. Ray discovered an unbelievable talent to transform American popular music. When Ray first arrived in Washington most of the people where against him, he came across difficulties wherever he went. Ray's manager and his partner take advantage of him financially because he is handicap. Every time he sits on the piano he feels the beat, no matter what the place was it always comes alive with his music.
Ray started to get famous and people started liking him regardless of the fact that he was blind or black. Ray started writing his own music. Ray married a singer named Della But she alone can not satisfy him he was also keeping a lover, a backup singer Margie. As his fame and fortune grew, so did his addiction to women and drugs.
--Naila, Resident Scholar
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RAY is a film co-written and directed by Taylor Hackford in 2004. It earned two Academy awards : best Actor and best Sound.
The film focuses on the first 18 years of the musical career of Ray Charles, from his arrival in Seattle in 1948 to his 1966 stay in hospital because of his heroin addiction. Ray started to take drugs from the first months of his career on, mainly because he couldn't forget the accidental death of his younger brother George when he was eight years old. Ray witnessed the accident but wasn't unable to react properly, hence a gnawing feeling of guilt.
Thanks to his friends and the influence of his production company, Ray Charles was never convicted although he was arrested several times for drugs possession. The movie also focuses on his numerous love affairs and on his musical evolution through the years : R&B, blues, gospel, jazz and country music.
--Daniel Staebler, Resident Scholar
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This movie is the story of the legendary entertainer Ray Charles. Born into poverty in rural Florida, Ray was raised by a single mother, Aretha Robinson (Sharon Warren).
Devastated by the accidental drowning of his younger brother (which he witnessed), Ray was dealt another harsh blow when he lost his sight at the tender age of seven. Knowing that he would be fighting a double battle all his life due to his handicap and his color, Aretha insisted that Ray be self sufficient and she made him promise not to let anyone turn him into a cripple. As a youngster Ray takes the first steps on his musical road and learns the piano. Ray's mother also insists that he leave Florida so that he can educate himself at a blind school. As Ray leaves Florida to establish a better life for himself the viewer is shown Ray's rise to fame as he works the nightclub circuit, establishes a band and finds love with his beloved Della Bea.
As Ray rises to fame and hits the charts with songs such as Hit the Road Jack, he becomes addicted to drugs and is unable to function without them. Although he has committed himself in marriage to Della Bea (played by Kerry Washington), who has given birth to several of their children, Ray has been cheating with other women while he has been on the road. Ray has been involved with numerous of his backup singers. In particular, Ray begins a relationship with his backup singer, Margie Hendricks, who gives birth to their child in secret. Although Della Bea is aware of his philandering she stays by his side throughout the years.
--sandra calhoune, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of Ray |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- 1930's-1950's
Romance/Love/Hugging
Yes
Kind of romance:
- inconveniently married while playing footsy
Job/Profession/Poverty Story?
Yes
Job:
- musician
- singer
Strong "rags to riches" component?
Yes
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- singer/musician
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Hair color?
- brunette (Black)
Body type
- (man) average
Unclothed?
- Chest
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Black
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Black
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Deep South
City?
Yes
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- kissing
If lots of song/dance...
- lot of singing
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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