Aretha Franklin – Amazing Grace is Finally Here
The queen of soul didn’t want this film of a two-night recording session in a Baptist church to be seen – but Amazing Grace is a spine-tingling sensation.
In 1972, following a string of hits and Grammy awards, Aretha Franklin decided her next project would be a return to her roots. The daughter of a Detroit preacher, Franklin secured a Baptist church in Los Angeles for a two-night recording session, and the result was Amazing Grace, her most successful album and the top-selling gospel recording of all time.
Warner Bros Records hired Sydney Pollack to shoot the process, looking for a mix between a concert film and a making-of. Pollack had just directed They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? and had already wrapped production on Jeremiah Johnson. While this is hard to believe, the two-night production at the New Temple Missionary Baptist church resulted in useless footage. The crew neglected to slate the shots with clapperboards, necessary for synchronizing sound and image – a mind-boggling omission and one reason why Amazing Grace is only just making its debut.
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From The Other Side of the Mirror 