Amazing Grace

Aretha Franklin doesn’t just sing gospel; she detonates it, leveling a tiny LA church with the force of her otherworldly pipes.

“Amazing Grace” is a time capsule of raw talent and sweaty reverence, finally unearthed after decades in music purgatory.

It’s less a documentary and more a religious experience – prepare to speak in tongues, even if you’re watching from your couch.

“Amazing Grace” will likely rank among the top 10 best concert films list when I publish that.

Trailers and Clips for “Amazing Grace”

This trailer below is the best I’ve found (Reverend James Cleveland introduces Aretha):

And if you want to listen to just one song, here’s Aretha playing Amazing Grace (one commenter describes her as “a sheer vocal beast”):

Below is a longer (10-minute) trailer that has the choir walking in and Aretha singing “Wholy Holy” by Marvin Gaye.

Watch “Amazing Grace”

You can watch “Amazing Grace” if you’re a subscriber to:

You can also rent it on:

You can find the latest streaming options at:

Ratings:

  • My Rating: 95/100
  • IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 81/100 (Users); 96/100 (Critics)

Release Date: November 12, 2018, and had its general theatrical release on April 5, 2019

My Review of “Amazing Grace”

Aretha Franklin’s “Amazing Grace” documentary is a reminder that true greatness can leave even the coolest cats slack-jawed in awe.

Picture this: It’s 1972, and the Queen of Soul is at the height of her powers.

She strolls into a tiny Baptist church in Watts, Los Angeles, looking like she might’ve just come from picking up milk at the corner store.

No sequins, no entourage – just Aretha, a piano, and a voice that could make the angels weep.

What follows is nothing short of musical alchemy.

For two nights, Franklin turns this humble house of worship into her own personal Carnegie Hall.

The New Temple Missionary Baptist Church becomes a sweat-lodge of swaying bodies, spontaneous shouts, and enough raw emotion to power a small city.

Director Sydney Pollack was there to capture it all, but due to a monumental technical goof-up (think fumbling the ball on the one-yard line), the footage sat in a vault for nearly half a century.

Filmmaking Sidenote:

“Hollywood director Sydney Pollack shot the performance on 16M film but it sat un-released for nearly 46 years because he did not use clapperboards to synchronize the audio and visuals and because Franklin resisted its release.”.

excerpt from “Aretha Franklin’s Miracle of an Amazing Grace Concert”

Now, finally pieced together, it’s a revelation.

Watching Aretha work is like watching Michael Jordan in his prime – if Jordan could also levitate and shoot lasers from his eyes.

She doesn’t just sing; she inhabits every note, wringing out every ounce of feeling from gospel standards and pop hits alike.

When she launches into “Mary, Don’t You Weep,” you half expect the rafters to start crumbling from the sheer force of her conviction.

But here’s the kicker: Aretha barely speaks a word throughout. She lets the music do the talking, and boy, does it have a lot to say.

The Reverend C.L. Franklin, plays hype man, telling the congregation they’re witnessing history.

He’s not wrong.

The camera work is raw, sometimes blurry, often intimate to the point of intrusion.

We see the sweat beading on Aretha’s brow, the rapturous faces in the crowd, the Southern California Gospel Choir swaying like reeds in a holy windstorm.

It’s less a polished concert film and more a spiritual séance caught on celluloid.

And then there’s the moment.

THE moment.

Aretha takes on the song “Amazing Grace,” and time seems to stand still.

It’s 11 minutes of pure transcendence, a rendition so powerful you’ll swear you can smell the wooden pews and feel the humid air on your skin.

For you song history buffs, check out “Bill Moyers: Amazing Grace” on the story of Amazing Grace (the song).

But I digress. Let’s get back to this Amazing Grace documentary.

The late, great Mick Jagger makes a cameo in the back, looking suitably gobsmacked.

Even rock royalty knows when to bow before the Queen.

“Amazing Grace” is a cultural artifact, a piece of American history preserved in amber.

It reminds us of a time when music could move mountains and change hearts.

In an age of auto-tune and Instagram filters, its raw authenticity hits like a lightning bolt.

So do yourself a favor.

Carve out 87 minutes, turn off your phone, and let Aretha Franklin take you to church.

You might not be religious, but I guarantee you’ll leave a believer – in the transformative power of music, in the enduring legacy of a legend, and in the simple fact that sometimes, lightning does strike twice.

Aretha Franklin didn’t just sing Amazing Grace. For two nights in 1972, she became it.

Setlist

Here’s the full setlist from the documentary (I include a couple of links from the soundtracks from the 2-disc album) (these are free tracks you can listen to on YouTube).

Thanks for reading!

Rob Kelly, Chief Maniac, Daily Doc