WHAT’S IT ABOUT
Following the rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom, RESPECT is the remarkable true story of the music icon’s journey to find her voice.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
There’s no doubt that this is a great film. Respect opens with a ten-year-old Aretha being awakened by her father. She is asked to sing for family and friends currently in the home, enjoying her father’s party. The party guest were mainly famous personalities, but since they didn’t name most of them, you’re left with an assumption of who they are. It’s an interesting way to start a movie as it depicts her father as a very controlling person for most of her life. During this young period, Aretha experiences severe ups and downs. She has formal piano training, is friends with some of the most influential Black people of that time, and a powerful sense of self-worth, although that last part comes and goes. On the bad side, her father is overprotective, her mother has to visit because she doesn’t live in the home, and a twelve-year-old Aretha has her first son. All that and more in the first twenty minutes. Once the adult version of Aretha is shown, it becomes a bit difficult to pinpoint her age as it seemed like a few instances were out of sequence, as the film does flashback quite often. The main focus is on Ms. Franklin as a person. What shaped her, what gave her purpose, and what were the demons she fought with her entire life. From a viewer’s standpoint, it would appear that early pregnancy was the catalyst for nearly all of her bad choices, both psychological and physical. Throughout the film, she encounters some very powerful men who regularly humiliate, beat, use, belittle, and test her faith. For example, Smokey Robinson gave her decent advice, while her husband, Ted White, manipulated and abused her. The list goes on and on. But, to be fair, this was the sixties, and the way women were treated back then was horrific. This was also the height of the civil rights movement, and Reverend King was a close family friend. There was so much about Aretha the public didn’t know or didn’t properly piece together that most of the film seemed like it was about a different person. Respect does a great job exploring more than just her songs. We are shown the life of a Black woman in the south with the resources to become more. A Black woman who was nearly destroyed by her ostentatiousness further inflated by those wishing to exploit her. Ultimately, a proud freedom-fighting role model worthy of the title, Queen of Soul.
OUR RATING – A TRUE DIVA 9
MEDIA
- Genre – Drama
- Street date
- Digital – October 19th, 2021.
- DVD/Blu-Ray November 9th, 2021
- Video – 1080p
- Screen size – 2.39:1
- Sound – English: Dolby Atmos
- Subtitles – English SDH, Spanish, French
Extras
- Featurette: “The Making of Respect” (HD, 7 minutes) – More of a celbration than a production chronicle, this slick piece looks at the influence of the church and gospel music on Franklin’s life, the decision to record the film’s music live, and the intention to capture Franklin’s essence rather than present an imitation. Interviews with all the key cast members and many production personnel, as well as behind-the-scenes footage, are included in the featurette.
- Featurette: “Becoming Aretha” (HD, 5 minutes) – “A heavy life to portray” is how Hudson describes the challenge of playing Aretha and this featurette charts her journey, depicting how Hudson altered her vocal timbre, mastered Franklin’s distinctive walk, learned piano, and chose to perform the songs live to better capture Aretha’s visceral power. It also looks at the pressure Hudson felt to live up to Franklin’s legacy after being hand-picked by the diva to portray her on film.
- Featurette: “Capturing a Legacy” (HD, 4 minutes) – This piece celebrates director Liesl Tommy and examines her affinity to Franklin, her professionalism, and her passion for this project.
- Featurette: “From Muscle Shoals” (HD, 3 minutes) – This brief featurette looks at how Muscle Shoals, Alabama and the influence of Southern music helped shape Franklin’s sound. It also reveals that one of the original Muscle Shoals session musicians performed on the movie’s soundtrack, playing the same parts he played in the recording studio with Aretha decades ago.
- Featurette: “Exploring the Design of Respect” (HD, 4 minutes) – Tommy and her crew talk about their commitment to authenticity with regard to the film’s sets, costumes, and makeup