Amazing Grace is a 'lost tape' concert documentary, which had been shot over the course of two days when Aretha Franklin sang with the New Bethel Baptist Church in Watts, Los Angeles in 1972. It is a feat of editing, pieced together in simple, unnarrated, chronological order. Because of the way it's laid out, you begin to form your own connections between the audience members (including a young Mick Jagger) used in cutaways, who become characters throughout the film. Small moments, like Aretha becoming nervous and flubbing a song after her father shows up at one point, offer all sorts of insights. It's an unclouded window into an historical moment, and just a privilege to see Aretha singing in the church.
Review of Amazing Grace
