Amazing Grace

January 1972. Aretha Franklin records over two nights at a church in Los Angeles. It is not a studio; the congregation is there, the choir is on the stand, and the recording is live. The Reverend James Cleveland accompanies her. The album that came out became the best selling gospel record. A film crew was there at the same time and shot across both nights. Alan Elliott completed the production; Sydney Pollack was the director during the shoot. The film was released in 2018. The footage went unreleased for more than forty years; no marker was used to match sound to picture during shooting, and aligning the two recordings was not possible with the technique of the time. The problem was solved later by digital means and the film was assembled. Its release was delayed again; Franklin objected in law to the film being shown, and it appeared only after her death with the family's approval. What is most striking is the absence of intervention; there is no narration, no interview, and the recording is given almost as it was. The congregation's response is part of the image and how a performance is built can be seen directly. Who it is for: viewers who like gospel and soul and live recording. Who it is not for: no context is given, the image quality is old, and there is no narrative.