The trailer of Aretha Franklin’s documentary Amazing Grace was recently released and it shows the singer performing an emotionally-charged rendition of the title song.
The film, largely shot by Sydney Pollack, captures the then 29-year-old Franklin’s performance at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles’ Watts neighborhood in January 1972. The music from the two performances was released as a landmark double live album in 1972. According to IndieWire , the album is Franklin’s biggest with over two million copies sold in the US alone. It is also the best-selling gospel album in the history of music.
But Pollack’s footage proved virtually impossible to edit because the filmmaker failed to sync the sound. After acquiring the film’s rights from Pollack in 2007, producer Alan Elliott brought in a team to construct the film.
The late singer’s estate said Amazing Grace was an important part of Franklin’s legacy. Dubbed as the Queen of Soul, she passed away at age 76 due to a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour.
The film will release be released in New York and Los Angeles on 5 April.
Watch the trailer here .
(With inputs from The Associated Press)