In 1972, the late and beyond measure, Aretha Franklin, landed in Los Angeles’ New Temple Missionary Baptist Church to record her live (double-platinum) double-album, Amazing Grace. And while the album stands as her best-selling piece in a five-decade career, and remains the highest-selling Gospel album of all-time (taking home the 1973 Grammy for the genre,) the accompanying film, directed by Sydney Pollack, never saw the light of day.
LISTEN: Aretha Did It Better: 12 Classics Transformed (and Owned) by The Queen of Soul
But earlier this week, Variety announced that Pollack’s documentation of the back-to-back nights of performance at the LA cathedral would finally see release after 46 inexplicable years on the shelf. Today, a new trailer for the film has been released, offering a first glance at the monumental procession, backed by Reverend James Cleveland on piano, Bernard Purdie on drums, Cornel Dupree on guitar, and the propulsive Southern California Community Choir. Watch it below.
Amazing Grace is set for its world premiere on Monday, November 12th, at the Doc NYC Festival. Tickets for the two screenings are on-sale now. Stay tuned for the announcement of the broader theatrical release in the weeks and months ahead.
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