Ray (HD DVD)
The running time is 2 hrs. 33 mins..
Before gushing too much I will say that Ray has its flaws, or should I saw flaw? For such a complex and rather long film the ending is far too quaint. After learning what seems like everything about the first half Ray Charles' all of a sudden the second half of his life is summed up with words on the screen and the credits begin to roll.
That said, when I saw Ray in theaters I was taken aback. The film is great and Jamie Foxx is perfect for the role as he entirely embodies Ray Charles. The script just could have been tightened a bit to add a little extra to the ending and cut a bit of the fat from the first 153 minutes.
As for this HD DVD, the video is fantastic. Like I said earlier, Taylor Hackford along with his cinematographer, Pawel Edelman, who also brought his talent to Roman Polanski's The Pianist, did a fantastic job with the lighting. There are some close-up shots of Jamie Foxx that look fantastic in HD as they show every nook and cranny of Foxx's face. Granted, actors may be a bit upset that the world of HD brings any flaws they may have to the surface, but it really makes for a more realistic movie experience.
The audio is equally impressive and considering they used brand new recordings from Ray Charles for this film it is no surprise it sounds this good.
As far as the special features are concerned you are getting just about everything that was available on the 2-Disc limited edition DVD. I say just about because you aren't getting a collectible booklet, an extended making-of feature or an extended cut of the film. Although I don't own the limited edition release, I did see the extended cut of the film and you are not missing anything here.
The special features you are getting, if you need a reminder, are a feature commentary with director Taylor Hackford, over 27 minutes of deleted scenes, complete uncut performances from the movie, a "Stepping Into the Part" featurette on Jamie Foxx's portrayal of Ray Charles and a "Ray Remembered" featurette with several friends and musicians talking about Ray Charles' impact on their lives.
Finally you get a "Look Inside Ray" feature, a "Filmmakers' Journey" feature, "The Women of Ray" feature, an "American Story" feature and the theatrical trailer.
Of the bunch the best feature is most likely the "Stepping into the Part" feature as we get a look at Jamie Foxx's transformation into Ray, but more importantly a look at the much talked about jam sessions Foxx and Charles had as Ray tested Jamie's ability on the piano.
One final feature that should be mentioned that is a really cool addition I have now seen on two different HD DVDs is the DVS (Descriptive Video Service) feature, which provides a narration track for blind viewers. A really cool feature, I am interested to see if this becomes a regular feature on future releases.
Overall, I will say this is a fantastic release, but I am not sure if Ray is a film many people will watch over and over again. I know that I probably won't put it back in the player anytime soon, but I am sure on some lazy Sunday afternoon this will become an excellent option.