Respect (4 Stars)

Aretha Franklin is a singer about whom I know very little. Two years ago I watched and greatly enjoyed her famous live concert, "Amazing Grace". This new biopic, "Respect", offered me the chance to learn more about her. An added incentive to see the film is that Aretha Franklin is played by Jennifer Hudson, one of the world's best singers. She stunned me when I saw her in "Dreamgirls".

The film follows Aretha from the age of 10 up to her "Amazing Grace" concert, when she was 29. She had a turbulent childhood. Her father, a Baptist minister, recognised her gift as a singer and made her sing in his church, whether she wanted to or not. He said she should sing to bring praise to the Lord, but what he really wanted was to win esteem for himself.

Aretha had her first child when she was 13, and the second when she was 15. She refused to name the father until shortly before her death. This subject is quickly skipped over in the film. Wasn't it a scandal for a minister's young daughter to be raped? If it really was rape. That depends on your definition. I say it wasn't rape. Rape is non-consensual sex, but she evidently wanted sex at the time, or she wouldn't have defended the man. The man was guilty of statutory rape, which is consensual sex with a child. It's a confusing expression, because statutory rape isn't rape. Many people don't make a difference, because they say that a young teenager is too young to make a decision.

Church wasn't enough for Aretha. As she grew older she wanted to have hits. She wanted to be known throughout America. Pride. At the age of 18 she married the record producer Ted White. It was an abusive relationship. He wanted to control her, and he hit her when he didn't get his way. For instance, he objected to Aretha being given white session musicians when she went to a studio in Alabama. Aretha accepted them, because she recognised how good they were, but Ted began a racist rant, threatening the studio's owner.

Eventually Aretha got the hits that she wanted. She remained committed to the cause of black equality. Martin Luther King was a personal friend, and she always went to support him by singing at church services whenever he spoke. However, the film shows that her biggest battle wasn't with race equality but with gender equality. She wanted respect as a woman.

By 1970 her life was spinning out of control. She was addicted to alcohol, and it was so bad that she collapsed on stage. She needed to get back to her roots. She recorded "Amazing Grace", a live gospel album. She found her way back to God. I'm not saying she became a perfect person, but she put her alcohol addiction behind her.

Despite the outstanding quality of the film, especially Jennifer Hudson's singing, I have a big problem with "Respect". It assumes that the viewer is well acquainted with Aretha Franklin. There are characters running in and out, some only referred to by their first name, some not named at all. They're obviously important, but I didn't know who they were. I'm sure that any Aretha Franklin fan could have told me who they were. A good biopic should assume that the viewer knows nothing.

It's a good film, but somehow I don't think I'll watch it again. It's a film that's worth watching in the cinema.