Universal City, California, October 19, 2021 – Experience the cinematic music event of the year featuring Oscar® and Grammy® Award winner and vocal powerhouse Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) as legendary singer Aretha Franklin in the inspiring true story RESPECT, available to own for the first time on Digital now and on Blu-ray™ and DVD November 9, 2021 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Hailed by critics as “electrifying” (David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter) and “extraordinary” (Pete Hammond, Deadline), MGM’s musical biopic gives an authentic inside look at the life and legacy of one of the greatest, most influential recording artists of all time.
Following the rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom, RESPECT is the remarkable journey of the music icon’s path to find her voice. The film on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital comes packed with all-new exclusive bonus content including behind-the-scenes featurettes about Jennifer Hudson’s transformation into the Queen of Soul, director Liesl Tommy’s filmmaking process, the creation of the beautiful sets and custom wardrobes, Aretha’s experience at Muscle Shoals, and more taking audiences deeper into the empowering story and world-renowned chart-topping music that has become a global anthem for strength, independence and positivity.
Directed by Tony Award® nominee Liesl Tommy (“Insecure”, “The Walking Dead”) from a screenplay written by Emmy Award® nominee Tracey Scott Wilson (“Fosse/Verdon”, “The Americans”) and story by Academy Award® winner Callie Khouri (“Thelma & Louise”), RESPECT is the biggest female-led musical drama in recent history and a must own film with extraordinary showstopping performances to watch over and over in spectacular Dolby Atmos quality sound, available exclusively on Blu-ray™.
Hand selected by Aretha herself, Hudson leads an all-star ensemble cast including Academy Award® winner Forest Whitaker (Black Panther, The Butler), Marlon Wayans (Sextuplets, Fifty Shades of Black), six-time Tony Award® winner Audra McDonald (Beauty and The Beast, “Private Practice”), Marc Maron (Joker, “Glow”), five-time Emmy Award® nominee Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”, The Addams Family), and Grammy® Award winner and Academy Award® nominee Mary J. Blige (Mudbound, Rock of Ages) along with Tony Award® nominees Saycon Sengbloh (“The Wonder Years”, “Delilah”) and Haley Kilgore (“Amazing Stories”).
The RESPECT Original Motion Picture Soundtrack features Jennifer Hudson’s uplifting vocal performances of 17 Aretha Franklin classic songs along with the original song “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” – which Hudson wrote alongside four-time Grammy® Award winner, Kennedy Center Honoree, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductee Carole King and Jamie Hartman [Lewis Capaldi, Christina Aguilera]. The soundtrack is now available to own on digital/streaming services, CD and vinyl from Epic Records.
BLU-RAYTM & DVD EXCLUSIVE BONUS FEATURES:
- The Making of Respect – Explore the unique telling of this Aretha Franklin story, what the project meant to all involved and how music played a pivotal role in crafting this film.
- Becoming Aretha – Take a behind the scenes look at Jennifer Hudson’s incredible transformation into the Queen of Soul including her commitment to the character, her connection with the late singer, and why inhabiting the legendary artist felt more like destiny than anything else.
- Capturing a Legacy – A celebration of director Liesl Tommy’s artistry and professionalism as the cast and crew express their appreciation and admiration for her and her process.
- From Muscle Shoals – Sit-down with the cast, crew and some of the original musicians that recorded with Aretha at Muscle Shoals to learn about this crucial time period in Aretha’s life and how it helped propel her evolution.
- Exploring the Design of Respect – Production designer Ina Mayhew and costume designer Clint Ramos discuss the research they conducted in order to create the beautiful sets in the film as well as the various custom-made wardrobes that span three decades of style.
RESPECT will be available on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital.
- Blu-ray™ unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.
- Digital lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly buy or rent.
Film Website: https://www.unitedartistsreleasing.com/respect
UPHE Website: https://www.uphe.com/movies/respect
UPHE Trailer: https://uni.pictures/RespectAnnounce
Facebook: @RespectFilm
Twitter: @RespectMovie
Instagram: @RespectMovie
#RespectMovie
FILMMAKERS:
Cast: Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Marc Maron, Tituss Burgess and Mary J. Blige
Executive Music Producers: Harvey Mason Jr., Stephen Bray, Jason Michael Webb
Music By: Kris Bowers
Costume Designer: Clint Ramos
Edited By: Avril Beukes, ACE
Production Designer: Ina Mayhew
Director of Photography: Kramer Morgenthau, ASC
Executive Producers: Jennifer Hudson, Liesl Tommy, Sue Baden-Powell, Aaron L. Gilbert, Jason Cloth
Produced By: Harvey Mason Jr., Scott Bernstein, p.g.a., Jonathan Glickman, Stacey Sher
Story By: Callie Khouri and Tracey Scott Wilson
Screenplay By: Tracey Scott Wilson
Directed By: Liesl Tommy
TECHNICAL INFORMATION BLU-RAY™:
Street Date: November 9, 2021
Selection Number: 61213899 (US)/ 1000806581 (CDN)
Layers: BD-50
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 16:9 2.39:1
Rating: PG-13 for mature thematic content, strong language including racial epithets, violence, suggestive material, and smoking
Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, French-Canadian and Latin American Spanish
Sound: English Dolby Atmos, French Dolby Digital 5.1, English Dolby Digital 2.0 (bonus features)
Run Time: 2 Hours and 25 Minutes
Street Date: November 9, 2021
Selection Number: 61210155 (US) / 1000806581 (CDN)
Layers: DVD 9
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen 16:9 2.39:1
Rating: PG-13 for mature thematic content, strong language including racial epithets, violence, suggestive material, and smoking
Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, French Canadian and Latin American Spanish
Sound: English and French Dolby Digital 5.1, English Dolby Digital 2.0 (bonus features)
Run Time: 2 Hours and 25 Minutes
ABOUT METRO GOLDWYN MAYER:
Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) is a leading entertainment company focused on the production and global distribution of film and television content across all platforms. The company owns one of the world’s deepest libraries of premium film and television content as well as the premium pay television network EPIX, which is available throughout the U.S. via cable, satellite, telco and digital distributors. In addition, MGM has investments in numerous other television channels and digital platforms. For more information, visit www.mgm.com.
ABOUT UNIVERSAL PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT:
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (UPHE – www.uphe.com) is a unit of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group (UFEG). UFEG produces, acquires, markets and distributes filmed entertainment worldwide in various media formats for theatrical, home entertainment, television and other distribution platforms, as well as consumer products, interactive gaming and live entertainment. The global division includes Universal Pictures, Focus Features, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, Universal Brand Development, Fandango, DreamWorks Animation Film and Television. UFEG is part of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, world-renowned theme parks and a suite of leading Internet-based businesses. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.
