Hello, I'm Johnny Cash

Cash Song Lyric …I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die…

Directed by James Mangold
Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash ( Gladiator )
Reese Witherspoon as June Carter


Walk The Line 2005

Walk the Line is a two hour film about the life of singers Johnny Cash and June Carter. The film starts out in a small town in Arkansas where Cash grew up. His family were poor cotton share croppers. Even as a young boy Johnny Cash liked to sing hymns with his mother. Eventually Cash is old enough to join the Air force and he does. After a short stint in Germany he marries and moves to Nashville, Tennessee. Cash works as a salesman and plays with his band as he can. His band is two local mechanics who play a bit. One plays a Bass and the other a lead guitar.

His wife was not impressed with his band or his desire to become a singer. She was a realist and they could not pay their bills. Cash was a poor salesman and he wasn’t making much money. He was in a corner and he made a bold move. He went to the recording studio and demanded to be heard. For some reason the owner gave him a shot. Johnny Cash cut his first record that night.

He sang, Hey Porter and Cry Cry Cry. In no time at all, Cash was on tour with Jerry Lee Lewis, June Carter and others. Then he wrote and sang Folsom Prison Blues and it went to the Top 5 on the Country Charts. The next year he sang I Walk The Line which went to #1 on the country charts and in the Top 20 in the Pop charts. Johnny Cash was a star. But he was a star with problems like anyone else. His marriage was in serious trouble. He was in love with June Carter. He was also hooked on speed and alcohol.


Conclusion

Walk The Line is an honest look at the Life of Johnny Cash. I have listened to a lot of Johnny Cash over the years and enjoy his music. He went through a lot of grief that I never knew he had to go through. It started when he was young. His childhood was tough and his father was an ornery drunk. Cash went from rags to riches at a young age. I enjoyed the film because it manages to highlight the major points in Cashes life in just two hours. Director James Mangold covers his childhood, time in the service and first marriage fairly fast but good enough to make his points. Several scenes were deleted from the early years to get to 1955-1957.

It was 1955-1957 when Johnny Cash’s career took off. It was also the years that he met June Carter, and started taking speed. He also drank like a fish. But he was making good money and supporting his family. His wife did not like his being on tour all the time. She wanted the money and Johnny Cash. The story has a decent pace and I found it very interesting. Pretty good detail was paid to sets, and costumes of the time. It all looked authentic to the times involved.

The acting and cast were just phenomenal. I was surprised to learn that Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix actually did all of their singing. They were both at their best in this film. I read that Witherspoon was approached after the film by labels asking her to sing. Reese Witherspoon won an Oscar at the 78th Academy Awards , A Golden Globe and BAFTA all for best leading actress for her part as June Carter in Walk The Line. I guess I wasn’t the only one impressed with their performances. Phoenix was also nominated for Best actor for his part in Walk The Line. The supporting cast did an very good job as well. In particular Robert Patrick who played Ray Cash, Johnny Cash’s father.

I can understand why some of the family didn’t like the film. No one enjoys having their private life and problems made public. This film shows some of the good, the bad and the ugly of Johnny Cash’s life. Cash had a very serious problem with speed during his career. He also fell in love with June Carter early in his career but managed to stay married to his first wife for many years. June Carter was also married so it just made their love for each other wrong and what seemed untouchable. I never knew this part of the mans life. It was a real bummer for everyone involved! The film covers the life of Johnny Cash up to 1968 when he cut an album at Folsom Prison. I also liked the commentary by the director on the DVD. The DVD also has about ten scenes that were cut from the film do to it's length. The deleted scenes are worth watching.

There is a lot of singing in the film. Most of Johnny Cash’s early hits are in the film. If you’re a fan of his music your enjoy this one. Johnny Cash's life has many lessons in it. A couple that come to mind is never let your dreams go. The second would be how bad drugs can bring you down. In the end Cash had a very successful career and went on to play with the Highwaymen. He was also one of ten people to be inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Country Music Hall of Fame. He was one of two people to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Country Music Hall of Fame and Song Writers Hall of Fame. The other was Hank Williams. In my opinion Joaquin Phoenix should have won the Oscar for Best actor for his outstanding performance in this film and dedication to the part. He actually took six months of singing lessons and sang every song in the movie as did Reese Witherspoon. If you are a fan of any music I believe you’ll like Walk The Line.

Rated [PG-13]
Runtime: 2 Hours 16 minutes

Thanks for the read,
© 2006 Joe McMaster