Tomorrow night already feels like a good night to stay inside with a movie. The one I’m thinking of will be released on DVD this Tuesday. Walk The Line hit theaters back in November, and now you can add it to your collection.
The movie covers the first 36 years of the storied life of Johnny Cash. It gives fans a glimpse at Cash’s humble upbringing amid the cotton fields of Dyess, Arkansas, including the darkest moment of his life: the death of his older brother Jack, something that haunted Johnny for the rest of his life. From there, the early days of Cash’s career, which coincided with the dawn of rock n’ roll, are chronicled. Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis were among his peers. A performance at California’s Folsom Prison, which was recorded for what became a classic live album and a milestone in his career, is also a key plot point.
“Walk The Line” is mainly about the relationship between Johnny and June Carter Cash, which is probably one of the best love stories of all time. It began as a story of forbidden love between the right people who met at the wrong time. Eventually, it became the story of how a woman’s deep and unwavering love helped to save a self-destructive man from himself. Joaquin Phoenix (Johnny) and Reese Witherspoon (June) do an excellent job capturing the personalities of the real-life couple — although they really are both too pretty for the roles. If the truth be told, both Johnny and June were a little on the homely side. However, both were cast with the blessings of Mr. and Mrs. Cash. Their only child together, John Carter Cash, served as the movie’s executive producer. With those factors in mind, it’s easy to see how the movie was able to tell the story it set out to tell.
The movie is entertaining, and for the most part, is well done. Much of the initial buzz centered on the movie’s musical numbers. Phoenix and Witherspoon do the singing themselves and both turn in credible performances. They worked incredibly hard to replicate the nuances of both singers (and in Phoenix’s case, Cash’s guitar playing style as well), and it shows. From the beginning of the movie’s promotional cycle, both thespians were touted as Academy Award worthy. As it turned out, he was nominated for Best Actor, and she got a nod for Best Actress.
If Entertainment Weekly’s prediction is correct, it’ll be Witherspoon who takes home a trophy on March 5th. She’s adorable as June, playing her as light-hearted and strong-willed at the same time. Cash fans are very familiar with the stories of his wildman antics in the early 1960s, which were fueled by a nasty amphetamine addiction. While watching “Walk the Line,” it’s easy to see how much of a nightmare it had to be to deal with him at times. Perhaps June should be considered for sainthood.
Knowing the real-life story made it easy to buy into the on-screen portrayals, but the movie could’ve dug even deeper into Johnny and June’s relationship. It’s true that as a youngster, Cash had become smitten with June after hearing her perform with her family on the radio. Upon meeting, it was also apparent that there was a certain chemistry between them, which radiated in their appearances onstage together.
From there, however, the film doesn’t always do a great job of explaining why they fell for each other. To see their romance develop onscreen, it seems that things sparked simply because they were always around each other while touring together. Marriages to others were merely obstacles they’d eventually get around. Cash’s attraction to June was obviously based on more than just an infatuation stemming from childhood, so what was at the heart of it? What was it about Cash that attracted June despite the darkness that surrounded him?
The idea of falling in love with someone that you probably shouldn’t is what led June to co-write “Ring Of Fire,” which became one of Cash’s biggest hits and signature songs. The movie acknowledges that, but glosses over it. It would’ve been interesting to see how Phoenix’s Cash reacted when he heard the song or read the lyrics for the first time. How did he feel when he realized it was written about him? A scene with Witherspoon’s June explaining her inspiration would’ve made the scene where the song is performed feel symbolic as a defining moment in their relationship.
Considering what the song is about, “Ring Of Fire” would’ve been a more appropriate title for the movie. “I Walk The Line” was a song Cash had written for his first wife. He wrote it to let her know that he’d remain faithful to her as his budding career demanded that he spend more time away from her. That turned out to be a line Cash couldn’t quite walk.
“Walk the Line” captures the period in Cash’s life where his rebellious nature made him infamous and legendary, but ends with the beginning stages of the redemption that is equally a part of the Johnny Cash persona and mystique. Without June Carter, that redemption wouldn’t have been possible. Without her, the story of his life would have had a much different ending.
—By ozz
THE CD: “After Hours” (Columbia/Legacy)
