Movie Review: Walk The Line
While we were in Spokane this holiday weekend, we were able to see a movie that I've wanted to see for a while - Walk The Line. It held a special appeal for me for a couple of reasons - I grew up in the country and my parents and grandparents listened to what I affectionately call "old country" music and because I've heard this movie get pretty good reviews. It also doesn't hurt that I like Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon - both did a wonderful job on this film (I'm impressed that they did their own vocals - no small feat, IMO).
Obviously, the story was about Johnny Cash - from his humble beginnings to his rise to fame and certain fortune. I heard an interview or some clip on the radio last week about Cash's first wife's children being upset with this film for how their mother was portrayed. However, I don't think she was portrayed in a bad light - she was just a wife of an entertainer who realized he was slipping away because of the nature of the business. The movie was entertaining in that it had humor and re-introduced some entertainers of the time - Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Waylon Jennings (whom I still cannot listen to without thinking of my grandpa), and Bob Dylan. I was impressed most not just by the fact that Johnny Cash played his music in his own style (even after his comeback when the producers wanted a more "electric" sound), but also responded in his own way to the fan mail of prison inmates. One of the last scenes of the movie showed the concert he and June did at Folsom Prison - what a great show! I was surprised that Cash's Live Folsom Prison album outsold the Beatles - what a great testament to his music which was inspired in part by his first producer who said it straight that "you have to make music that speaks to people and is a truth for them".
The movie got me thinking about what kind of music speaks to me - and a lot of it is the "old country". It reminds me of a time that was simple for me (when my brother and I lived with my grandparents out on their ranch north of Spokane) and when I was probably the happiest. It was a time when I heard the old country greats like Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and George Jones while I was following my grandpa around on the farm in a bathing suit and cowboy boots.
This movie gets nine dancing feet out of ten, as I have the lyrics of "Ring of Fire" running through my head.
Obviously, the story was about Johnny Cash - from his humble beginnings to his rise to fame and certain fortune. I heard an interview or some clip on the radio last week about Cash's first wife's children being upset with this film for how their mother was portrayed. However, I don't think she was portrayed in a bad light - she was just a wife of an entertainer who realized he was slipping away because of the nature of the business. The movie was entertaining in that it had humor and re-introduced some entertainers of the time - Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Waylon Jennings (whom I still cannot listen to without thinking of my grandpa), and Bob Dylan. I was impressed most not just by the fact that Johnny Cash played his music in his own style (even after his comeback when the producers wanted a more "electric" sound), but also responded in his own way to the fan mail of prison inmates. One of the last scenes of the movie showed the concert he and June did at Folsom Prison - what a great show! I was surprised that Cash's Live Folsom Prison album outsold the Beatles - what a great testament to his music which was inspired in part by his first producer who said it straight that "you have to make music that speaks to people and is a truth for them".
The movie got me thinking about what kind of music speaks to me - and a lot of it is the "old country". It reminds me of a time that was simple for me (when my brother and I lived with my grandparents out on their ranch north of Spokane) and when I was probably the happiest. It was a time when I heard the old country greats like Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and George Jones while I was following my grandpa around on the farm in a bathing suit and cowboy boots.
This movie gets nine dancing feet out of ten, as I have the lyrics of "Ring of Fire" running through my head.
posted by Notta Wallflower at 11:11 AM
8 Comments:
Ooh, I'd like to see that one too.
Tessence - It's definitely worth it. Curious to see what you think. :-)
Storm - Rightly so. Even though neither of the main actors looked like Cash or Carter, they did a good job with the mannerisms and such. Very good story. :-)
Sweet. I wasn't aware that they did their own vocals. Wow. I want to see this movie because Ring of Fire has always been a favorite song of mine. There I said it. It's written down somewhere. I like Johnny Cash!
Kari - You won't be disappointed. What's wrong with liking Johnny Cash? At any rate, it made my b/f want to look him up - we watched the video for "Hurt", which Johnny Cash did a cover of. I think it's good to be well-rounded, musically. :-)
Dadog - You should - let me know what you think of it. :-)
I'm not even going to pretend to be the resident expert in Johnny Cash, but I've heard from a few people that Cash had a decent relationship with his father, and the movie said otherwise.
I had no idea that Phoenix did his own vocals. I know Witherspoon did hers. I didn't know either of them could sing. That's pretty cool.
Nice review. So a nine, huh? I'll have to see it then.
ZS - The movie portrayed a rough relationship early on, but then mended when Johnny Cash married June Carter. I know some Cash fans were upset that the drugs were focused on in the movie, but jeez, if a person is taking drugs, it pretty much bleeds into everything else.
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