2008 Woodie Awards
Movie Review: Walk the Line Through the Ring of Fire
Mark Foscolo
Issue date: 12/8/05 Section: A & E
The life of country music legend Johnny Cash is brought to the big screen in the 20th Century Fox presentation "Walk the Line." The film chronicles Cash from his early days in Arkansas to his rise to fame.
Joaquin Phoenix (Gladiator, The Village) gives an Oscar caliber performance in his portrayal of Cash in what promises to be one of the most talked about movies of the year. "Walk the Line" tells the story of how Johnny Cash the farm boy became Johnny Cash the bad boy famously known for his all-business, take no prisoners persona.
The movie shows the invention and transformation of a man with an undeniable passion for music. His struggles with his family life, especially with his father, held a dark cloud over Cash for the better part of his life. Those problems however would become the fuel Cash needed to pursue one the most prominent careers in music.
It seems as if most musical biography films follow a certain pattern: hard childhood, struggle with self, have success, get rich, party too hard, and then survive by overcoming their addictions and finding true love. The thing that separates "Walk the Line" from the movie "Ray" of last year is that the character of Johnny Cash is so much different.
Phoenix's best portrayal of Cash comes during the audition scene at Sun Records in Memphis. Cash and his two band mate's come in and play for Sam Phillips, played by Dallas Roberts, sounding like a poorly rehearsed gospel group. But Phillips can see during their performance that Cash just isn't being himself. It's at this point where Phillips asks Cash to play something of his own that Johnny Cash becomes Johnny Cash. In a matter of the time it takes for Cash and his band to play "Folsom Prison Blues," a transformation takes place.
As impressive as Phoenix is in this role, special attention needs to be given to the other key performer in this film. Reese Witherspoon, in her portrayal of June Carter Cash, is probably her most memorable to date. She works as a backup vocalist for Cash throughout his career while trying to fend off his romantic advances because of his drug addiction and his marriage to his first wife Vivian Cash (Ginnifer Goodwin).
Both Phoenix and Witherspoon use their real voices in the film. This was something that wasn't very apparent during the original release of the trailers for the movie but is now a confirmed fact. While some may argue the low, almost mono-toned voice Cash had isn't all that difficult to duplicate, it's apparent that Phoenix spent a lot of time getting it down just right.
James Mangold draws some great visual elements out in his direction of this movie. The scene where Cash struggles to perform onstage after an overdose is proof of this. Mangold (Cop Land, Girl Interrupted, Identity) also assisted in writing the screenplay alongside Gill Dennis. Whether you're a Johnny Cash fan or not, "Walk the Line" is without a doubt a genuinely good film.
Joaquin Phoenix (Gladiator, The Village) gives an Oscar caliber performance in his portrayal of Cash in what promises to be one of the most talked about movies of the year. "Walk the Line" tells the story of how Johnny Cash the farm boy became Johnny Cash the bad boy famously known for his all-business, take no prisoners persona.
The movie shows the invention and transformation of a man with an undeniable passion for music. His struggles with his family life, especially with his father, held a dark cloud over Cash for the better part of his life. Those problems however would become the fuel Cash needed to pursue one the most prominent careers in music.
It seems as if most musical biography films follow a certain pattern: hard childhood, struggle with self, have success, get rich, party too hard, and then survive by overcoming their addictions and finding true love. The thing that separates "Walk the Line" from the movie "Ray" of last year is that the character of Johnny Cash is so much different.
Phoenix's best portrayal of Cash comes during the audition scene at Sun Records in Memphis. Cash and his two band mate's come in and play for Sam Phillips, played by Dallas Roberts, sounding like a poorly rehearsed gospel group. But Phillips can see during their performance that Cash just isn't being himself. It's at this point where Phillips asks Cash to play something of his own that Johnny Cash becomes Johnny Cash. In a matter of the time it takes for Cash and his band to play "Folsom Prison Blues," a transformation takes place.
As impressive as Phoenix is in this role, special attention needs to be given to the other key performer in this film. Reese Witherspoon, in her portrayal of June Carter Cash, is probably her most memorable to date. She works as a backup vocalist for Cash throughout his career while trying to fend off his romantic advances because of his drug addiction and his marriage to his first wife Vivian Cash (Ginnifer Goodwin).
Both Phoenix and Witherspoon use their real voices in the film. This was something that wasn't very apparent during the original release of the trailers for the movie but is now a confirmed fact. While some may argue the low, almost mono-toned voice Cash had isn't all that difficult to duplicate, it's apparent that Phoenix spent a lot of time getting it down just right.
James Mangold draws some great visual elements out in his direction of this movie. The scene where Cash struggles to perform onstage after an overdose is proof of this. Mangold (Cop Land, Girl Interrupted, Identity) also assisted in writing the screenplay alongside Gill Dennis. Whether you're a Johnny Cash fan or not, "Walk the Line" is without a doubt a genuinely good film.