Walk the Line
James Mangold is not a director I usually get terribly excited about. In the past he has made a smattering of diverse pictures ranging from muddled psycho thriller Identity to well-acted but unmemorable police drama Copland and even a half-baked One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest wannabe, Girl, Interrupted.
Walk the Line however, is easily his best film to date. This biopic of Rock/Country legend Johnny Cash is a handsome, brilliantly acted and very entertaining couple of hours. That’s the good news. The bad news is that it’s very similar to last years Ray (which is probably what caused it to be overlooked in the Best Picture category at this years Oscar nominations).
Both films have episodes of childhood trauma involving the death of a brother and parental “issues”, both chart the early successes of their respective artists and their slide into womanising and drug addiction. Rehab and redemption follow, and as such it is remarkable how similar the lives of Ray Charles and Johnny Cash appear to be.
However, upon closer inspection there are key differences. Although obviously a musical, Walk the Line is much more concerned with the love story and on/off relationship between Cash and singer June Carter over several years. Both go through a series of disastrous marriages before finally realising they are meant for each other. By the way, the climactic proposal on stage may seem improbable, but it apparently did happen. Of course, in reality, Johnny and June ultimately became Christians. This is hinted at in the film, but never mentioned explicitly.
The other main difference between this and Ray is that Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon are actually singing (very well), whereas Jamie Fox’s music numbers were dubbed. Both give outstanding performances. Phoenix has been dubbed “the new Brando” by a colleague of mine and whilst I wouldn’t go that far, he is very good indeed. As for Witherspoon, she is completely convincing, and I’d say her Oscar win is a virtual certainty.
In final analysis, Walk the Line and Ray are about as good as each other, although ultimately I prefer Ray, as his music is far more to my taste.
Simon Dillon, February 2006.
I’ve just switched onto Mark Kermode’s 5 Live movie review podcast, and he reviewed this one and said very similar things. Apparently if you can forgive some looseness with historical truth it is a most enjoyable film. He compared it to The Buddy Holly Story, which I also haven’t seen, but this is apparently a favourable comparison!
Comment by Sparky — 8 February, 2006 @ 8:11 pm
Watched this on Tuesday in a biopic double bill with Capote, thankfully this came second so it woke me up a bit! Really enjoyed the performances here, and while Johnny Cash was never someone I was a fan of, I enjoyed discovering some of the music I didn’t know. Phoenix and Witherspoon I thought were excellent, and though the story is not anything out of the ordinary tale of failure and redemption, it was well done. Haven’t yet seen Ray, so it wasn’t tainted by any similarities for me.
Comment by Sparky — 28 April, 2007 @ 6:16 am
I think Joaquin Phoenix is great in general - found myself wondering the other day what his career would be like now if River hadn’t died - and he does a sturdy job here, investing The Man in Black with a real vulnerability, even at his most selfish. His vocal range is pretty surprising too.
Of course everyone has said it, and it’s true, but Reese Witherspoon is the real revelation here, she manages to inject real heart and depth into her familiar perky persona. And though on the surface June may not seem like a particularly challenging role, her presence in Johnny’s life was so profound that her every word and action is invested with a significance that bears a heavy weight for any actress. She is presented as his muse, his protector, his moral centre, and ultimately as his saviour. Aside from all that, I can’t believe Witherspoon thought she couldn’t sing before this movie - she’s even better than Joaquin!
Having said all that, there were times when I felt quite uncomfortable that we were ultimately supposed to view their lives as a love story. Firstly, that’s a terrible way to dumb down the real lives of all these real people, and Secondly, because their love left so much carnage in its wake. Cash’s wife is presented as demanding and possessive, unable to understand him and seemingly immature. But it’s clear that they were kids when they got married, and while he pursued his dreams to their cost, she just got older, and more isolated, living a life her father had warned her of, and Johnny had convinced her would never be theirs. As for her being suspicious - she was justified! I’ve no doubt that John and June’s love was real, but the idea that it was the most important thing about these two profoundly talented, complicated, people sits very uneasily with me. I know that most biopics neccessarily take a fixed period from the life of their subject, but I would have felt more of the redemptive strain that they were aiming for had I seen what happened next!
Comment by Heidi — 28 April, 2007 @ 10:21 am
Heidi’s point about Cash’s first wife is interesting. That’s why if one is ambitious, one needs to make sure one marry the right person!
Comment by Simon — 3 May, 2007 @ 1:46 pm