Walk The Line (Johnny Cash movie) - A Personal Review
When I was a pre-teen, I had a friend whose dad would come home from a grueling day of work as a welder, to shower and clean up to the sound of Johnny Cash blasting from his record player. At the time I could not understand his affinity for this music which just seemed to me to be off-key songs with hokey meanings. I was more into Creedance, Tommy James, and Steppenwolf.
Walk The Line portrays the first half of Cash's life story, warts and all. His is a hardscrabble upbringing with a distant and disapproving father. The formulative event in his life occurs when his older brother, committed to becoming a minister, dies in a gruesome sawmill accident. This incindent is portrayed as haunting Cash for the rest of his life. He serves a stint in the army, where he picks up a guitar and learns to play. He works on some songs, but is too unsure of himself to actually sing for an audience. He marries his high school sweetheart, who never seems to understand or appreciate his love for country music. Through shere determination he finally makes a hit recording, and his career skyrockets.
Really dark moments of his life are portrayed in the movie. Unable to handle the fast pace and stardom, Cash turns to drugs for coping. He also enters into an affair with June Carter even though he has a wife and four children back home. The drugs pretty well destroy career and marriage. Interestingly, his love for June Carter and her tenacious faith turn out to be the salvation for Johnny Cash.
Joaquin Phoenix does a fine job with the songs. I admire that an actor would put forth such an effort to portray a character. Reese Witherspoon gives a less sterling performance with her portrayal of June Carter; she just seems to come across a little too peppy, a little too syrupy.
The concert at San Quentin, that closes the film, provides almost a mesmerizing closing. The prisoners are clapping and stomping in rhythm, the guards and warden are sweating to the connection of Cash with his audience, and the music again is great. This is truly an entertaining and, I think, enriching film.
SOME PERSONAL INSIGHTS:
What a waste, spending one's life trying to win the approval of an unfair and distant parent. We, as parents, probably have little realization of how deeply we we wound our children with careless words and behavior. In considering the Johnny Cash portrayed in this movie, it seems that his struggle with his father is an important ingredient in forming the brooding, meloncholy personality that comes across so successfully in his music. Is this not an example of "beauty from ashes"?
God can bless a mess. Cash had an affair with Carter, which contributed to the wreckage of his marriage. He hit rock bottom; arrested for drugs, time in jail, losing his home and almost his career, almost friendless. Yet this obviously imperfect woman was the catalyst for his salvation. She introduced him to a real faith in God, helped him to overcome drug addiction, and moved him back to the top of the charts. God just plain loves the sinner, be it Johnny Cash or PastorDave!
We are all, in personal behavior and who we are deep within, a mixture of darkness and light. Sometimes Cash comes across as quite mean, even crazed. He mistreats others. There is no acceptable excuse for being unfaithful to your spouse. Yet this is the same man who became a great blessing to many people like myself. He made a movie about the life of Jesus called "The Gospel Road" which I have found to be quite appealing. He made a great recording of the reading of the New Testament. And, for years, he has stood up and testified to audiences far and wide about the grace and love of God.
I think I'll go out and buy a Johnny Cash album, and see if I can get a copy of "Gospel Road" on ebay.
12.31.05 (5:13 pm) [
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posted by:
sweetsue (
reply)
post date:
12.31.05 (12:23 pm)
that is the beauty of it all..no matter how we sin,if we really trust in the lord and find him..he will forgive us and love us..that is a glorious feeling...Happy New Year Pastor Dave to you and your family...that was a good post
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
12.31.05 (12:34 pm)
Reply to: sweetsue
If I could love others, and forgive the faults of others, as thoroughly and quickly as God can...
That's a worthwhile goal, I think.
Thanks, Sue, and Happy New Years!
posted by:
surrogate (
reply)
post date:
12.31.05 (12:43 pm)
"What a waste, spending one's life trying to win the approval of an unfair and distant parent. We, as parents, probably have little realization of how deeply we we wound our children with careless words and behavior."
Truer words were never spoken.
posted by:
LadyG (
reply)
post date:
12.31.05 (2:40 pm)
Its truly a blessing how God turned his life around.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
12.31.05 (3:16 pm)
Reply to: surrogate
Often I think parents get a bum rap from their kids. For instance, I don't know how many times I have heard someone, even in their 40's and 50's, say "I choose not to go to church because, when I was kid, my parents forced me to go." It's an excuse, an effort to transform guilt on well-meaning parents. And, most often parents mean to do well, and try to do their best, but because of imperfections they fall short. I think we should give them credit for the effort, even if the product has faults. Having said these things, I do believe the best thing we can give our children is unconditional love- without demand of anything. I'm working on it, but got a long way to go.
Thanks.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
12.31.05 (3:18 pm)
Reply to: LadyG
Are you a Johnny Cash fan?
posted by:
surrogate (
reply)
post date:
12.31.05 (7:18 pm)
Reply to: PastorDave
Me too.
posted by:
LadyG (
reply)
post date:
12.31.05 (11:03 pm)
Reply to: PastorDave
Yes I have always liked his music.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
01.01.06 (7:51 am)
Reply to: LadyG
A lady at our church told me today about a song by Johnny Cash that she really loves, about an American Indian who helped to raise the flag at Iwa Jima, it being a ballad about his life. Funny how I never really appreciated his music until he is gone and they make a movie about his life.
posted by:
preceptlady (
reply)
post date:
01.01.06 (8:50 am)
It seems to me we always have to hit "rock" bottom before we really realize we need the Lord. He has to bring us to that brokenness before we as humans will admit we need someone to be Lord of our lives.
Excellent post. I haven't seen the movie, but plan too.
Keep up the excellent post! You know how to make a story personal and we need that today! :=}
posted by:
mbv1 (
reply)
post date:
01.01.06 (11:47 am)
Happy New Years to ya....
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
01.01.06 (3:35 pm)
Reply to: tuck
You are a person of few words.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
01.01.06 (3:35 pm)
Reply to: mbv1
Happy New Years back to you!
posted by:
tuck (
reply)
post date:
01.01.06 (6:57 pm)
Reply to: PastorDave
ooppps... lol... Great post about jonny Cash... i was at a loss for words... lol
posted by:
surrogate (
reply)
post date:
01.02.06 (5:33 am)
Tommy James played at the high school when I was a kid... I wasn't allowed to go as I was still in Junior High at the time...
I remember being so mad...lol
posted by:
14u2nv2 (
reply)
post date:
01.02.06 (7:19 am)
Hm I haven't seen it. I thought about maybe renting it though..even tho to be honest, the only song of his I like is "Dirt".
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
01.02.06 (3:01 pm)
Reply to: surrogate
Crimson & Clover, My Baby Does The Hanky Panky...It's hard to believe I enjoyed such music. I listened to AM radio, the music putting me to sleep at night, and bought 45rpm singles for 99 cents. I guess I'm really dating myself.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
01.02.06 (3:03 pm)
Reply to: 14u2nv2
I think its pretty amazing that Johnny Cash was able to span the decades and connect even with the younger people of our generation with such a song. I still contend he did not have a pretty or soothing voice, or a great vocal range- just a unique voice, commanding presense.
Thanks for the comment.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
01.02.06 (3:05 pm)
Reply to: kurtmaddox
Today's America will be tomorrow's Greco-Roman culture? I've often heard and even thought that our culture is degrading, not flourishing. Devolving? I'd like to be convinced otherwise.
posted by:
Cutter (
reply)
post date:
01.02.06 (5:15 pm)
Is it that "God loves the sinner" or that the devinely inspired learn to see the beauty in, and love, the "gutter"? ...learn to see "God" in the gutter, and then know that it's all good. Gutter or church... it's all good... it's all God.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
01.13.06 (6:51 am)
Got my Johnny Cash album. Has an interesting song about an American Indian who helped raise the flag at Iwa Jima, then died of alcoholism many years later. Also some interesting songs about the return of Christ, not your typical church music. The guy was good to the very end.
