General Discussion > The Buzz

Walk The Line

(1/5) > >>

GillE:
Country and Western music is not my scene.  Nevertheless, I watched "Walk The Line" on DVD last night, a biopic of Johnny Cash and June Carter which it's claimed is based on Cash's autobiographies.  Joaquin Phoenix and Reece Witherspoon play Cash and Carter, giving first rate performances.  They both sound very similar to the original artists and whilst they do mime to some tracks, it's difficult to tell.  But it's not just the singing that impresses; these are two quality actors at the top of their form.  

The story isn't a mere homage to Cash and Carter.  The script is certainly taut enough to keep a non-C&W music lover watching as Cash moved away from his oppressive parents and broke into showbiz, only to find himself struggling to cope with the pressures of life on tour.  Most of the music featured in the film was the boppier stuff he played alongside the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley.  It would have been interesting if the film had focussed more deeply on his social campaign songs such as Ira Hayes, and sought to explain why he identified so strongly with the underclasses of American society.  Sadly, it just nodded towards this with an acknowledgment of Folsom Prison.

Overall, I rate this movie very highly.  It's not without fault but its shortcomings are such that you don't notice them while the story zips along and you are engaged by the stunning performances of Phoenix and Witherspoon.

Sandra:
I saw it a few weeks ago Gill and thought that the singing was a very good impression of the original.
I didnt notice any miming but I could have missed it.
The duets were brilliant, if they werent mimed, as they sounded to me exactly like the originals.
I enjoyed it, even more so as I watched it for free on a foreign satellite channel with no adverts  :)

I thought that the guy who played Ray Charles in Ray looked and sounded very good too  :)

Lona:
Sorry to disagree.  I didn't enjoy the movie at all.

Joaqin Phoenix is one of my favourite actors but I didn't like his performance in this movie.

TR:
Thought this is one of the best films I had seen for yonks.. Reece Witherspoon  :tongue:  was brilliant as June Carter and on the back of this film went straight onto ebay and bought 5 cds of Johny Cash.

Sandra:

--- Quote from: "Lona" ---Sorry to disagree.  I didn't enjoy the movie at all.

 
--- End quote ---


See Lona, I warned you that watching all those soaps and reality shows would make you unable to distinguish the good stuff from the bad stuff.

Corrie and Eastenders and such crap programmes should carry a government health warning stating that they will damage your brain if you watch more than one episode a month :roll:

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page