Friday, December 09, 2005
Walk the Line
I saw Walk the Line over Thanksgiving weekend. This was a more poignant movie than I expected. Juaquin Phoenix was very good, especially the guitar playing and singing. The story followed Johnny's life pretty accurately from what I know. What struck me intensely was the story of addiction and it's portrayal on the silver screen. This movie does as good a job as "28 Days" and "When a Man Loves a Woman". I had known that Johnny Cash had a problem with pills and beat that addiction in the late sixties. I guess I didn't realize the extent of the addiction and how it affected all aspects of his life. This is interesting because I have shared those same experiences in my life. I guess somehow it is easy to place public celebrities on a pedestal and assume they are immune from what affects the rest of us! There were a lot of great lines in the film. I especially enjoyed the questions of his wearing all black and looking like he was going to a funeral, Juaquin's response, Maybe I am!
I have always liked Johnny Cash's music. His songs resonated on the reservation. The Ballad of Ira Hayes was initially refused airplay but Johnny made a personal plea to radio stations for airtime. It is one of only a few popular songs that highlight the plight of the American Indian. Folsom Prison was a way popular song, especially after the concert at Folsom. It was personally meaningful to me because I had a close friendship with a family of seven sons named Folsom. Their dad was in and out of prison all his life. I had a portable record player when the Folsom Prison album came out and the Folsom boys would have me bring the record and player up to their house, especially if they had a weekend beer bust going on. I would usually get to stay and drink a few Budweisers with them. If the place really got wild one of them might get on the kitchen table and dance while the Folsom Prison Blues played.
The movie made such an impression on me, I went out and bought the book "Man in Black" that is Johnny Cash's autobiography and a basis for the movie. Johnny was actually involved in the early development of the movie before his death a couple of years ago. Although Folsom Prison Blues was widely popular, Johnny's best selling song of all time was "I Walk the Line". The song sings of his committment to a relationship, but has broad appeal because of struggles we all face in being true to relationships, committments and to self. Trying to live an ideal is hard and no doubt a universal struggle. Walking the Line can mean being true to a love, to one's self, to a set of principles or to a higher power. Reflecting on this movie and Johnny's life as retold in his autobiography walking the line isn't something one does consistently and is far often less than perfect. This is a true statement for me and I suspect for all humanity! Another great song along this line is Waylon's "Only Daddy that'll Walk the Line".
Walk On! Chaske'
I saw Walk the Line over Thanksgiving weekend. This was a more poignant movie than I expected. Juaquin Phoenix was very good, especially the guitar playing and singing. The story followed Johnny's life pretty accurately from what I know. What struck me intensely was the story of addiction and it's portrayal on the silver screen. This movie does as good a job as "28 Days" and "When a Man Loves a Woman". I had known that Johnny Cash had a problem with pills and beat that addiction in the late sixties. I guess I didn't realize the extent of the addiction and how it affected all aspects of his life. This is interesting because I have shared those same experiences in my life. I guess somehow it is easy to place public celebrities on a pedestal and assume they are immune from what affects the rest of us! There were a lot of great lines in the film. I especially enjoyed the questions of his wearing all black and looking like he was going to a funeral, Juaquin's response, Maybe I am!
I have always liked Johnny Cash's music. His songs resonated on the reservation. The Ballad of Ira Hayes was initially refused airplay but Johnny made a personal plea to radio stations for airtime. It is one of only a few popular songs that highlight the plight of the American Indian. Folsom Prison was a way popular song, especially after the concert at Folsom. It was personally meaningful to me because I had a close friendship with a family of seven sons named Folsom. Their dad was in and out of prison all his life. I had a portable record player when the Folsom Prison album came out and the Folsom boys would have me bring the record and player up to their house, especially if they had a weekend beer bust going on. I would usually get to stay and drink a few Budweisers with them. If the place really got wild one of them might get on the kitchen table and dance while the Folsom Prison Blues played.
The movie made such an impression on me, I went out and bought the book "Man in Black" that is Johnny Cash's autobiography and a basis for the movie. Johnny was actually involved in the early development of the movie before his death a couple of years ago. Although Folsom Prison Blues was widely popular, Johnny's best selling song of all time was "I Walk the Line". The song sings of his committment to a relationship, but has broad appeal because of struggles we all face in being true to relationships, committments and to self. Trying to live an ideal is hard and no doubt a universal struggle. Walking the Line can mean being true to a love, to one's self, to a set of principles or to a higher power. Reflecting on this movie and Johnny's life as retold in his autobiography walking the line isn't something one does consistently and is far often less than perfect. This is a true statement for me and I suspect for all humanity! Another great song along this line is Waylon's "Only Daddy that'll Walk the Line".
Walk On! Chaske'
