Joaquin Phoenix must have had mixed emotions when he signed-up for Walk The Line. Most actors would relish the challenge of getting under the skin of such a complex character as the legendary country singer Johnny Cash but what about that voice?
The film's director James Mangold ruled out any lip synching and insisted that all performances should be live. Phoenix and his co-star Reece Witherspoon embarked on months of intensive vocal training and performance practise in preparation for their roles but the rock and roll boot camp has reaped results.
Walk the Line is based largely on Johnny Cash's frank autobiographies Man in Black and Cash and charts his rise to fame from cotton farmer's son in Depression-era Arkansas to the iconic Man in Black.
It tracks the events that shaped the legend, from the tragic death of his older brother Jack in a sawmill accident and his time spent in the US Air Force when he wrote his first songs, to the establishment of his band with auto mechanics Monroe Perkins and Marshall Grant and the start of a gruelling tour, which saw his name in lights across the 50 US states.
Cash's big break came at a defining era for American music. His group was signed by record producer Sam Phillips, owner of the Sun Studios in Memphis that can also take responsibility for making Elvis Presley a star. Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two then took their first hit Cry, Cry, Cry on tour in 1955, travelling with Elvis, and two other music legends in the making, Roy Orbison and Jerry Lee Lewis.
It was on tour that he met the love of his life, country singer June Carter, whom he had listened to on the radio as a boy and admired from afar on stage. Both stars were married so their relationship remained professional for over a decade, performing on stage together and collaborating on several big hits.
The Cash/Carter love affair is the main focus for the film. Their relationship is a poignant, touching love story but Cash's obsession for Carter was the source of much torment and anguish. This, coupled with constant touring and the breakdown of his marriage to his first wife Viv, took it's toll.
He reached his lowest point in 1965 when, hooked on drugs, he was arrested for trying to smuggle amphetamines over the border at El Paso in his guitar case. After he divorced Viv, June stepped in to help him kick his dependency and save his career.
From the tough, skinny guitar-slinger to sharp-suited, swaggering stage icon, Phoenix is convincing thoughout. He conveys Cash's strength and vulnerability, flitting between the charming, charismatic 'Jon' and the drunk, drug addled, tormented 'Cash' - a distinction June made between the star's seemingly split personality.
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The result is a captivating mix of charm and menace, with Phoenix portraying the battle between the two personalities as Cash teeters on the brink of a breakdown. He admirably mimics the singer's smooth, resonate vocals which, combined with a jet black quiff of hair and Cash's trademark grip of the guitar, result in spookily accurate stage performances.
Witherspoon too is an excellent Carter. She offsets the tormented Phoenix, conveying June's vivacious sparkle and comical wit, whilst more than holding her own in the live performances.
Cash fans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that their hero's haunting lyrics and enduring melodies have been delivered to a new audience with style.
Walk The Line
Cert: 12A
