With the very opening of this documentary I was struck by the sequence that was used to introduce Johnny Cash to the viewer. If I recall correctly, a crow was used in the opening scene of "Walk the Line' as a symbolic harbinger of tragic things to come. In this picture, home movie footage shows Cash shooting a crow out of a tree, but he doesn't kill it. He picks up the injured crow who retaliates by biting on Cash's finger, and the scene dissolves with Johnny carrying the crow back home as if he's now going to fix him up. I didn't know what to make of that whole scenario.
With a documentary of this nature, it's virtually impossible to hit on all aspects of a person's life, so Johnny Cash's early years are glossed over rather quickly, but with a brief mention of his brother's death at an early age due to a terrible accident, an event that forever cast a shadow over Cash's life. A fast forward to Johnny's first marriage explains how his virtual overnight success as an entertainer caused problems with wife Vivian and how it led to amphetamine abuse in the Sixties. For Cash, going on stage relieved the pain and conflict he endured while performing with and falling in love with June Carter, as the demands of touring caused his health and well being to suffer.
Providing insight for the viewer are a host of Cash's contemporaries like Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and producer Clive Davis, along with more recent performers like John Mellencamp, Sheryl Crow, Kid Rock and daughter Roseann Cash. Some chimed in with riffs on some of Cash's popular songs with their unique interpretations, while Cash himself is shown in brief clips spanning his career with tunes like 'Man in Black', 'Folsom Prison Blues' and 'Ring of Fire'. Particular attention is paid to Johnny's connection with prisoners and the gospel roots of his music that formed the basis of a Christian revival in his later years.
One thing I didn't know about Cash was his friendship and camaraderie with Bob Dylan, who looked up to Cash with much devotion. Dylan was the very first guest on Cash's TV variety show in 1969, preceeding other performers like Ray Charles, Pete Seeger, and Kris Kristofferson. It was probably during the two year span of Cash's TV show that he looked and performed his best to my thinking, shortly to be followed however by a seeming loss of relevance as the times passed him by as a singer. Kind of sad actually to see clips of Cash performing in front of a small room where he could see everyone individually instead of huge sold out stadiums of former glory.
This documentary debuted on the Country Music Channel just a few days ago on September 12th, 2015 as I write this, with repeat viewings in between airings of "Walk The Line", so it was a neat one-two punch for Johnny Cash fans. It may not have everything you're looking for in a biopic of this nature, but then again, when do they ever.
With a documentary of this nature, it's virtually impossible to hit on all aspects of a person's life, so Johnny Cash's early years are glossed over rather quickly, but with a brief mention of his brother's death at an early age due to a terrible accident, an event that forever cast a shadow over Cash's life. A fast forward to Johnny's first marriage explains how his virtual overnight success as an entertainer caused problems with wife Vivian and how it led to amphetamine abuse in the Sixties. For Cash, going on stage relieved the pain and conflict he endured while performing with and falling in love with June Carter, as the demands of touring caused his health and well being to suffer.
Providing insight for the viewer are a host of Cash's contemporaries like Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and producer Clive Davis, along with more recent performers like John Mellencamp, Sheryl Crow, Kid Rock and daughter Roseann Cash. Some chimed in with riffs on some of Cash's popular songs with their unique interpretations, while Cash himself is shown in brief clips spanning his career with tunes like 'Man in Black', 'Folsom Prison Blues' and 'Ring of Fire'. Particular attention is paid to Johnny's connection with prisoners and the gospel roots of his music that formed the basis of a Christian revival in his later years.
One thing I didn't know about Cash was his friendship and camaraderie with Bob Dylan, who looked up to Cash with much devotion. Dylan was the very first guest on Cash's TV variety show in 1969, preceeding other performers like Ray Charles, Pete Seeger, and Kris Kristofferson. It was probably during the two year span of Cash's TV show that he looked and performed his best to my thinking, shortly to be followed however by a seeming loss of relevance as the times passed him by as a singer. Kind of sad actually to see clips of Cash performing in front of a small room where he could see everyone individually instead of huge sold out stadiums of former glory.
This documentary debuted on the Country Music Channel just a few days ago on September 12th, 2015 as I write this, with repeat viewings in between airings of "Walk The Line", so it was a neat one-two punch for Johnny Cash fans. It may not have everything you're looking for in a biopic of this nature, but then again, when do they ever.