Walk the Line: 2-Disc Collector's Edition

Review by Steve Rogers

Production Year: 2005
DVD Release Date: February 28, 2006
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Director: James Mangold
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Gennifer Goodwin, Robert Patrick
Genre: Biography - Musical
MPAA Rating: PG-13

In his lifetime Johnny Cash rose beyond simple music super stardom to become an American icon, a legend with rock solid morality and a notable dignity that transcended his music. That this signature persona was forged from years of personal and professional pain and hardship only adds to the near mythic status Johnny Cash had attained at the time of his death in 2003. Walk the Line chronicles Cash's formative period from his initial burst onto the music scene in the mid 1950's to his watershed concert at Folsom Prison in 1968.

In reality the story is much more about rock (or rockabilly) than country music. Cash was actually one of the founding fathers of rock 'n roll, a member of the fabled Sun Records Million Dollar Quartet in the mid 1950s with Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.

Of course, Walk the Line isn't simply a film about the life of Johnny Cash. It's a love story and a story about the redemptive power of love. Joaquin Phoenix stars as Cash and Reese Witherspoon portrays June Carter, a daughter of country music's first family. She's the spark that lights Cash's fuse when his first marriage begins to crumble under the stress of constant touring, womanizing and amphetamine abuse. It's also made clear in the film that Cash was haunted by the childhood death of his older brother, and his emotional tempest is further stirred by unrequited love for June.

The performances here are uniformly outstanding and of course both leads received Oscar nominations, with Witherspoon deservingly winning Best Actress in a media lovefest. Phoenix unfortunately did not receive the same accolades for a portrayal that truly seems to capture the raw humanity and pathos of the man behind the myth. While Reese is a joy to watch, capturing the perky homespun mannerisms and twangy accent of June Carter, Phoenix nearly inhabits his character, affording the viewer harrowing glimpses of the demons that tormented Cash. Gennifer Goodwin gives a suitably sympathetic portrayal as Cash's first wife, Vivian, and Robert Patrick, Phoenix's firefighting buddy in Ladder 4, is near menacing as Cash's overbearing and judgmental father.

But it's the concert scenes that highlight Walk the Line and they're all gems. The decision to have the actors sing and play their instruments without any dubbing makes perfect sense and adds a layer of musical texture and gritty realism that bolsters the movie's "you are there" feel. And Phoenix and Witherspoon don't miss a beat, performing beautifully and exhibiting a chemistry that provides resonance to the love story.

Walk the Line comes at a time when musical biopics are the rage. But it stands on its own as a spiritual rags to riches story of redemption through love and a whole lotta great picking and singing.

Video Quality

Presented in Widescreen Anamorphic (2.39:1) the picture transfer boasts super crisp image clarity and detail. The colors are vibrant throughout most of the film and the on-stage sequences in particular sparkle under the bright vibrant spotlights with varying shades of blues and green predominating in the costume design for Phoenix and Witherspoon.

Audio Quality

The disc offers both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround and it's a welcome option that too few DVDs offer. I watched the film a number of times and toggled back and forth between the two audio formats. While the Dolby produced slightly fuller and resonant soundstage, the DTS eventually secured my vote as the winner hands-down. The vibrant clarity with which DTS reproduces music soundtracks tipped the scales here, and even surround effects like the thunderstorm that Johnny wanders through in a drunken haze had more snap, crackle and pop realism with the DTS track.

Special Features

The two-disc set comes in an attractively packaged tri-fold case with (take a seat for this) five exclusive Walk the Line postcards. But kidding aside, the features were a little on the skimpy side. Disc one contains a number of deleted scenes that add little to the story, a couple of trailers and Mangold's commentary. The director exhibits unabashed enthusiasm for the people he worked with and an admirable understanding of the dynamics involved in the film's musical history. I found his observation comparing the birth of modern rock 'n roll in 1955 with the simultaneous emergence of the Actor's Studio and its pioneering devotees (Brando, Dean, Clift, etc.) to be particularly astute. Disc Two has four short featurettes. A making of doc features interviews with music and industry notables like Kris Kristoferson, surviving band members and Kid Rock. And there's an overview of the Folsom Prison concert, and a look at the relationship between Johnny and June. It's all interesting but only clocks in at about 40 minutes in total, not really enough to justify a second disc. I would have liked to have seen more of the actual Cash and Carter too, but there are scant glimpses of them in stills only.

Summary

This Collector's Edition and the film itself are not without flaws, but those are outweighed by the superb video and audio presentation on this disc and the magnetic performances of the lead actors. Die-hard Cash fans might feel a little shortchanged by the lack of extras, but the disc is a must for their collection and new or simply curious viewers will be treated to an intelligent and uncompromising look at the Man in Black.