Watching this documentary for the first time, and I've watched a few documentaries on the Man in Black. Very fascinating and in-depth, not only using interviews with Johnny Cash himself but more importantly with people who knew him; such as Rick Ruben, Roseanne Cash, Bruce Springsteen, John Carter Cash, even Sam Phillips. I would say this is the best documentary about Johnny Cash himself and his life because it has many collaborators that had important insight into life back then, and how life was for Johnny.
If you were disappointed with Walk the Line, or were curious for the more deeper story behind the cheap Hollywood glamor, this is the better movie in my opinion. We still don't quite know the full scope of some of the darkest sins of Cash, (and it's really none of our business) but we get hints and oddly enough sometimes the hints are better than secrets exposed.
This is also one of the only documentaries so far on Cash's side that pays more sympathetic attention to his first marriage. I was surprised to hear Cash talking fondly about the early years between them, and the days in Memphis. It was great to hear that there was a part of him still that even loved the days before he was famous, and yet he never says that he regrets following his dream. He openly regretted the drug use, and the suffering he caused to Vivian and his family, but clearly he felt a powerful need to sing his heart out before people.
Johnny Cash is one of those men that is so relatable, and likable to all who have struggled in life and are honest about it. How difficult being a musician was in the 50s and 60s, and it's easier to understand with this movie how easy it was to fall into drugs unwittingly! I for one did not know how little was known about amphetamines and barbiturates then, and I'm sure not very many people did either.
And although the love story of him and June has been revisited so many times, there is a deeper sweetness in the home movies here. It's unusual for me to say that I can feel the love he had for her, just by looking at them together. And to hear that they didn't simply live happily ever after, had tremendous problems but still decided to stay committed in marriage was inspiring. The family doesn't share this knowledge to air dirty laundry but to share how complex Johnny and June were, which not very many people know how to do well. They still fought yes, and I'm sure there were moments they were ready to strangle each other but they didn't let their problems destroy them. The love of the Hollywood Walk the Line, like in all Hollywood movies, was simplistically cliche and the fuller story is more intriguing. I think that love grows deeper through trials, if you're willing to hold tight together.
Also his faith in God increases his interest to me, there are very few men in the music world that are so open about the faith they have. And to have unflinchingly continued forward after the Christian hating record company and fans dropped him for being a man of faith, what a hero! Had no idea that he paid such a price for years for his commitment to God. Bless him for rediscovering such respect that he deserved before his death!
Watch this, you won't regret it.
