A Faith-Lite Johnny Cash: 'Walk the Line' is a beautiful movie with a gaping hole

Beliefnet ^ | 11/21/05 | Mark Joseph

[rhema]

More on Johnny Cash's faith: Man in White

[VOA]

I really do like Cash's cover of "Personal Jesus" on one of his later albums.
Parts of it get played on "The Jesus Christ Show" that airs on
the very secular KFI radio station here in Los Angeles.

[Siena Dreaming]

will likely garner Reese Witherspoon an Academy Award nomination

Why her and not him? He did as good a job or better IMO.

A good movie. A couple mentions of God early on which I appreciated. But this article makes me want to go out and buy the autobiography.

[Michael.SF.]

"Who should I believe, your textbook or his diary?" I asked the professor.

Bet he got a C- in the class.

[gondramB]

I have not seen the movie -I'm looking forward to it.

But I wasn't expecting to see that much about Christianity since my understanding is that movie covers his early life up to the Folsom Prison concert - I have pretty much all of Johnny Cash's music and it didn't seem to have a very strong Christian theme at that point. There were hints of - like Grey Stone Chapel but his best religious expression came later - particularly the Man in Black album.

[redpoll]

There's a story like this in a book I read many years ago. A man is in Moscow during the Soviet era. He's standing in front of a large church, but the map he's been given by the authorities don't list it at all. There's just a blank space on the map. So he asks the Intourist guide why the church isn't on the map and the guide says, "In the Soviet Union, we don't believe in religion."

[Salamander]

What a pity.
I guess I'll be waiting for it on DVD, then.

If you haven't seen it yet, look for Johnny's music video cover of the Nine Inch Nails song "Hurt".
It is absolutely eerie in its prescience.
Trent Reznor watched it and wept.

You will too.

[Revolting cat!]

Me, I don't get it at all. Why would I want to watch a movie about a celebrity, Johnny Cash or Truman Capote, when I can listen to one's music or read the other's books? Heck, one year not long ago you could read two fictional accounts of one Hollywood starlet's life written by tweo celebrity writers. (Know who?) And why would anyone want to do that? Celebrities (known for being known) writing about and acting as other celebrities and reducing their targets to their own celebrity status: 'known for being known'. 'Nuff already!

[SkyPilot]

It figures Hollyweird would do this, but it is very disappointing.

I remember as a little kid listening to Johnny Cash being played on our old Hi-Fi by my father. I listened to recordings of his live concerts to prisoners in absolute awe.

I even watched him when he made a guest appearance on the show "Colombo." Cash played a musician who killed his wife and stepdaughter by putting them to sleep with drugged coffee, and then jumping out of the Cessna he was flying with a homemade parachute and then the plane crashed.

Hollywood runs from God at every turn. The bible says those who hate the light run from it.

Myself, I will be forever inspired by Cash's honest (brutally honest) testimony and story.

P.S. Cash said his wife June once danced naked on a piano for him, and he said she was "just sexy as all hell." What a rascal!

[Salamander]

Here it is;

http://www.losthighwayrecords.com/e/cash11403.html

[Cicero]

I'm sorry to hear this. Apart from his biography, some of Johnny Cash's greatest songs are religious. It seems stupid to take that out of the movie, since it is going to offend a fair number of his fans and drive away a lot of the natural audience for this movie.

This song, for instance:

http://hit-country-music-lyrics.com/johnnycashlyrics-mancomesaround.html

[Salamander]

When I was very, very young and first starting to sleep in my own bedroom, my dad would put a stack of Johhny Cash records on the floor model RCA stereo at night to keep me company.

I literally grew up with the sound of his voice.

I've been through all the usual life phases of musical tastes and genres but I *always* kept my "Cash stash", no matter what...:)

[SkyPilot]

When I was very, very young and first starting to sleep in my own bedroom, my dad would put a stack of Johhny Cash records on the floor model RCA stereo at night to keep me company.

I know exactly what you are saying Salamander. Later on in life, I listened more to The Who, Stones, Led Zeppelin, and yes, I admit it: Journey, Styx, and Boston. Then came the 80's, and MTV. Before I knew it, it was the 90's, and the occasional good band.

But I always remember that voice Cash had. My brother once called it "haunting."

Indeed.

[Salamander]

"My brother once called it "haunting."

Absolutely.

Strange anecdotal analogy;

Probably my favorite song in the world is "House Of The Rising Sun".

Around the local pubs I'm infamous for requesting it from whatever bar band happens to be playing.

I grade the performance not by the musical/technical proficiency, per se, but whether the singer sings it "like he's lived it".

Johnny always sang it like he'd lived it.

[Ozarkie]

"Johnny always sang it like he'd lived it."


But then Johnny sang EVERYTHING like he'd lived it. LOL...that's why he was THE man.

[Salamander]

And the choir said "amen"....:)

[by "it" I meant everything he sang. I don't think he ever did HOTRS]

[Prost1]

If the movie ignores Johnnie Cash's faith, it is not worth a dime.

I am not a Christian, but I am an student historian. And I believe that truthfulness is best. Johnnie Cash was a Believer and and his Faith saved him.

I can only wish my beliefs are as strong as his!

[Ozarkie]

I knew I had never heard a version by him but that didn't mean there wasn't. The thing is, he did actually live a lot of what he sang. Guess that's what makes it all seem so honest.

I was also raised up hearing his songs, my dad being from the same area at the same time as Cash. Cash was from Dias and my dad was from Egypt. Not even sure Egypt is on the map. They're both near Newport.

[Salamander]

You haven't lived until you've heard Waylon Jennings [try] to sing HOTRS.

I dug Waylon but....it was *awful*....LOL!

[Welsh Rabbit]

If you haven't seen it yet, look for Johnny's music video cover of the Nine Inch Nails song "Hurt". It is absolutely eerie in its prescience. Trent Reznor watched it and wept. You will too.

Without a doubt, the most powerful music video I've ever seen. It was like a man singing at his own wake. The way his sickness and frailty was shown unhidden, contrasted with the footage throughout his career was very moving, particularly with the Christian imagery. In an interview Johnny said Rick Rubin played the song for him and asked him what he thought. He replied it was the best anti-drug song he ever heard. He said he practiced playing it over a hundred times before he could get the version he wanted to record.