Love is a burning thing.|Sep. 13, 2005|United States | Germany|136 Min.|PG-13
Genre: Drama;Music;Romance
Description: “Walk the Line” (2005) tells the story of Johnny Cash, starting in 1968 as he prepares to perform for inmates at Folsom State Prison. A table saw backstage triggers memories of his childhood. In 1944, a young Johnny grows up on a cotton farm in Dyess, Arkansas, with his brother Jack, father Ray, and mother Carrie. Tragedy strikes when Jack dies in a sawmill accident while Johnny is away fishing. Ray blames Johnny, harshly claiming the Devil “took the wrong son.”
In 1950, Johnny joins the U.S. Air Force and is stationed in West Germany, where he buys a guitar and begins writing songs, including what would become “Folsom Prison Blues.” After his discharge, he returns to the U.S., marries Vivian Liberto, and moves to Memphis, Tennessee. To support his family, he works as a door-to-door salesman but dreams of music after passing a recording studio. He forms a band and auditions for Sam Phillips of Sun Records, who signs them after hearing “Folsom Prison Blues.” Johnny and his band, the Tennessee Two, begin touring alongside stars like Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis.
On tour, Johnny meets June Carter and falls in love, though she initially resists his advances. As his fame grows, Johnny struggles with drug and alcohol abuse. Despite Vivian’s objections, June joins Johnny on tour, and their relationship deepens. However, Vivian becomes critical of June’s influence. After a night together in Las Vegas, June notices Johnny’s pill addiction and begins to question her decisions. At the next concert, Johnny’s erratic behavior culminates in him collapsing on stage.
Cast director: James Mangold
Cast actor: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin, Robert Patrick, Tyler Hilton, Johnathan Rice, Shooter Jennings, Waylon Payne, Dallas Roberts, Dan John Miller
Original name: Walk the Line