Walk the Line (2005)

A chronicle of country music legend Johnny Cash's life, from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm to his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded alongside Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.

Director:

James Mangold

Writers:

Johnny Cash (book), Johnny Cash (book),

Stars:

Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin

Won 1 Oscar. Another 34 wins & 28 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joaquin Phoenix	...	John R. Cash
Reese Witherspoon	...	June Carter
Ginnifer Goodwin	...	Vivian Cash
Robert Patrick	...	Ray Cash
Dallas Roberts	...	Sam Phillips
Dan John Miller	...	Luther Perkins
Larry Bagby	...	Marshall Grant
Shelby Lynne	...	Carrie Cash
Tyler Hilton	...	Elvis Presley
Waylon Payne	...	Jerry Lee Lewis (as Waylon Malloy Payne)
Shooter Jennings	...	Waylon Jennings
Sandra Ellis Lafferty	...	Maybelle Carter
Dan Beene	...	Ezra Carter
Clay Steakley	...	W.S. 'Fluke' Holland
Johnathan Rice	...	Roy Orbison

Storyline

While growing up in the Great Depression era, Johnny Cash takes an interest in music and eventually moves out of his Arkansas town to join the air force in Germany. While there, he buys his first guitar and writes his own music, and proposes to Vivian. When they got married, they settled in Tennessee and with a daughter, he supported the family by being a salesman. He discovers a man who can pursue his dreams and ends up getting a record with the boys. Shortly after that, he was on a short tour, promoting his songs, and meets the already famous and beautiful June Carter. Then as they get on the long-term tours with June, the boys, and Jerry Lee Lewis, they have this unspoken relationship that grows. But when June leaves the tour because of his behavior, he was a drug addict. His marriage was also falling apart, and when he sees June years later at an awards show, he forces June to tour with them again, promising June to support her two kids and herself. While the tour goes on, the ...

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Plot Keywords:

marriage | prison | germany | concert | love | 

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Taglines:

Love is a burning thing.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some language, thematic material and depiction of drug dependency

Details

Official Sites:

20th Century Fox [br] Twentieth Century Fox [us]

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

18 November 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Johnny & June - Pasión y locura

Filming Locations:

Arkansas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$28,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$149,345 (New Zealand) (10 March 2006)

Gross:

$119,518,352 (USA) (28 April 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox 2000 Pictures, Tree Line Films, Konrad Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

136 min 153 min (extended cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the same year (2005) Robert Patrick played Johnny Cash's dad in this film as well as Elvis Presley's dad in the movie Elvis.

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Goofs

When Johnny walks back from the Carter house, he is near a railroad crossing. The scene is set in the 1960s, but modern crossing gates are shown. In addition, a signal shanty with a white light on the front is to the right of the crossing. The shanty didn't exist in the 1960s. The white light, a sign that the power is on, was introduced in the 1990s.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Warden: M-Mr. Cash? M-Mr. Cash?

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Connections

Features Jeopardy! (1964)

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Soundtracks

"You're My Baby"
Written by Johnny Cash (as John R. Cash)
Sung by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon

User Reviews

And The Oscar Goes To......

Wow, what a film. I had been waiting to see this movie since I read that Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon were cast in the lead roles. I was not sure what to expect when I heard they were going to do their own singing, but was I ever impressed. Their performances in this movie were brilliant, and I had chills down my spine. It was truly amazing how much Phoenix sounded like Johnny Cash-this was a role he was born to play, and he was mesmerizing. Totally sizzling. Witherspoon was positively radiant as June Carter, and talk about chemistry between the two actors. Talk about lightning striking! I only hope they are rewarded for their efforts come Oscar time. This was a truly amazing movie, filled with great music, a top-notch supporting cast and a terrific script which was wonderfully directed.