Walk the Line

            Walk the Line is an exceptional movie. Based on the book written by Johnny Cash, the movie follows his life with great detail. The music is of the utmost importance. Johnny touched the lives of many people with his music and the movie does a good job of portraying it. Sounds are used to enhance the movie and accompany the music. The two main actors are Joaquin Pheonix and Reese Witherspoon. They both employ different but effective methods to portray their characters.

Music

            Since Walk the Line is about a musician, music is a very important function. We hear Johnny change his tone and words throughout the film. The start of the film shows Johnny’s music reaching a wide audience; even in prison he is famous. The repeating sounds of the song in the beginning built a sense of the drama that is to come. The film uses music to characterize the actors. When Johnny starts looking for the record label, he is playing mostly religious music. He learns soon that it won’t work. With the movement trough the movie, the music evolves with the character. The relationship between him and June is shown to mean more when they start duets. Music was an important part of the movie that leads the characters trough their lives and the film.

Actors

            The two main actors in this film are Joaquin Pheonix and Reese Witherspoon. Joaquin was known to be a natural. In an interview with Reese, she said that he just came out and sang. This leads me to believe that he was more of an inside actor. He became the person and was able to just be him and act like the real Johnny without acting. Reese was the opposite. She had to take time to learn the songs and practice. She worked from the outside and analyzed the part to learn it. This movie made both the actors practice dramatic acting. The movie centers of the relationships between Johnny and June. Joaquin is also more of an impersonator in his acting. He takes on the role and becomes completely submerged, making it seem natural. Reese on the other hand is more of a personality actor and you can see some of her other roles in her part as June

Sounds

            The sounds in Walk the Line often are overlooked by the music. Sounds of the guitar were used to transition between scenes. A good example of this was between the motel and the stage they use a guitar to transition between the scenes. The sound of Johnny’s thumb on the saw in the beginning of the show takes us back to a different place. The ringing of Johnny’s ears when he goes down from an overdose makes us feel his pain. After Johnny is clean, we are treated to the nature sounds. This helps us see he is clean and in a more natural state. The sounds used in the film heighten the experience, especially when accompanied by the powerful musical score.

            Walk the Line is an excellent film. It is told in the words of the man himself since it is a direct interpretation of the book penned by himself. The music in the movie was one of the most powerful parts. It is the movement and evolution of the music that takes us on the journey. The music is accompanied by the different sounds. Sound is used to transition us from scene to scene and also highlight parts of the movie. The actors Joaquin and Reese do a good job of portraying the characters. Even with the different methods the actors use to portray their characters, we find ourselves entertained and involved in their story.