I enjoyed the new Johnny Cash movie "Walk the Line." It was an entertaining movie, and fun to watch a dramatic story about such a fascinating man. I'm not among those who will lament that the movie underplayed the Christian conflict in Johnny Cash's life. It's true that this doesn't play prominently in the movie. But this is pretty hard to do, particularly for a good movie maker who probably doesn't understand a lot of the nuance in such a struggle. Instead the movie takes the easy way out to show Johnny's life long obsession and eventual love for June Carter.
June is Johnny Cash's Beatrix. As a young post-depression era boy he fell in love with 10 year old June Carter's voice on the radio. Too young for this to be sexualized, his love for her was pure . . . her voice struck a deep chord with the boy. As he grew older and life took the normal courses life takes he married his first wife Vivian and had two daughters. Then he met June.
From day one Johnny is clearly taken with June. It's as if the longing and desire of his youth comes to him, but it's fruitless. He's married. He has a daughter and one on the way. She has two daughters also. And she's married.
In a different age, these things might have mattered little. But the drama of their fidelity and their obvious attraction plays out over years. Their love is chaste for a long time. Sobriety helps them. But pretty soon the liquor and the drugs take their toll and their human resistance fails. By this time June has had two disappointing marriages. Johnny's is falling apart.
Vivian was married to Johnny but she wanted him to be someone else. Someone who stayed home, worked a safe job, spent time with the kids. This isn't a bad desire. It's just not realistic. It didn't fit the man. He wanted June. He didn't know what it meant to be faithful, sure as hell didn't want to stay home. It wouldn't be long before Vivian left with their three daughters and Johnny hit rock bottom. For 9 years.
When Johnny emerges the only person who stuck by him, who was there through all of the crap, through his detox, his dark night, was June. His obsession is transformed into love. She wasn't so sure. It takes 6 months for Johnny Cash to wear her down (not much time really). And she takes the beautiful leap into the unknown.
June leads him out of the hell he has created for himself with liquor and drugs. June leads him out of the personal hell of his depression and vice. June (in a great scene, even if brief) and her parents drive off the demons (a drug dealer) with shotguns. Through all of his descent and his purgation, June is the beacon of hope and purity he longs for. Johnny is saved because of his love for June.
And he lives out the rest of his days for her.
It was a great story. Maybe not the whole story. But what was there was good. The movie I give a B. But the man . . . The Man in Black . . . he gets an A.
Rest In Peace, Johnny Cash. If the Devil don't take ya, Jesus will.
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