This Extended Cut has more bonus features and weaves eight of 10 deleted scenes into the film.
But the focus in "Walk the Line" is on the relationship between Cash and Carter, and the drugs, the famous arrest, and the fooling around with road groupies doesn't get in the way of their story. Neither do the extended families, who are as much a part of their lives as our own families are in ours. The result is a natural-flowing film that takes you by those clapping hands in the opening scene and leads you confidently to an ending that wraps things up in satisfying fashion. The script is strong (albeit familiar for a biopic), the performances are strong, the music is strong, and director Mangold has the good sense to employ a light touch to bring it all together. He manages to walk a fine line between melodrama and drama that these true stories demand, and, except for the portrayal of Cash's father, avoids the pitfall of portraying sinners and saints.
T-Bone Burnett comes up with a lively musical score that almost seamlessly ties the tunes together. We learn on one of the bonus features that he insisted that Phoenix and Witherspoon cut a record together before they even did their first table reading for the film. "Ring of Fire" (nominated for a 1963 Grammy) is sung here, as well as "Folsom Prison Blues" and, of course, "I Walk the Line"--which ironically lost in the Grammys to Roger Miller's goofy "Dang Me." But Cash's own novelty song "A Boy Named Sue" is also missing, because it would have been tonally all wrong for this film as well as coming out of a period where Cash and Carter were happy together, finally, en route to 35 years of marriage--not bad, for a second and third marriage, respectively. This is the film that gets them to that point.
Video:
"Walk the Line" is presented in 2.39:1 aspect ratio, which is visually the same as 2.40:1. My colleague John J. Puccio, felt that the previously released transfer seemed uneven, and to my eyes that's still the case. This release has a new animated menu screen, but it doesn't appear that the film itself has been re-mastered. Sometimes the colors are a little brighter than at other times, while in some sequences there's more grain than in others. But in fairness, there's also a lot of stage lighting, and that always wreaks havoc with a cinematic image. Overall, I really have no complaints.
Audio:
The English 5.1 DTS soundtrack is more consistently crisp and bold, and that's a relief. This is, after all, a musical biopic and the songs take center stage--literally. There's a rich full bass that showcases the famous Cash baritone as aped by Phoenix, and a nice balance between the dialogue and the music. There's not much in the way of effects, though, and so the rear speakers only come to life during the musical sequences.
Extras:
Here's where most of the differences lie. But first, let's cover what's the same. Mangold's commentary track appears on both the previous release and this Extended Cut. Both have a feature on Folsom Prison and both include "Celebrating the Man in Black" (a making-of short feature) and "Ring of Fire: the Passion of Johnny Cash and June Carter."
As for differences, the previous releases had 10 deleted scenes, and we're down to "two more" on this one, for obvious reasons.
The two-disc Collector's Edition had three extended musical sequences (Phoenix on "Rock and Roll Ruby" and "Cocaine Blues," and Phoenix and Witherspoon together on "Jackson") whereas this new edition has those three PLUS Witherspoon on "Jukebox Blues," "Phoenix on "Get Rhythm," Waylon Payne (as Jerry Lee Lewis) on "Lewis Boogie," and Tyler Hilton (as Elvis) on "That's Alright Mama."
One of the best added features is "Sun Records: The Johnny Cash Sound," which gives a nice capsule summary of how important Sam Phillips was to the music industry and to the people he helped discover. It's not just a voiceover narrator and a still montage, either. There are talking heads, with Kris Kristofferson appearing and also Scotty Moore, Elvis's guitarist. Kristofferson reappears along with people like Willie Nelson, Kid Rock, Merle Haggard, and a few fellows from Rolling Stone to talk about "The Cash Legacy." And finally, there's another short feature on "Cash and his Faith" that's been added.
Bottom line:
Joaquin Phoenix is fantastic as John R. Cash, and "Walk the Line" is without a doubt one of the best musician biopics I've seen--though the formula peeks through like ribs on a dog. But Reese Witherspoon really takes her acting to another level with this film, bringing an electricity to the part of June Carter that really did merit an Academy Award. As for the editions, it's going to be a matter of choice. This Extended Cut has more bonus features and weaves eight of ten deleted scenes into the film. Some are going to want this new edition, while others (myself included) will be perfectly content to have the already-long theatrical version in the 2-Disc Collector's Edition.
T-Bone Burnett comes up with a lively musical score that almost seamlessly ties the tunes together. We learn on one of the bonus features that he insisted that Phoenix and Witherspoon cut a record together before they even did their first table reading for the film. "Ring of Fire" (nominated for a 1963 Grammy) is sung here, as well as "Folsom Prison Blues" and, of course, "I Walk the Line"--which ironically lost in the Grammys to Roger Miller's goofy "Dang Me." But Cash's own novelty song "A Boy Named Sue" is also missing, because it would have been tonally all wrong for this film as well as coming out of a period where Cash and Carter were happy together, finally, en route to 35 years of marriage--not bad, for a second and third marriage, respectively. This is the film that gets them to that point.
Video:
"Walk the Line" is presented in 2.39:1 aspect ratio, which is visually the same as 2.40:1. My colleague John J. Puccio, felt that the previously released transfer seemed uneven, and to my eyes that's still the case. This release has a new animated menu screen, but it doesn't appear that the film itself has been re-mastered. Sometimes the colors are a little brighter than at other times, while in some sequences there's more grain than in others. But in fairness, there's also a lot of stage lighting, and that always wreaks havoc with a cinematic image. Overall, I really have no complaints.
Audio:
The English 5.1 DTS soundtrack is more consistently crisp and bold, and that's a relief. This is, after all, a musical biopic and the songs take center stage--literally. There's a rich full bass that showcases the famous Cash baritone as aped by Phoenix, and a nice balance between the dialogue and the music. There's not much in the way of effects, though, and so the rear speakers only come to life during the musical sequences.
Extras:
Here's where most of the differences lie. But first, let's cover what's the same. Mangold's commentary track appears on both the previous release and this Extended Cut. Both have a feature on Folsom Prison and both include "Celebrating the Man in Black" (a making-of short feature) and "Ring of Fire: the Passion of Johnny Cash and June Carter."
As for differences, the previous releases had 10 deleted scenes, and we're down to "two more" on this one, for obvious reasons.
The two-disc Collector's Edition had three extended musical sequences (Phoenix on "Rock and Roll Ruby" and "Cocaine Blues," and Phoenix and Witherspoon together on "Jackson") whereas this new edition has those three PLUS Witherspoon on "Jukebox Blues," "Phoenix on "Get Rhythm," Waylon Payne (as Jerry Lee Lewis) on "Lewis Boogie," and Tyler Hilton (as Elvis) on "That's Alright Mama."
One of the best added features is "Sun Records: The Johnny Cash Sound," which gives a nice capsule summary of how important Sam Phillips was to the music industry and to the people he helped discover. It's not just a voiceover narrator and a still montage, either. There are talking heads, with Kris Kristofferson appearing and also Scotty Moore, Elvis's guitarist. Kristofferson reappears along with people like Willie Nelson, Kid Rock, Merle Haggard, and a few fellows from Rolling Stone to talk about "The Cash Legacy." And finally, there's another short feature on "Cash and his Faith" that's been added.
Bottom line:
Joaquin Phoenix is fantastic as John R. Cash, and "Walk the Line" is without a doubt one of the best musician biopics I've seen--though the formula peeks through like ribs on a dog. But Reese Witherspoon really takes her acting to another level with this film, bringing an electricity to the part of June Carter that really did merit an Academy Award. As for the editions, it's going to be a matter of choice. This Extended Cut has more bonus features and weaves eight of ten deleted scenes into the film. Some are going to want this new edition, while others (myself included) will be perfectly content to have the already-long theatrical version in the 2-Disc Collector's Edition.
Average user rating (1-5):
Not yet rated.
Not yet rated.