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Released by: Cherry Red Records
Released on: May 30, 2000.
Director: Robert Elfstrom
Cast: Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, Bob Dylan, Carl Perkins
Year: 1969
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The Movie:
Johnny Cash died the day this review was originally written at the age of 71. I found out about it on my drive into work and although he'd been sick a long time and in and out of hospitals for a few years straight, it still bothered me when it happened. It didn't really surprise me, but it did bother me. The world lost on of the most influential artists in the history of popular music. Cash was not only inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, but also the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame as well.
Over his career, which spanned over four decades, he recorded with Nick Cave, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Willie Nelson, Kris Kirstofferson, Don Henley, Elvis Costello, and dozens more. His songs have been covered by artists as diverse as Social Distortion, Nick Cave (again), Hank Williams III, Bruce Springsteen, Steve Earle, The Rolling Stones, and The Reverend Horton Heat.
The man had an instantly recognizable voice and won eleven Grammy Awards, wrote two autobiographies (Cash and The Man In Black), was the recipient of an MTV Video Award, hosted a variety TV show that lasted three seasons, served his country for three years in the U.S. Air Force, and had fourteen songs hit number one on the country and western charts. He was married twice and had five kids, some of whom have gone on to work in the music industry. That same industry to which Cash literally gave the finger to in an advertisement he took out in Billboard Magazine as a statement against the Nashville machine when he won a Grammy in 1998. Along the way he battled with drug addiction and alcoholism but would eventually beat them both with the help of his second wife, June Carter, and his God. The man lived a very full and interesting life.
In my later teen years, a friend and I made plans to drive from Ontario to Florida to see Cash perform at, of all places, a Billy Graham Crusade. Sadly, he fell ill before it happened and made few public appearances after that. I would never get a chance to see him perform live.
When my life took a swift trip down the toilet a few years back, Cash's music made sense to me and in some bizarre, almost therapeutic way, made things easier to cope with. And I know I'm not alone. His melancholy songs of heartbreak, abuse, and social injustice touched the lives of millions of people from all walks of life. But let's get to the movie at hand.
Filmed during the late sixties, a time that many consider to be the peak of The Man's career, The Man, His World, His Music is an interesting look at Cash on tour and in his day-to-day life. A lot of the footage is recorded live on stage but there are also some nice clips of his recording session with Bob Dylan as well as some duets with his wife June (doing their seminal classic, Jackson) in addition to a duet with Carl Perkins. We also see him visiting briefly with family and friends, one a hunting trip, and backstage relaxing after a show.
Plenty of classic live footage is included though, as Cash performs twenty-two songs including such classics as Folsom Prison Blues and Long Black Veil, to lesser-known tracks like Cisco Clifton's Fillin' Station and Remembering The Alamo.
Structured in a seemingly random manner, this is an hour and a half of clips compiled from following Cash around with a camera and microphone and at times, it almost feels like a home movie. There is no real narrative, and not much to comment on in the way of structure. It is quite simply, as the back of the case details, 'a fly on the wall account' of Johnny Cash doing what he does.
Now that Cash has gone on to be with June, this compilation of sorts serves as a nice tribute to him and his not only his musical legacy, but his personal one as well.
Rest in peace, Mr. Cash.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The picture is presented fullframe, which is how it was shot. Sadly, it's in pretty rough shape. Colors are muted and flat, there's plenty of grain and print damage, and it looks like it was shot on a Super 8 camera (which it may very well have been).
The Dolby Digital 2.0 mono track fairs a bit better, and in comparison to the video quality, there is very little hiss or distortion evident on the track. Sadly, it wasn't recorded using very good equipment so at times things are a bit muffled, but overall you can hear the majority of the music and dialogue fine.
Cherry Red has provided an incomplete Johnny Cash discography and some text screens containing information on some of their other releases.
The Final Word:
Despite the inherent problems in the source material and the glaring lack of supplements, the content of this documentary is cool enough that it comes highly recommended not only for Cash fans, but also for anyone interested in the history popular music.