Ring of Pleasure

Rating: 10/10 (16 February 2006)

As a life-long fan of Johnny Cash I had to see this movie no matter what, so the day it premiered in B.A. there I was sitting in the theater trying, for the sake of neutrality, not to think of the Golden Globe Awards. I came out dancing and 5 days later went to see it again! After seeing every nominated movie except "Transamerica", this was the most rewarding and exhilarating experience of the season! James Mangold of such diverse gems as "Copland" and "Girl, Interrupted" has given us his masterpiece: a beautifully shot movie (there must have been something special about the camera or the lenses  the feel of the period is so special!), based on a tight script that takes you up and away from the first minute and never lets up. The way he takes us through Mr. Cash's childhood and the trauma that caused the never-healing scar is so delicate, so unobtrusive, so without melodrama, it could not have been done more sparingly. All the more we are reminded throughout the film of the consequences of it. That Mr. Mangold did not milk the drama for all its worth, makes all the difference. Mr. Mangold shows us how less can be so much more. How a film can be unabashedly romantic without ever getting corny. How restricting the story to the two conflicts, the brother trauma and the family life versus show business, and building it around the love story (with the music thrown in for good measure in a totally unglamorous way!) makes for the best movie in a long time!! It is maybe unfair to make comparisons with last year's "Ray", but in my opinion WTL wins because the script is better. There are of course the wonderful flawless performances by both leads. Amazing to watch the transformation of the gawkish and shy young man into a seasoned performer. But I never expected less from Joaquin Phoenix since I saw him in To Die For and Quills! The big surprise turned out to be Reese Witherspoon who shows a wider range of acting chops than she had the chance to show so far. And above all: Hats off to both of them for taking the risk to do the singing themselves, given the fact that the real life person was an all-American legend who passed away only 2 and a half years ago. What a daring thing to do  what a wonderful result! What a homage to Johnny Cash!! I have been a fan for a lifetime, but I am going to buy the soundtrack without feeling like an iconoclast. Some of my friends, serious R&B and Rock musicians, maintain that Mr. Phoenix' singing is better than Johnny Cash's.. Let's not forget a crucial figure in the story: the chilling portrait of Ray Cash by Robert Patrick, the irascible father who blames his younger son for the death of his favorite one ("Where have you been?"  "God took the wrong son!"). He needs only a few appearances to make us feel the full weight of the trauma on Johnny Cash's life. In the end, for him, too, there is redemption through the love of his grandchildren. There is only one small flaw, and my finger points at the production team: in a guitar store in 1952 post-war Germany no German "Volksmusik" would have sounded from the speakers. At that time all things American were adored and revered, and most certainly its music which had been banned in Nazi times. Probably some Big band or country music would have been on, coming from the AFN Radio station, precisely the place where Mr. Cash works while in service in Germany. I hope the film takes the Oscar for Best Film at the Academy Awards on March 5!!!