Walk The Line

This film was shot similar to Memento in that it showed the end of the film in the beginning, but it was easy to follow and understand, and it didn't leave you with questions at the end of the film.  The transitions between scenes used the dissolve method and used a form cut flow from one scene to another (The Art of Watching Films, p. 197).  It was a story of redemption or of a second chance for Cash, and the director did a good job of showing Cash as a dark or complex person.

Outside/in editing was used in this film which made it easy to watch and understand.  I prefer this to the inside/out editing method (The Art of Watching Films, p. 198).

This was a very colorful film.  The characters always seemed so sharp compared to the background which sometimes made the background almost seem fake.

Music background in the beginning of the film was like blues or bluegrass, it made you think of the Cash family like hillbillies or backwoods people.  It also had a lot of cricket noise in the background.  There wasn't a lot of music playing when they were talking.

Reaction shots were used throughout the film to show how frustrated and unhappy Cash was throughout most of the film (The Art of Watching Films, p. 327).

Joaquin's acting is an impersonator actor, he tried to become John, whereas Reese is a interpreter and commentor actor, she filtered the role to fit with her qualities (The Art of Watching Films, p. 332).  Both stars were a part of the star system, they had mass appeal (The Art of Watching Films, p. 333).  Reese always seems to play perky roles and Joaquin plays more serious roles.  According to the director, Joaquin is a messy sensual actor who finds his way and who you have to be careful with because he is willing to do anything over and over again the same way, even if he could get hurt, and Reese acts from the heart and comes to the scene with a plan and is a conscientious actor (Walk The Line, special features).  June was kind of the foil in this film in that she was a definite contrast to John and she helped define his character (The Art of Watching Films, p. 345).  The diner scene, for instance, June brought out John's real thoughts.  June made him feel comfortable enough to be himself, and it was the beginning of their lifelong friendship.  John didn't function well when he didn't have June.

The director, James Mangold, wanted the characters in the film to be musicians, since that was what the film was about, and wanted each character to do his or her own singing.  He also let us guess what characters they were playing and then let us know who they were.  The concert scenes still kept the storyline going because the director didn't want the effect of the film diminished during the songs, he wanted it to be a part of the film (The Art of Watching Films, special features).