Walk The Line / Casablanca

Before I saw 'Walk the Line', I had no idea the Johnny Cash's best-known song, Ring of Fire, was a love song-or that it was written by June Carter, a short time before she and Johnny got married. When asked about the inspiration behind the song, June said that she wrote it when thinking, 'I can't fall in love with this man, but it's just like a ring of fire.' The film, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon documents the hard times the pair struggled through before eventually succumbing to the passion they felt for each other.

Of course, it's also the story of Johnny Cash's early music career- and Phoenix does an excellent job of portraying the Man in Black before he developed the persona and was just a door-to-door salesman struggling to make it in the music business. There's a great moment when Cash and his band mates are trying to impress a jaded music producer- in that moment, we see how easy it would have been for him to listen to everyone who told him that he had nothing to offer.

The concert scenes are expertly handled by director James Mangold- I love any movie that can capture the sweaty, heart-pounding excitement of performing live. There's one concert scene in particular that perfectly captures the basic conflict of the story. We see Johnny and June performing a duet together, before they acknowledge their feelings for each other- they're singing their hearts out, looking unbelievably happy, as if they're singing only for each other. Then the camera turns and over June's shoulder, we see Johnny's disapproving wife, glaring from the front row. It's a painful moment, spoiling the enjoyment the two performers have in each other.

This is one of the best love stories I've seen on film- when trying to find a film to compare it with, I had a lot of trouble coming up with a really well-made love story. Sadly, most Hollywood love stories are crap. Why is that, I wondered? Perhaps it's because in life, love is hard. Love is confusing. People fall in love with someone they never expected, and it's hard to explain- even to themselves. None of these things makes for an easy movie-making experience. That's why I had to go back to a classic- Casablanca.

If you're like I was, you probably think this film can't possibly stand up to all the hype. Believe me, it does- it's a great romance that doesn't insult your intelligence like most of the romantic comedies churned out these days. As well, it has great sub-plots and adventure- and the always cool Humphrey Bogart. He plays the bitter and heart-broken Rick Blaine to perfection-when he meets the love of his life in difficult circumstances, and married to another man, we're not quite sure what he'll do- which is why the movie works so well. Just like in life, love is unpredictable- and that makes for the best story.
Selina frequents movie theatres and video stores so often that she is often misateken for an employee. She actually works at the Epcor Centre and also organizes a monthly performance event. For details, go to http://spaces.msn.com/members/redmilerevenge/. Please send questions, comments and offers of fame and fortune to sechebib@gmail.com.