Walk the Line Blu-ray

Walk the Line

 (2005)

Biography | Drama | Music | Romance



In 1955, a tough, skinny guitar-slinger who called himself J.R. Cash walked into the soon-to- be-famous Sun Studios in Memphis. It was a moment that would have an indelible effect on U.S. culture. With his driving freight-train chords, steel-eyed intensity and a voice as deep and black as night, Cash sang blistering songs of heartache and survival that were gutsy, full of real life and unlike anything heard before. That day kicked off the electrifying early career of Johnny Cash. As he pioneered a fiercely original sound that blazed a trail for rock, country, punk, folk and rap stars to come, Cash began a rough-and-tumble journey of personal transformation. In the most volatile period of his life, he evolved from a self-destructive pop star into the iconic "Man in Black" facing down his demons, fighting for the love that would raise him up, and learning how to walk the razor-thin line between destruction and redemption

For more details about Walk the Line on Blu-ray, see the Walk the Line Blu-ray Review

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon
Director: James Mangold

Walk the Line Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


“Sharp as a razor, steady as a train,” is how Cash’s music is often described, but it’s also a good descriptor for Walk the Line’s 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer, which is consistently crisp and beautifully colored. The 2.39:1-framed image seems identical to the Extended Cut that was released in Europe in late 2008, and that’s a good thing, as Walk the Line’s rich, filmic look has been preserved with no unnecessary additives like edge enhancement or detail- scrubbing DNR, and no banding, blocking, or other compression-related corrupters. With the exception of a few noticeably soft shots—I’m thinking of Cash stumbling through the woods in the rain—overall clarity is excellent, down to the smallest detail. See the simultaneously gritty and shiny texture of Joaquin’s face, covered in sweat and stubble after several days of cold turkey withdrawal. Notice the weft in Cash’s mother’s straw hat at she picks cotton, or the ribbing in Cash’s “wife beater” undershirt. And color reproduction easily keeps pace with clarity. Cinematographer Phedon Papamichael has drenched the film in hues that are nostalgic but not sentimental—creamy off-whites, rich honey browns, and the woody sunburst gradients of a vintage Gibson guitar. Skin tones are natural, contrast is tight, and fittingly for the Man in Black, black levels are deep while preserving shadow detail (see Cash’s black suit for proof). All of this comes together to create an image that, like the film, is full of depth and life.

Walk the Line Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


As you’d expect and hope from such a music-centric film, Walk the Line’s DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is a blissfully immersive, dynamically solid experience that truly captures the boom-chicka-boom intensity of Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Three. Even from the beginning of the film it’s easy to fall in love with the sound design. We hear a low, steady rumble outside the prison, heavy with LFE engagement. As a tracking shot takes us closer to the buildings, the sound becomes clearer and clearer—it’s a twanging two-step shuffle that builds along with the claps and chatter of prisoners awaiting the arrival of the Man in Black. The musical sequences sound simply fantastic; bass pours forth into the audience, guitars go from chickenscratch rhythms to glassy solos, brushes snap cleanly at a snare drum, and above it all, Joaquin Phoenix lets loose with his best bass-baritone Cash impression, his voice soaked in reverb. While these are the film’s most sonically engaging moments—you’ll frequently feel like you’re up on stage with Cash or else out swaying in the audience—even the quieter scenes are filled out with detailed ambience, like a prison guard’s jangling keys, thunder peeling in the rear channels, chirping birds and seething insects. Dialogue is always clean, easy to understand, and natural-sounding, and as my colleague Dr. Svet Atanasov noted in his review of the film’s French release, the way Phoenix says “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash” will send shivers down your spine.

Walk the Line Blu-ray, News and Updates

• Fox February Titles Get Detailed - December 10, 2009


• Fox Blu-ray Titles for January and February Revealed - November 12, 2009

Walk the Line Blu-ray, Forum Discussions

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