By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Matt Riddlehoover
Country: united_states
Year: 2020
Running time: 90
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7432980/reference
Thom says: “This is quite an interesting documentary on the 1st wife of legendary country singing sensation Johnny Cash, Vivian Liberto. It might have been easy to question the verisimilitude of the film because it so flies in the face of the Johnny Cash legend that was perpetuated in the blockbuster WALK THE LINE. Reese Witherspoon (she looked sassy at the Oscars tonight) even won an Oscar for portraying Cash’s 2nd wife June Carter Cash, who was clearly portrayed as the great love of Johnny’s life. So, while this telling film has been largely ignored, if you are truly passionate about the Johnny Cash legacy this film becomes rather obligatory. So what finally persuaded me to embrace the point-of-view of the film was 1st the participation of all 4 daughters of Johnny & Vivian, & 2nd the extraordinary beauty of Vivian Liberto, admittedly a subjective opinion, but one of significant fascination. Of course, we shouldn’t be influenced by beauty alone, but there you have it. If you think of Johnny Cash as a dynamic star with a ton of sex appeal and talent this will also help in appreciating the story. Cash & Vivian met when she was still in her teens and their early romance had to survive family disapproval and his stint in the Armed Services in Germany (shades of Elvis Presley). They married when he returned and soon after started having children, one after another, all girls (including music star Rosanne Cash). Cash, through talent, connections, and coincidences was becoming a superstar of the country music scene and his continuing success often found him away from home. As Cash’s heavy reliance on drugs & sexual affairs started spinning out of control his relationship with the suffering Vivian reached disturbing heights and her mental state became fragile, even desperate. Unable to mend their considerable differences they separate, then divorce. Cash survives a long rehabilitation with the help of his new love June Carter, of the revered Carter folk music clan. While June & Johnny start their own clan WALK THE LINE would have us believe that the children melded perfectly with the new family dynamic. All of the 4 daughters from the 1st marriage see things quite a bit differently. In fact, they were horrified to contemplate the effect that WALK THE LINE would have had on Vivian, but she passed before the film was released. Vivian married again after the divorce, rather a trophy husband. But what really stands out here is the gorgeous patina that is Vivian Liberto Cash. Throughout her life, at any age she is a beacon that puts those surrounding her to shame. She always shines. Early in their marriage there was a National Enquirer scandal claiming that Vivian was black (she was 100% southern Italian). Since Cash kind of kept her on the down-low it was initially hard to refute. She certainly emerges as a character after her 2nd marriage, one of a deeply Catholic nature, but with some artistic talent of her own. 4 cats”