Johnny Cash: The Last Great American

Johnny Cash: The Last Great American

8.55
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Ratings: 8.55/10 from 55 users.

Johnny Cash: The Last Great AmericanDocumentary profiling the life of legendary country music star Johnny Cash, who died in 2003 shortly after completing the retrospective Unearthed, a five-CD set of the acoustic performances with which he resurrected his career in the last decade of his life, and after losing his wife, June Carter Cash.

This first major retrospective of Cash's life, times and music features contributions from his daughter Rosanne Cash and son John Carter Cash, his longtime manager Lou Robin and fellow musicians including Little Richard, Cowboy Jack Clement, Kris Kristofferson, Merle Haggard and Elvis Costello.

Cash was the son of a poor sharecropper from Kingsland, Arkansas, who sang folk, spiritual and country songs to himself while picking cotton in the fields. In the 50s he signed to Sam Phillips' Sun Records, scored his first hits and was part of the 'Million Dollar Quartet' with Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.

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cless
cless
8 years ago

So many memories , my father would sing some of his songs, so sad, so real... cool defines this man in black.

james
james
10 years ago

Brilliant Doc thank you...Johnny you is the MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nicholas Hewlett
Nicholas Hewlett
10 years ago

saw him at glastonbury! i only went to see him! He proofed me right. Great man, shame thier are not more like him, cliche but true!

Colleen Heffernan
Colleen Heffernan
10 years ago

This was a thoughtful and comprehensive look at Johnny. I liked that it was by BBC Four and commented from a 'neutral' position as opposed to many American commentators who would tend to have more personal views on elements of the controversy that Johnny Cash provoked.

andy
andy
10 years ago

We love you john, may your songs always be sung.

James Robert Edwards
James Robert Edwards
11 years ago

Brought tears 2 my eyes because my wonderful step-dad used 2 play Johnny's albums when I was growing up and sing to them for us and he sounded great and we loved the words,

Timmy Suckmeister
Timmy Suckmeister
11 years ago

What a powerful video. I could see John on Mount Rushmore.

Glen Hale
Glen Hale
11 years ago

All of USA has No Cash now only Obama

crazypt
crazypt
11 years ago

saw the movie walk the line good flick, this was also very intersting, the man was a legend, he made a life on his own from dirt to gold dust, all the outlaw cowboys truely invented the true country that is worth listening to, the country of today is pure crap as i am concerned LIVE ON JOHNNY

ProudinUS
ProudinUS
12 years ago

Ol' Johny was purebred American soul!

LIVEFROMLIMBO
LIVEFROMLIMBO
12 years ago

cash, the only country i listen to.
but "last great american"?

dmxi
dmxi
12 years ago

bloody-shite-law-abiding-germerman(niece of the infamous ethel merman) copy-right-infringement-sucking-arseholeness's-son-of-a-granny-humpin'-twat
decides that gema(german copyright thingamajig) has the right to allow that this pixled versioned bio/documentary is not for souls residing in the land of merkel's finest?i feel betrayed of a cooperate misled regime that paints their flags with freedom!
in short:can't watch it 'ere in the good 'ole DDR !
ps:this is a LOL comment,not a political manifesto!an urge of distress if you will!

potluckpotatoes
potluckpotatoes
12 years ago

It's an okay doc but it does not go into very much detail at all... kind of just skims the surface of his life missing major events like the death of his brother as a child. This heavily influenced his life and music becuse he felt responsible for his death.

Eric Edwards
Eric Edwards
12 years ago

This film is a great piece of work, I really enjoyed it. I was impressed by the depth of the content and accuracy of the storyline.

Imightberiding
Imightberiding
12 years ago

Thoroughly enjoyed this one. Thanks Vlatko. Two songs that Johhny recorded late in life transcend all kinds of genres, hills, valleys,& generations. The obvious being his version of Nine Inch Nail's "Hurt" & the second a little lesser known from his posthumous album American V is his recording of Gordon Lighfoot's "If You Could Read My Mind". When I hear the original artists perform either of these songs I would say that they have a haunting feel & I actually get goose bumps listening to both songs after all these years for different reasons.
When I listen to the recordings of these amazing songs by Johhny Cash it is literally soul crushing. I actually feel an empty physical ache in my chest on top of the goose bumps. One of the coolest men & at the same time real artists ever to walk this planet.
I had the pleasure & privilege of meeting the great "Man in black" in the early 80's as an extra in a film he was staring in. Later front row at one of his concerts. Yes, as @cls44l stated earlier in the comments; his view of Johhny Cash was forever changed due to a chance meeting with him, well so was mine only opposite to his experience.

As his daughter Roseanne said: (forgive my paraphrase) "He was always cool. He defined it. Everyone else finally caught up or found out."

AndyA121
AndyA121
12 years ago

One of my favorite songs by Cash is "A boy named Sue.

blahblahbob
blahblahbob
12 years ago

Johnny Cash is like the gateway drug of country music.... before you know it your on to merle and buck owens and the hard stuff! Lol!

lakhotason
lakhotason
12 years ago

Memphis sh@t. Hell yes.

Guest
Guest
12 years ago

Going to do a Razor and cut to the chase, Happy new Year all, xxx :)

wald0
wald0
12 years ago

I feel for anyone that has to battle addiction, it is much more complicated than most people understand. This is because we all seem to expect logical behavior from one another, even though we never act logically ourselves. Humans do not act and react in logical fashion most of the time, they are driven by compulsions, prejudices, self image, etc. Yet when we see people do illogical things we all scratch our heads and say, " Why would he do that?" Johnny was in pursuit of raw, honest feeling and experience, which he then attempted to explore and relate via his music. I think toward the end of his life he really learned how to do that, and not just through what he said but how he said it. If you just listen to Hurt you will never get the full meaning, you have to see him perfom it in the video to truly understand the depth of desperation, the haunting hollow lonliness that the song is expressing. I have played music all my life, most of my family is envolved in the music industry, so I have met a lot of so called artists, but this guy is the real deal, authenic, true artist. Hats off Mr. Cash, you are sorely missed.

Guest
Guest
12 years ago

This should be my last comment until next year...if the plane takes off...wish i had some Johnny in my labtop...a few of his songs would be good flying music.
Instead i'll watch Why Reading Matters.
@Py i'll have to pick up A Beautiful Mind again, had to return it to the library unfinished.
az

lakhotason
lakhotason
12 years ago

I don't think it is even possible to get better than Johnny Cash.

Guest
Guest
12 years ago

Apparently the cab driver that took me from the bus station to the airport this morning is the most famous cab driver singer in Canada (or he says)...in that short 30 minutes i heard 3 songs, and a big part of his love life...what a way to get a 5$ tip...musicians always find a way!
I watched this doc on the bus last night...made me think of all the bus rides Johnny used to be on with his band...a little more comfort than Greyhound though!
az

Susan Ernst
Susan Ernst
12 years ago

So touching.
My 21 year old daughter is a huge Cash fan.
And he still remains a daily sound in our lives.
I remember as a child.... being in a tavern, with my Mom and Dad, standing with my face pressed to the jute box, listening many times to "A BOY NAME SUE".
My name IS "Sue"..... how do u do!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jared Boyes
Jared Boyes
12 years ago

Excellent documentary. Such a regular man that made himself larger than life. And CLS... Nobody is perfect. Whatever the situation may have been, you cannot deny the good things Mr. Cash did do in his life. His life was not an easy one, and he sure could have been much worse of a person had he wished.

drinker69
drinker69
12 years ago

"Well I taught the weepin willow how to cry
and showed the clouds how to cover up a clear blue sky
and the tears I cried for that woman
are gonna flood you big river...."

Luckin Fefty
Luckin Fefty
12 years ago

tragic - if it weren't for that one great missed record sale, he might have been hugely successful.

cls44l
cls44l
12 years ago

If you had known him back in 1960's you would'n have thought him so great. I worked for the Air Force during that time in Osan, Korea, I arrived in Soul about 9PM after a very durty trip by train from Pusan. I went to the R&R house and ask the Sgt. for quarters for the night. He said they were full of a USO troup. Then I ask that the driver take me to a Korean Hotel. The Sgt. said use the General's quarters because he wouldn't be there after that hour of the night. The next morning I came out of the room and at the same time I saw the man who looked familiar but I went to the dining room, had breakfast and went to thre desk to pay my tab. The Sgt. told me he was in deep trouble for allowing me to use the General's quarters. Mr. Cash had raised "hell" with him and stated that as soon as he saw the General he'd have him "fired". I arrived at Osan and went to the General's Office and explained the situation to him and he stated "won't worry, When Mr. Cash makes his demands I'll tell him I'll give the Sgt. a severe repremand about the head & shoulders with a wet noodle". I never bought a Cash record.

dmxi
dmxi
12 years ago

can't wait to watch this even though i've nearly seen every doc out there. probably nothing new but who cares!