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Walk the Line

Date: Apr 26 2006

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Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

put-together

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Walk the Line chronicles the life of Johnny Cash (aka The Man in Black), from his impoverished childhood in Arkansas to his enormous success as a country western musician.

The movie, which was a 2006 Oscar nominee, stars Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon.

Listen to Kayla and Dave talk about Walk the Line.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Dave

Kayla

Dave: So, Kayla, I rented Walk the Line last night on dvd. Have you seen it?

Kayla: I have. I saw it with my friends. It was a really good movie.

Dave: Yeah? What did you like about it?

Kayla: Um, the acting was really good. I like Joaquin Phoenix a lot.

Dave: Yeah.

Kayla: And, um, it was really well put-together and the music was really good. I was surprised that he did that good of a job to impersonate Johnny Cash.

Dave: Right. He actually sung the songs, right?

Kayla: Yeah. He did all of his own singing. And so did, ah, what’s her face?

Dave: Reese Witherspoon.

Kayla: Reese Witherspoon.

Dave: Yeah.

Kayla: And she was very cute in that, too.

Dave: Was she?

Kayla: Mm hm. Quite. I guess there’s a controversy about it from, um, Johnny Cash’s kids, who said that they didn’t like the way that their mom was portrayed in the movie.

Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

Johnny Cash, with his deep, steady voice, is an important figure in American music. Many of his songs tell woeful, heartfelt stories about the down-and-out in society: prisoners, the poor, the lonely, and the broken-hearted.

The soundtrack to the movie Walk the Line features many of Johnny Cash’s most popular songs, though they are sung by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. Surprisingly, the soundtrack is very good, and Joaquin Phoenix does an excellent job imitating the style of The Man in Black.

Are you familiar with Johnny Cash and his music? Who are some important figures in music in your country? What separates them from other musicians?