davefoc-1 I agreed with all the negative reviews above, but I didn't care. I liked this documentary. It had lots of Johnny Cash music so I was probably going to like it no matter what. But there was more. I thought they did a nice job with using pictures taken from the concerts to tell the story. Sure video would have been nice, but if there wasn't video what they did was at least entertaining.I agree that some of the animation wasn't always appropriate to the story they were telling, but again, I didn't care. I enjoyed it.And they told several interesting stories in the course of the documentary. The story of Glen Sherley was very interesting to me and I looked him up and found out a bit more about him. I also enjoyed the comments from Cash's friends and family.Overall, if you can get past the imperfections that people pointed out above, you're going to enjoy this documentary.

paul2001sw-1 I like the music of Johnny Cash, but I can't help but feel that since his death, there's been something of a tendency to over-lionise him. The story of his album recorded at Folsom prison, told in this documentary, is a case in point. Cash had started playing in prisons - he clearly sympathised with those behind bars - on one occasion he recorded his show - and that's really the whole story. It nay have been a great performance, but it's still hard to see what the narrative is really supposed to be, and this documentary doesn't help by being loaded up with talking heads who assert that (but don't illustrate how) Cash was a great but troubled man. The story of a prisoner he tried to help is a better (though more tragic) story, but feels like a side-track in the overall film. Best thing is to sit back and enjoy the music; but don't expect too much insight.

dromasca Despite the public image fed by his songs, and despite offenses that led him in jail for one night stands Johnny cash was never convicted and never did time in prison. He did know understand however very well the conditions of imprisonment of detainees and he understood their feelings. Having seen a 1951 film dedicated to the Folsom Prison, one of his first songs was 'Folsom Prison Blues', but it was only more than one decade later - in 1958 - that he did perform in the prison in a recorded concert that gives the title of this film.Much of the film includes biographical information about Cash, and about the penitentiary system in America that Cash made great efforts to humanize and reform. Cash believed that any human being can be redeemed, even the worst criminals who committed horrific crimes, and he turned his conviction in deeds, not only by giving concerts in jails, but also by becoming personally involved in activities to reform the system, and befriending and personally helping - with mixed success - a number of prisoners. There are more interviews with the people who were helped by Johnny Cash or were related to the prison system than musical information, and some music fans who were expecting a pure musical film may get disappointed. I actually think that this is the interesting part of the film, and there is enough good music left as well I especially liked the two animated clips on original music. The only missing stuff in my opinion is the lack of filmed sequences from the concert itself, but maybe there is none left. There is enough biographic information though to compensate this.

Ron in LA This is a documentary that uses Johnny Cash's 1968 Folsom Prison performance as the pivot point for telling his life story, with interesting subplots about two of the inmates present at the concert, notably country music artist Glen Sherley who was essentially discovered by Cash as part of the concert event. There was no actual video of the concert, so we get interviews with Cash's and Sherley's kids, as well as with back-up musicians, etc., with still photographs, archival footage, and some interesting animation sequences.I caught an afternoon showing at the Newport Beach Film Festival, and it is hard to imagine that this film will generate a lot of excitement in any theatrical release. It will work well on television, and if you get a chance to see it you will be rewarded with a balanced and engaging account of a complex and interesting man.