Johnny Cash lived an interesting life right up until the day he died in 2002. The recent success of Walk The Line has evidently inspired Fox to dig into their vaults and release 1973's The Gospel Road onto DVD, conveniently timed to hit shelves the same day as the Phoenix/Witherspoon bio pic and with a sticker on the front of the packaging ensuring that you know it's related to the blockbuster movie its release is obviously hoping to cash in on.

With that snarky little rant out of the way, what exactly is The Gospel Road and why do you care? Well, essentially, when Cash found redemption through Christianity he took it upon himself, along with his wife June Carter Cash, to write and produce a film that would hopefully explain to the masses just what it was about Christ's story and ultimate sacrifice that meant so much to them. Filmed entirely on location in Israel, it's an interesting and musical telling of a story we've all heard time and time again, despite a few really obvious flaws. Thankfully, the movie's heart is in the right place and while you won't learn anything new and this isn't likely to convert anyone who doesn't already believe, it's a well intentioned film with a few admirable stand out moments.

As one would expect from a picture that is essentially a biography of Jesus Christ, we learn of his birth and childhood and from there see him as a young man going about performing the miracles that the Bible explains he was responsible for. We see his baptism, his subsequent rise in popularity, his lashing out at the businessmen who desecrate the temple with their money changing, and ultimately his last supper and then his crucifixion at the hands of the Roman Empire. In between set pieces, Cash himself shows up, clad all in black as was the norm for him, and narrates while either sitting down with a worn leather covered Bible in his hands or wandering through the desert himself, his mop of black hair flopping about in the wind and looking as rugged as the day is long. His deep voice and obvious conviction make for the perfect type of deadly serious narration that is required for such a story, and his presence in the movie really does work well.

The biggest flaw in the film is in the casting of Christ himself. While it might have seemed convenient for Robert Elfstrom, the film's director, to also play the lead, the fact that he's very blonde and Scandinavian looking doesn't really give him an air of believability. He's fine otherwise in that his facial expressions and mannerisms are quite good, but it is odd seeing Jesus look less like a Jew and more like a Norwegian. Elfstrom and Cash had known each other awhile before this film was made, as he was the director responsible for the excellent documentary on Cash, Johnny Cash – The Man, His World, His Music from 1969. On the opposite side of the casting spectrum is June Carter Cash as Mary Magdalene who is actually very good in her role and surprisingly does look the part, or at least how you might imagine she should look in the part. The more intense moments of the film in which she shows up are handled quite well and although there might be a couple of spots where she over does it just a tad, she brings a sincere sense of sadness to a few key scenes that work well. Keen eyed cult movie fans might notice the presence of one Paul Smith, star of Juan Piquer Simon's classic trash fest, Pieces playing the role of Peter.

The crucifixion scene is well done – we see enough of Christ's suffering to know that he went through the ultimate in physical sacrifice but it doesn't linger on it or make the nastiness the centerpiece of the whole ordeal, like in The Passion. An interesting touch to this scene is when the camera spins around and we realize that Christ is there nailed to the cross which is no longer on the hill but now surrounded by a large city in modern times, not so subtly showing that his sacrifice is still valid today, just as it was then.

If Cash's theology isn't your cup of tea, you should still be able to appreciate a few other aspects of the movie. It makes excellent use of the locations in which it was shot, doing an admirable job of showing off the natural beauty of certain areas and the harsh reality of others. Likely the reason most will want to see the film, however, is for the music. While at times it gets repetitive in that the title song is used quite a bit throughout, Cash's inspired lyrics sound great and never feel out of place in the film at all. A contribution from Kris Kirstofferson is also a nice touch, adding an earthy feeling to his performance.

Ultimately, The Gospel Road is a flawed picture but one that comes through with conviction, sincerity and passion enough that looking past those flaws and enjoying the film isn't all that difficult – the added bonus being that if the movie doesn't work for you, if you're a Cash fan, the music will. It's a kind, loving movie that doesn't cast judgment but instead preaches forgiveness, patience and tolerance – something the world is far too short on these days.

Video:

Fox gives The Gospel Road a solid 1.85.1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. While it doesn't look like they cleaned up the image too much, judging by the amount of heavy grain and print damage that crops up in some spots, thankfully for the most part the image stays pretty clean. There are a few spots where the color looks a little faded and a few more where the black levels aren't as strong as they should be but overall, for an older lower budget film, the movie doesn't look half bad on DVD. There's a nice amount of both foreground and background detail present in the image and there aren't any major problems with edge enhancement or aliasing to report back on. The transfer is far from perfect, but it's at least acceptable.