My Father and the Man in Black

Jonathan Holiff has created a wonderful documentary, exploring the torturous relationship between Johnny Cash, his father (who was Cash's manager), and himself. He's very nicely mixed real audio recordings with re-enacted scenes to put us in the middle of this complicated relationship. Full disclosure: Jonathan is my cousin. But that takes nothing away from the marvellous way he's pulled back the curtain to explore this often wonderful, often awful relationship among the three of them. The tangled web includes Saul Holiff's difficult relationship with an increasingly out of control Johnny Cash, and Jonathan's increasingly difficult relationship with his father, who was not much of a father at all and knew it.

I was excited to see this film since I'm a huge Cash fan, I discovered his music when I was 15 and haven't stopped listening since. But the film really let me down man.The reviews said how it was great and a must see and whatever and i found the film to be completely self serving.Dude, its like if you made a film about Katy Perry's manager.Who cares? and where are johnnys kids to have a say in this film? I've got my own family troubles too, doesn't mean you make a film about it and expect it to be gold. the narration is robotic, the film is flat. only thing that saves the film is the visual effects which are interesting at first but then appear to be the directors crutch to hide the lack of content on our man in black.

Saw this on a flight to Vancouver. You never hear of the back stories of the people supporting these celebrities and the crap they put the people around them through. I understand his not maybe wanting to draw his brother, mother and other family members into his documentary, it was about him and his fathers relationship. Exposing other family members may have been more hurtful. I don't think I could put myself out there as Jonathon has, but finding out that his dad was been tormented inside by the choices he was making may temper his feelings toward his father. I knew Johnny Cash had some demons/drug issues, but I think he can count him self lucky that he had a friend/manager such as Saul, to pick up the pieces.

This heartfelt documentary is as much about family as it is about showbiz. I particularly was intrigued by the recorded letters, telegrams, diaries, home movies and audiotapes that Jonathan brought to the screen. This was a well written labor of love about a son's search for the understanding of his own father. You cannot help but be a part of Jonathan's journey to learn more about his father who was never home. His father's audio diaries tell a sad story of a father who was never around always distracted and somewhat distant. I felt a deep connection to Jonathan's struggle to find answers as to why his father acted the way he did. Perhaps he will never know the 'real' reason...however in my heart, I believe he found some closer while sifting through evidence of a life he never knew. Kudos to you Jonathan for a job well done!

My Father and the Man in Black is the story of the manager of Johny Cash. The story was told from a personal perspective, namely from the son, Jonathan. (I wonder if his father named him Jonathan because he had such a close connection with Johny Cash). I remember sitting and watching this movie with popcorn in my hand and when the movie started I had only eaten two pieces of popcorn. Then the voice of the narrator of the movie came on and the voice was in the voice-over scenes as well. It described the intertwining roles of Johny Cash with his manager. It was the soul in the voice that mesmerized me. It was like I was hypnotized by the power of the narrator's voice. Perhaps it was the soul that danced through the words or perhaps it was the underlining emotion which seemed to lead me on a labyrinth through the back hallways of Johny Cash's life, including his turbulent and dark and light past. The film-maker, Jonathan, was somewhat rejected by his father (the manager) and perhaps his sadness and his own loss was traced and imprinted in the audio of the film and perhaps, as a viewer in the audience of watching this movie, I could empathize and pick-up intuitively on his personal unresolved despair. So perhaps this is not a documentary about his father and the man in black - but rather a personal story that was unconsciously told in order to process a hurt that was so deep that even a metaphorical dagger could not have touched. Perhaps the magic resides in the camera work and in the voice-over and the narrative. Perhaps this whole movie is about personal redemption after all.