My Darling Vivian
| My Darling Vivian | |
|---|---|
 My Darling Vivian poster | |
| Directed by | Matt Riddlehoover |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Josh Moody |
| Edited by | Matt Riddlehoover |
| Music by | Ian A. Hughes |
Production company | This Heart of Mine |
| Distributed by | The Film Collaborative |
Release dates |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
My Darling Vivian is a 2020 American documentary film about Vivian Liberto, the first wife of Johnny Cash, directed by Matt Riddlehoover.[1]
The film premiered at the 2020 South by Southwest Film Festival, presented by Amazon Prime Video, on April 27, 2020. It received acclaim from critics and audiences, and was chosen by The Hollywood Reporter and the Los Angeles Times as a "must-see" critics' pick.[2][3][4]
Premise
[edit]Director Matt Riddlehoover traces the romantic and dizzying journey of Vivian Liberto, Johnny Cash's first wife and the mother of his four daughters.
Appearances
[edit]- Rosanne Cash (Daughter)
- Kathy Cash Tittle (Daughter)
- Cindy Cash (Daughter)
- Tara Cash Schwoebel (Daughter)
- Vivian Liberto in archival recordings
- Johnny Cash in archival recordings
Release
[edit]My Darling Vivian was shown at many film festivals, including South by Southwest, Northwestfest, the RiverRun International Film Festival, Galway Film Fleadh, and the Bentonville Film Festival. It had a virtual cinema release in US theaters on June 19, 2020, at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema in Toronto on June 25, 2020, and at the VIFF Centre on June 26, 2020 in Vancouver.[5][6]
Reception
[edit]Critical response
[edit]On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 95%, and an average rating of 8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "My Darling Vivian adds an overdue corrective to the public story of Johnny Cash's private life -- and a strong testament to the woman at its center."[7] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 78 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[8]
Joe Leydon of Variety wrote: "An exceptional documentary... A fascinating and affecting corrective counterpoint to the Johnny Cash mythos."[9] Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "Brings a woman erased into vivid focus... an engaging and revelatory film that's also deeply affecting."[10]
On May 1, 2020, Thirteen Reasons Why author Jay Asher called the film "incredible" and "inspiring in its sadness" on Twitter.[11]
Accolades
[edit]| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bentonville Film Festival Jury Award | August 16, 2020 | Best Editing, Documentary | Matt Riddlehoover | Won | [12] |
| In-Edit Chile Audience Award | December 7, 2020 | Best International Documentary | Matt Riddlehoover | Won | [13] |
References
[edit]- ^ "My Darling Vivian (2020)". IMDb. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ Dingees, Gary. "SXSW doc on Johnny Cash's first wife, plus more music films to watch right now". USA Today. Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ THR Staff (6 May 2020). "Critics' Picks: 10 Highlights From SXSW and Tribeca Online". The Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ Murray, Noel (13 July 2020). "Review: Six can't-miss documentaries explore a camp classic, sexual abuse, Roy Cohn and more". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
- ^ Hemmert, Kylie (5 June 2020). "My Darling Vivian Documentary To Have Virtual Cinema Release". ComingSoon.net. Evolve Media, LLC. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ "My Darling Vivian - Watch at Home - Official Website". My Darling Vivian. This Heart of Mine, LLC. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ "My Darling Vivian (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
- ^ "My Darling Vivian Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
- ^ Leydon, Joe (27 April 2020). "'My Darling Vivian' Review: SXSW Doc Available on Amazon". Variety. Variety Media, LLC. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ Linden, Sheri (28 March 2020). "'My Darling Vivian' Review". Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ Asher, Jay. "Jay Asher on Twitter: "Just finished an incredible documentary, #MyDarlingVivian. Briefly on Amazon Prime after SXSW Film Fest was cancelled, it's the story of Vivian Liberto (Johnny Cash's first wife). Inspiring in its sadness, I will now be buying her memoir, I Walked the Line."". Twitter. Twitter, Inc. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ "Bentonville Film Festival Unveils Jury Prize Winners: 'Lingua Franca', 'The Donut King', 'Immigrant Voices Of America' Among Honorees". Deadline Hollywood. 16 August 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
- ^ "De Blind Melon a Jorge Farías: Los documentales y videos ganadores del In-Edit Chile 2020". CNN Chile. Retrieved December 10, 2020.