James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown, the latest Bob Dylan biopic, explores Dylan’s artistic upbringing and his controversial transition from acoustic to electric guitar. This shift permanently altered the rock music landscape, introducing a fresh, unprecedented twist that inspired artists like Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, and many others.
Bob Dylan’s Journey To Stardom
There are a lot of aspects that this movie does well, but a big chunk of that is the film’s attention to detail. This attention to detail spans from Dylan’s controversial performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival to the way he spoke with great caution to the press. Mangold excels at staying true to Bob Dylan’s life, as his relationships with artists close to him, like Joan Baez and Woody Guthrie, feel very authentic and real. The film is divided into three parts: Dylan’s upbringing with Woody Guthrie, Dylan’s breakout into music, and Dylan’s controversial switch to rock music.
The movie begins with his upbringing when Dylan was hitchhiking to New Jersey to visit the famous musician Woody Guthrie in the hospital. There, at the hospital, Woody Guthrie picked up on Dylan’s potential and hooked him up with gigs in local bars with other up-and-coming artists like Joan Baez, who would also later become a famous musician.
Later in the film, during Dylan’s rise to fame, Mangold touches on Dylan making a name for himself and creating his own recognizable voice in music. At this point in the film, Dylan’s relationship with Joan Baez, a key figure early in his career, is highlighted through their many collaborations and personal connections. Mangold makes this connection known by showing them singing together at festivals and concerts, as well as their romantic relationship in the early ’60s.
Finally, Dylan’s switch to rock music was nothing short of dramatic. At that stage in Dylan’s life, he had discussed altering his musical style with Joan Baez, but no one had ever seen his new approach. The most pivotal moment in the film, let alone in Dylan’s life leading up to this, was the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. This was the most crucial yet impactful moment of Dylan’s career. At the festival, he received immense backlash as fans of the folk music genre saw his change from folk to rock as a “betrayal to the folk genre.” Yet this was a turning point in his career because, from here on out, Dylan became an even more popular musician and gained a massive following over the next five years.
Honoring Bob Dylan
A Complete Unknown does Dylan great respect for many reasons but also doesn’t hold back from his dark side. Based on the book Dylan Goes Electric!, the film praises him for his fearlessness in changing his music genre in the middle of his career but also does not shy away from highlighting his misdeeds. For example, Mangold does justice to Bob Dylan by staying true to him as a person. Mangold understands that Dylan has always been someone who never shied away from pushing boundaries and never felt the need to explain himself. Not to mention, Timothée Chalamet’s performance as Bob Dylan was nothing short of spectacular. Chalamet channels Dylan’s spirit by capturing his noticeable quietness and awkwardness. In some scenes, Chalamet chose to perform some of Dylan’s songs rather than simply playing a recording. Timothée Chalamet establishes a deep connection between the film and Bob Dylan, as Chalamet sang a great cover for someone who wasn’t originally a musician.
Verdict: ⅘
In my opinion, A Complete Unknown is a fantastic film that I’d recommend to anyone, even if they aren’t a huge fan of Bob Dylan. Similarly to the Elvis docu-movie with Austin Butler, it tells a compelling story without requiring prior knowledge of Elvis or Dylan to understand.
James Mangold’s selection of Timothée Chalamet for the role of Bob Dylan was an excellent choice, in my opinion. Despite not originally being a fan of Dylan himself, Chalamet fully committed to the role and delivered it perfectly.
I wasn’t originally a fan of Bob Dylan going into this movie, but this completely changed that for me. This film is definitely a must-watch, whether you are a long-time fan of Dylan or discovering him for the first time.
0
0
Average Rating