DYLAN ON SCREEN AGAIN

CHALAMET RECREATES SPACE GIVEN TO BOB DYLAN IN FOLK MUSIC CULTURE

By PETER THOMAS BUSCH

The title character reference could not be further from the truth since folk singer and poet Bob Dylan has been for a quite a long time now the most celebrated and most respected singer songwriter of a generation – a generation that quickly became a generation or two.

Director James Mangold makes the reference to anonymity because the film’s narrative begins with Dylan as a complete unknown, meeting celebrated Wood Guthrie for the first time in the opening scenes. Dylan, though, is far from that sort of introduction by the end of the narrative, in A Complete Unknown (2024).

The story ends just when Dylan begins to experience freedom as a musician by incorporating elements of rock and roll, which has become all the rage to the point of influencing across music genres and other creative enterprises, including Dylan picking up an electrical guitar instead of an acoustic guitar at the Newport Folk Music Festival in 1965.

Timothee Chalamet recreates Dylan on screen picture perfect, including the singing style and cool, irreverent, anti-authoritarian attitude towards love interests and fellow musicians. The hair department also gives an accent to Chalamet’s physical presence on screen and in front of music audiences.

Chalamet has a flash of artistic creativity in the role, not only providing compelling acting through subtle emotional shifts in the character that merge with the well-known public image of Dylan, but Chalamet also performs the songs and plays the guitar and harmonica in what may very well be a film in the musical genre.

Mangold uses the Dylan lyrics to augment the script, and the script and lyrics seamlessly sync together with several scene sequences becoming occupied by a Dylan song.

The film has a lot more going on though, like the Dylan lyrics. The narrative is rather linear but at the same time contains interesting subplots and didactic themes.

Dylan has two main love interests during this time at the start of his career as his star skyrockets a bit. 

A relationship with Sylvie Russo, played by Elle Fanning, keeps the film going forward as Dylan slowly finds his way to writing and composing and producing songs. Fanning has the face of unconditional love and shows how Russo supported Dylan while remaining somewhat independent. The happy couple are not exactly ever in conflict, but rather, unhappily decide to go their own separate ways.

A second subplot explores how Dylan is gradually accepted into the folk music culture by established folk icons such as Pete Seeger, played by Edward Norton, and Johnny Cash, played by Boyd Holbrook.

Mangold had previously written and directed a biopic about Johnny Cash and June Carter, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon, in Walk the Line (2005). The film received five Oscar nomination, with Witherspoon winning for best performance in a leading role.

Mangold is also known for Ford v. Ferrari (2019) and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023).

A second love interest develops with Dylan meeting folk singer, songwriter Joan Baez, played by Monica Barbaro. Baez had already established herself in the industry, but like Russo, Baez is instantly mesmerized by Dylan’s talented performances.

Baez’s infatuation with Dylan proves to create irreparable damage to Dylan’s relationship with Russo, and in the end, Dylan loses both loves to the winds of time.

Despite the 2 hr 21 m runtime, the exploration of relationships lacks a bit of depth, with Mangold choosing instead to film Chalamet performing entire songs. 

And yet, the film does not have that music video atmosphere about it, although all the elements are there, such as scenes when Dylan discovers famous lyrics and scenes depicting the atmosphere inside the recording studio. And Dan Fogler plays the often frustrated music manager, Albert Grossman. Fogler also played Francis Ford Coppola in The Offer (Series 2022).

The historically endearing connection to Dylan is underscored with several poignant moments created on screen that seem to accentuate the connection of the public with the folk singer.

And the rest is history, or so they say, as the film ends with Dylan as a recognized talent but also one who then begins to experiment in a way that would ultimately solidify his popularity for the next generation already growing up on rock and roll.