Truth in the Heart of Bob Dylan biopic by James Mangold, The Complete Unknownit’s in its title. The line, taken from Dylan’s 1965 song “Like a Rolling Stone,” is a reference to the eternal convention of any film about a musician: What can we get out of it in two hours? Rather than dealing with the entire story of Dylan’s life, the concern of many other music biopics, Mangold chooses to hone in on a specific period of the singer’s career, basing the film mainly on Elijah Wald’s 2015 book. Dylan Goes Electric!. This focuses the lens on an important period in Dylan’s music, and a tumultuous historical period, without focusing on his past or present—a decision that ensures Dylan remains as mysterious as ever.
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COMPLETE UNKNOWN ★★★★ (4/4 stars) |
Young Dylan, played by the enigmatic Timothée Chalamet, who brings the role to life in a most entertaining way, arrives in New York City on the back of a station wagon, as if magically appearing in a fairy tale rather than physical. his home in Minnesota. The incident took place in Greenwich Village in 1961, but Dylan just took a taxi to New Jersey, where he will look for his hero Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy). It’s in Woody’s room at the hospital that Robert Zimmerman meets fellow singer Pete Seeger (an energetic Edward Norton) and they play his song “A Song to Woody,” a moment that convinces the audience that Chalamet can sing and play guitar with Dylan. – the easiest way.
This encounter set Dylan on a path to stardom that began in the clubs of Greenwich Village and culminated at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. He meets Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning), a fictional riff on Dylan’s real-life girlfriend Suze Rotolo, and Joan Baez (the impressive Monica Barbaro), who was more famous than him at the time. He signs with a record label with the help of music manager Albert Grossman (Dan Fogler) and begins recording his self-titled album, a 1962 album titled “A Song to Woody” and a number of traditional and blues numbers. Dylan, it is emphasized, has not yet been trusted in his original self, who we see writing in his small, creative apartment and taking out his acoustic guitar. Chalamet does what sounds like a lot of songs throughout the film, eschewing acting and finding his own version of Dylan’s growl.
Dylan’s musical trajectory was set against the political and social climate of the early 1960s, which brought about the civil rights movement and the Cuban Missile Crisis. In the final moments, New York City comes to a standstill and Dylan wanders the empty streets, the next morning is uncertain, and that’s when he and Joan begin a relationship that turns from passionate to bitter as the years pass. Their collaboration is among the film’s most successful moments, thanks in part to Barbaro, who makes the most of an unscripted role. Fanning, too, imbues Sylvie with a sense of worth, as Dylan finally and inadvertently abandons his growing girlfriend. His meeting with Bob Neuwirth (Will Harrison) is played out as pivotal, sending Dylan plunging into electronic music—a choice that ultimately centers his career.
Chalamet, who learned to act, sing, harmonica and guitar to prepare to play Dylan, is a successful star. He has Dylan’s mannerisms down, almost instinctively, and each musical number, not all of which is fully featured in the film, reminds you why Dylan is the legend that he is. His song “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall,” is from the singer’s second LP Freewheelin’ Bob Dylanit’s especially loud, as is his show “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue,” a song that remains a mystery (it’s played in the film almost as a farewell to Dylan’s early career). When Dylan and his band went electric, an unknown time in his history, we understand him as someone we don’t really understand. He is a versatile artist, influenced by those around him, first Guthrie and Seeger, then Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook). He hides behind messy hair and sunglasses, hunting for a guitar as if that’s the only place he can really be. To Mangold, and perhaps even to Chalamet, Dylan is a myth and not a person.
Most biopics try to find the person behind that myth, delving into scarred childhoods and dysfunctional relationships for a sense of reality. “Who are they really?” movies ask. Mangold doesn’t seem too concerned about that, for better or worse. The Complete Unknown he never conveys anything new about Dylan or reveals his psychology, instead letting us continue to wonder about the man behind the dark lens. It’s a fun ride, as fun as we make it, with unflinching performances from actors who clearly put in the work and let it go once and for all. You’ll be pulling out your old Dylan vinyl after watching it, a credit to how accurately the film portrays his songs. Don’t think twice, this is fine.
