Home Page › 6. more on a complete unknown

6. More On A Complete Unknown

Anyone paying even scant attention to the media since the 10 December reviews embargo was lifted will have noticed a huge overkill in appraisals of the upcoming Dylan biopic, ‘A Complete Unknown.’ There were over 100 reviews on that first Tuesday, and things haven’t quietened down since then. We are going to add to that ever-increasing tally today by posting our second summary of the film. However, the fact that this overview, which has intentionally been kept short, is from a serious Dylan enthusiast rather than the press pack makes it all the more interesting.

I haven’t paid too much attention to the reviews. There are too many, and I’d rather make up my own mind. Also, there is so much detail in the film that it can’t be done proper justice with just one viewing. Of course, with so many reviews there are bound to be differences of opinion as to the film’s success or otherwise. In simplistic terms, if you want complete accuracy, down to the colour of Bob’s socks, it might be better to stay away.

Liberties have been taken with the chronology, scenes have been invented, there are factual omissions, people are in the wrong place at the wrong time and I’m sure ISIS will cover these down the line. The Manchester ‘Judas’ scene is transported – assumedly by DeLorean – to the end of the ’65 Newport Folk Festival. It should be stressed, however, that these are not mistakes. The filmmakers obviously thought that including the Judas shout was a good way to convey what was happening with Dylan and his audience at this time.

However, a little too much is made of Pete Seeger’s involvement in the Dylan story. Was Seeger there when Dylan visited the dying Woody Guthrie in hospital? Was Dylan living with Seeger when he wrote ‘Girl from the North Country’? In some ways it seems like the film includes Seeger in scenes just to build to the Newport climax in which folk music’s old guard (Seeger) is overthrown by electric Dylan. On the flip side, a great deal of care has been taken placing posters, objects, clothing and the like in the right contexts.

The consensus seems to be to go along with an open mind in the hope of being entertained and you will be.

Many thanks to Ian Woodward for sending the overview below.

* * *

“A COMPLETE UNKOWN” – MORE AN OVERVIEW THAN REVIEW

There was a public pre-release screening of “A COMPLETE UNKNOWN” on Wednesday at The Barbican in London. Not only were the tickets a reasonable price but there was also a ‘screen talk’ by director James Mangold. In our party of three, there was a 60 years age difference between the youngest and the oldest and all three found the film enjoyable.

If, though, you expect biopics to “stick to the facts” and to get everything “right” (as it were), you will be disappointed; the timeline is all over the place and some specifics are clearly wrong.

On the other hand, if you regard that expectation as unrealistic, you will find that the basic arc of Dylan’s career from 1961 to 1965 is covered, that the sets and settings ring true, that the directing is pretty sharp and that the quality of acting is of a high standard.

Back in the mid-1960s, Columbia Records, faced with Dylan’s songs being recorded by other artist on other labels (for which they received not a bean), introduced a slogan to promote the sales of Dylan’s own releases: NOBODY SINGS DYLAN LIKE DYLAN. That was true then and still is, but Timothee Chalamet goes a long way to disproving that claim. I doubt anyone will object to his rendering of Dylan’s performances and nor should they, for they are outstandingly good.

James Mangold told how the film had been delayed by the pandemic and then eventually shot in the early part of 2024. He commented that this gave Chalamet time to work on, and grow into, the role, including (but not limited to) his guitar and vocal skills. And, by golly, it shows. At times, there is a subtlety to his portrayal that is telling as to the development of the story.

James Mangold also told how the pandemic affected the film significantly in another way. The original script, as written by Jay Cocks, covered the beginning of the film (meeting Woody Guthrie in New York) and its end (at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival) pretty fully but largely skated over the ins and outs of Dylan’s romantic entanglements in-between. When Mangold became involved, he wanted to change that but those ‘around’ Dylan said to avoid the personal side. This changed as a result of the pandemic because Dylan had to cancel some shows and cease touring for a while.

During this hiatus, Dylan read the script, liked it and arranged to meet Mangold. These meetings, lasting three to four hours each, took place in a Santa Monica coffeehouse, closed to the public because of the pandemic. Mangold did not name the coffeehouse but it was surely Dylan’s own 18th Street coffeehouse.

Getting back to the film, some of the song choices are intriguing. Yes, you will find the ‘biggies’ from the period, – ‘Blowing’ In The Wind’ and ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ being obvious examples. And you will find songs recorded by Dylan but not released at the time: ‘Mama You Bin On My Mind’ and “Farewell Angelina’ fall into this category, though one can fairly readily explain their inclusion. But who the heck thought to include a bit of ‘If I Could Do It All Over Again, I’d Do It All Over You’ (a song Dylan never recorded in a Columbia studio and only ever performed once publicly)? I’d love to think that this was Dylan’s own suggestion but who knows?

For those who are really into this period of Dylan’s life, there are lots of little background details that you can pick up on, such as posters, places and people. For example, in the background of the Newport finale, which Mangold said took a week to shoot, there is a blonde woman dressed exactly the way Mary Travers was dressed on 25 July 1965. If you’re so inclined, savour these moments.

The film is described as being ‘based on’ Elijah Wald’s book though, to me and from what Mangold said, it seems more ‘prompted by’ than ‘based on’. Little in the film appeared unique to the book, though it’s some time since I read it. Much of the film’s content can certainly be read elsewhere. That said, Mr Wald’s book and Dylan biographies are factual accounts, whereas the film is a ‘story’, admittedly one built around those ‘facts’ but a story nevertheless. If, as a close follower of Dylan’s life and work, you can go along with this, you will be in for an entertaining outing to the cinema.

For what it’s worth, my wife and I plan to see the film again, should be shown locally.

* * *

Many thanks to ISIS subscriber Ted Haycraft for sending over images of the swag given out to ticket holders who attended the US IMAX Early Access Screenings of ‘A Complete Unknown.’