A Complete Unknown, rated R
*** ½
This film about the career of singer/songwriter Bob Dylan from 1961-1965, is directed by two-time Oscar nominee James Mangold (Logan, Ford v. Ferrari), and written by Mangold, two-time Oscar nominee Jay Cocks (Gangs of New York, The Age of Innocence), and is based on the book Dylan Goes Electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night that Split the Sixties by Elijah Wald. The film has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards – Best Motion Picture, Best Performance by a Male Actor (Timothée Chalamet), and Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role (Edward Norton). It’s the best film I’ve seen this year.
The film opens with Dylan, played by Oscar nominee Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name), arriving in New York City, searching for Woody Guthrie, played by Scoot McNairy, a hero of his. He finds Guthrie, who is suffering from Huntington’s disease in a hospital. There he meets Pete Seeger, played by three-time Oscar nominee Edward Norton (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), American History X, Primal Fear). Seeger asks Dylan to sing a song for Guthrie.
The film, set in the New York City music scene of the early 1960s, shows Dylan’s growing fame and his relationships with two women. Monica Barbaro plays singer Joan Baez, and Emmy nominee Elle Fanning (The Great), plays Sylvie Russo, a character based on Suze Rotolo (the woman on the cover of Dylan’s Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan). The film culminates in Dylan’s decision to go electric at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival.
Dan Fogler (Fantastic Beasts films), plays Dylan’s manager Albert Grossman and Boyd Holbrook plays Johnny Cash.
The film features strong performances from an outstanding cast, led by Chalamet, Norton, Barbaro and Fanning. Chalamet does all of his own singing in his portrayal of Dylan as do Norton as Seeger, Barbaro as Baez and Holbrook as Cash. The musical performances, direction, cinematography, sets, costume design, etc. are all excellent. The film uses historical news clips (Cuban Missile Crisis, assassination of John F. Kennedy, etc. to mark the passage of time.
The film is rated R for language, including the abuse of God’s and Jesus’ names. The film shows Dylan having relationships with a few different women during this time.
I’ve been a Dylan fan since his 1975 album Blood on the Tracks. I thoroughly enjoyed this film which featured strong acting performances and excellent music.
