A Complete Unknown, the new Bob Dylan movie, felt like it came at an opportune time and is a perfect addition to the never-ending story of Bob Dylan.
So much has been written, so much has been said about this paramount writer and singer. It’s a source of inspiration and fascination for many people, me included. I never tried to understand why, but got a little closer sitting in the second row of the Terrace Theater on James Island.
The legend of Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan said “Life isn’t about finding yourself or finding anything. Life is about creating yourself and creating things,” possibly taking inspiration from George Bernard Shaw.
The “creating of yourself” facet of Bob Dylan was one of the highlights of the movie. He even fabricated his biographical details in the early days. So, being there’s plenty of myth-building in the Bob Dylan story, it’s only natural that this movie would play the facts a bit loose and freewheelin’.
Timothée Chalamet’s performance
Timothée Chalamet really did his job. He picked up many of Bob Dylan’s mannerisms, his speech modulation and they definitely got him to look as much like a young Dylan as possible. The depiction never comes across as a caricature, so I simply found myself immersed in the story. Even in the world of artists and writers, Bob Dylan was and is idiosyncratic. Chalamet communicates that this young man was an iconoclast with a complex personality.
Music that comes alive
Of particular interest is the music in the film. Pardon the cliché, but the songs came alive. I couldn’t help, but wonder what it must have felt like to hear these songs when they were new. But, in A Complete Unknown, the performances are all by the actors in the movie.
Chalamet learned to play guitar and sing in a very authentic manner reminiscent of Bob Dylan. It adds immeasurably to the movie. Nick Baxter, the Executive Music Producer of the film, believes in getting the music recorded on the set.
Although you can find countless recorded versions of Dylan singing these songs including the original studio recordings, I found myself listening to the soundtrack as a unique experience in itself. You can find 23 tracks from A Complete Unknown on Apple Music and Spotify.
Both in the acting and the soundtrack performances, the entire cast is exceptional. It’s not just Chalamet’s interpretations that are great. Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez is incredible, as is Edward Norton’s portrayal of Pete Seeger.
The Newport moment
Speaking of Pete Seeger, one of the milestones in Bob Dylan’s career happened at the Newport Folk Festival. It was 1965 when Dylan got up on stage and instead of his acoustic guitar, he went electric. Much has been said about that night. In fact, A Complete Unknown is based on Elijah Wald’s book Dylan Goes Electric! Seeger, Dylan and the Night that Split the Sixties.
What happened that night? I’ve heard many different accounts.
Did Pete Seeger really grab an axe to cut the cords? Was he upset that Dylan was going electric and betraying the folk music movement?
I had the opportunity to speak with Pete Seeger not long before he died. And he addressed these rumors.
What was your first impression when you met Bob Dylan?
PETE SEEGER: Wow, what a fantastic talent! Absolutely fantastic! But then, he did not want to be owned by his fans any more than he wanted to be owned by anybody. He didn’t want to be controlled by anybody. And so, he purposely did something that he knew at least half of his fans would object to and he went electric.
Now, I didn’t mind him going electric. What I minded was that I couldn’t understand a single word of he was saying because they had the sound turned up so high you could not hear him. (Laughs) I ran over to the sound man – this was 1955 (editor’s note: actually 1965) in Newport – and said ‘Fix the sound so we can understand the words!’ And he shouted back ‘No! This is the way they want it!’ – his managers – and I said ‘Damn it, if I had an axe I’d cut the cable!’ (laughs).
It may seem like a minor detail today, to go from acoustic to an electric band, but it was one of the defining landmarks in American music, and even the world.
Bob Dylan comments on the movie
Bob Dylan himself plugged (pun intended) both the movie and the book, writing on X: “The film’s taken from Elijah Wald’s Dylan Goes Electric – a book that came in 2015. It’s a fantastic retelling of events that led up to the fiasco at Newport. After you’ve seen the movie, read the book.”
When you watch A Complete Unknown, you get a feeling like something is getting ready to “bust out.” There are unspoken vibrations and tremors, and you can feel it. Finally, you see and hear the culmination.
There are certain artists that can’t be contained. Their work waits for that moment and it all happens. Even almost 60 years later, we still talk about it. The storytelling surrounding it keeps rolling.
“Like a Rolling Stone” is as current as ever
The titular song of the movie doesn’t seem like a relic of the 60s. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it number one in their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2010, and hearing it in the movie theater felt electric. Bob Dylan couldn’t be “owned” or “controlled” as Pete Seeger said. Nor has his music been static, whether on recording or in concert.
Yet another way to experience Bob Dylan
A Complete Unknown is yet the latest way to experience Bob Dylan, an entertaining, soulful snapshot on a seminal moment in the life of one of the world’s greatest living artists. I recommend you go see it. I have a suspicion that thanks to this movie, there will be more people who want to witness Bob Dylan performing live. Maybe Bob will release some tour dates soon. See you there.
