By Brian Wise
TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET CHANNELS DYLAN IN THIS EXTRAORDINARY FILM.
Let’s face it, the problem with most music biopics is that musically most of them are not entirely convincing. No matter how good the performances are, the fact that someone is usually miming, often to the original voice, means that they never quite ring true. Ray, Elvis, Coal Miner’s Daughter, Empire Records, Walk The Line and Rocketman have all been laudable but I don’t think that there has ever been anything quite as convincingly authentic as A Complete Unknown, directed by James Mangold (who also directed Walk The Line).
Based on Elijah Wald’s excellent 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan, And The Night That Split The Sixties, with the script by former Rolling Stone journalist Jay Cocks, Mangold’s film was five years in the making. It is a stunning achievement that sets the benchmark for all such films to follow. Not only that, but Dylan himself also annotated the script and, by lead actor Timothée Chalamet’s account, contributed some of the lines of dialogue.
It is easy to see how an extended production time, due to various commitments from director and cast, has been beneficial. There are stunningly credible recreations of scenes of New York’s 60’s era Greenwich Village and its folk scene. The Newport Folk Festival, where the film culminates in Dylan going electric, is captured in all it vibrance. The film also captures, through various television news clips, the Civil Rights and Cold War turmoil of the times which affected so much of the lives of the characters portrayed in the film and the entire folk scene at the time.
In essence, the film is about the journey of an artist from obscurity to fame, the creation of an incredibly important body of work, the pressures on this creativity and the rejection of those pressures as well as the tag of being the ‘voice of a generation’.
Of course, Dylan fanatics will quibble with some of the events in the film that have been altered or modified to suit the narrative. The shout of ‘Judas!’ from an enraged fan during Dylan’s electric set at the Newport Folk Festival actually occurred and was captured on tape in Manchester, UK, a year later. But it could well have happened at Newport. Pete Seeger may not have been with Dylan when he first visited his inspiration Woody Guthrie in hospital but there is no doubt that he shared the same reverence for Guthrie. Johnny Cash might not have been at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival but he was there a year earlier and his support of Dylan was long-lasting. Cash might not have been drunkenly playing dodgem in a car park in front of Dylan but he did have a drinking problem that affected his career.
The film is not a documentary so there are are numerous other events in the film that did not happen but are obviously inserted to illustrate Dylan’s character. Yet there are also many events in the film that are true and it is very pleasing to see them included: the important role and influence of the women in Dylan’s life; Mike Bloomfield getting credit for his exceptional guitar playing; Al Kooper managing to get a gig playing organ on ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ when he thought he was there to play guitar; Columbia Records talent scout John Hammond; Tom Wilson, the first African American staff producer at Columbia; Alan Lomax shown recording music at Newport and the argument between him and Dylan’s manager Albert Grossman; Bob Neuwirth’s importance as a friend; Pete Seeger’s initial rejection of Dylan’s electric excursion shown with his glancing at some axes, suggesting – in a variation of a often told tale – that he thought of cutting the power (as he later recalled).
Also, by choosing to concentrate on just a brief and crucial period of Dylan’s career the film remains totally focused and encapsulates almost everything that we actually think we know about Dylan’s character. He was obsessed with writing; he was a keen observer of everything that was going on around him; he seemed to know exactly where he was heading; he was able to discard people and relationships; he rejected the constraints and expectations of the folk community; he had a biting sense of humour; and, he invented a lot of his back story (he wasn’t actually in the circus as he claimed). Despite all this no one seemed to be able to get close enough to truly know him. As Joan Baez points out at one stage he was ‘a bit of an arsehole’, to which he agrees!
Timothée Chalamet channels this enigmatic Bob Dylan in an eerily realistic way. Although he has confessed that he was not a Dylan buff prior to his casting he was a brilliant choice. The film’s lengthy gestation must have given him plenty of time to immerse himself in Dylanology and also to perfect his singing and guitar playing into a good facsimile of a folk singer. Dylan’s response to the demands of fame and the over the top adoration of his fans is made absolutely believable as the hero turns from an enthusiastic novice into a scowling veteran in the space of just a few years.
Chalamet deserves to win an Academy Award for his portrayal but probably won’t (this year’s Oscar seems locked in for Adrian Brophy). An almost equally deserving Edward Norton seems a better chance for a supporting actor Oscar for his role as the avuncular Pete Seeger. Elle Fanning who plays Dylan’s partner Sylvie Russo (actually based on Suze Rotolo) and Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez both offer really compelling performances. Cameos by Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash and Scoot McNairy as an ailing and voiceless Woody Guthrie add to the atmosphere. Regardless of awards, A Complete Unknown stands as an impressive achievement for its entire cast.
Not only does Chalamet physically resemble the wiry, tousle-curled young Dylan but he also apparently performed the songs live, capturing the essence of the voice without ever making it sound like a mere imitation. (In fact, if you are hearing the soundtrack from another room, Chalamet sounds like a very convincing Dylan! Non-Bobheads may not immediately pick the difference either). This aspect of the film adds immeasurably to how Chalamet is able to make his role so convincing. At various times you actually feel like clapping along with the audience at Newport. In fact, you might find some of the memories evoked a bit emotional. (I still vividly recall the lifechanging effect that hearing ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ for the very first time had on me).
However, the most important scene in the movie for me – and one that shows the power of Chalamet’s portrayal – doesn’t involve Dylan’s music or any dialogue at all. Dylan is standing side of stage at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival watching Johnny Cash and The Tennessee Two. (One of them was playing an electric guitar and the set also included Dylan’s ‘Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright’). As Cash plays you can almost see the thoughts that might have been going through Dylan’s mind as Chalamet’s facial expressions subtly change. What was he thinking? That even though he is headlining the following evening that by next year he will be a bigger star than Cash? That he is moving beyond the folk music scene? Who knows. Chalamet manages to perfectly capture the elusive Dylan who still keeps everyone guessing.
In the end, my main question about Dylan’s early years still remains partly unanswered and requires a lot more research on my part. A Complete Unknown provides just one piece of the puzzle. Exactly how did this young musician from Duluth, Minnesota, who arrived in New York in January 1961 and released a debut album of mostly cover versions in March 1962, manage to come up with such monumental songs for The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan just 14 months later? That still remains mindboggling yet alone the further development to Bringing It All Back Home and Highway 61 Revisited both released in 1965!
The culmination of the film with Dylan’s famous appearance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival is one of the most powerful and emotional pieces of music filmmaking that you are ever likely to see. In terms of history its importance cannot be underestimated.
While Dylan fans might not find anything new in A Complete Unknown there is an entire younger generation (or two) who do not know Dylan. They might never hear his music on radio or their streaming services but they might be inspired by this film to pick up a guitar and write a song. Now, that would really be something!
A Complete Unknown opens in cinemas across Australia today.