A rare wonder on the music scene, as well as a Nobel Laureate in Literature, Dylan has been the subject of adulation and controversy, as well as numerous articles, books, and films. For this enthusiastic Dylan fan, there is no such thing as too much Dylan, and I looked forward to James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown with equal parts eagerness and trepidation. A legendary songwriter who has himself contributed over the years to the legendary aspect of his life, with a facility for inventive answers as well as intensely guarded privacy, Dylan has a history replete with diverse songs and narratives, a challenge for any filmmaker. Mangold’s film makes a wise choice to focus on a critical time in Dylan’s life, following his dazzling rise to fame on the folk music scene in the early 1960s, and culminating with his controversial performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. The screenplay, co-written by Mangold and Jay Cocks, refusing to be constrained by facts, lets the songs, themes, and feelings shape the narrative, creating a film that suits the shape-shifting qualities of its protagonist. An intense performance by Timothée Chalamet reveals Dylan through his songs, and through those around him – musicians, lovers, music producers and fans – and their responses to the encounter with him. A Complete Unknown expresses the feeling of the music and its effect, and captures the essence of Dylan in letting Dylan remain somewhat mysterious.
The film opens in 1961, when a young Robert Zimmerman (Chalamet) hitchhikes to New York, looking at once hesitant and intense, cap on his head and guitar slung over his shoulder. He seeks out Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), whose songs he tells Pete Seeger (Edward Norton) “struck me down to the ground.” He’s also hoping to “catch a spark.” Thematically, the film engages with fandom from the start, as Dylan seeks out the presence and approval of the songwriter he admires. Later in the film, he will be on the receiving end of the adulation and expectations and find it hard to handle.
One of the film’s strengths is in its ability to convey the excitement of hearing an amazing song for the first time. As Dylan sings Song to Woody rather shyly, but with conviction and immense devotion, Woody and Seeger recognize him as a kindred spirit, a member of the tribe of traveling troubadours singing their truths. The affinity between musicians is palpable in the film, as well as a sense of competition. As the unknown-as-yet Dylan listens to Joan Baez (Monica Barbara), his eyes shine with admiration, yet there’s also a glint of desire, wanting to be where she is now, at center stage. Some of the film’s most poignant and thrilling moments are when Dylan and Baez sing together, their voices revealing a deep connection that transcends the vagaries of everyday life and shifting emotions of desire, jealousy, love or indifference, an enduring connection through music.
The great risk in any biopic is the difficulty in accepting an actor as a convincing substitute for the “real” protagonist, especially someone like Dylan whose appearance and distinctive voice is so well known. It’s even more of a challenge when the actor taking on the role is famous in his own right. Chalamet infuses his portrayal of Dylan with a burning intensity, wayward charm, and rough arrogance. Although I wavered occasionally, seeing Chalamet onscreen rather than Dylan, those moments were few and fleeting. Most impressive is Chalamet’s amazing performance of Dylan’s songs. In less dedicated hands, Dylan’s signature phrasing and vocal qualities might easily slide into caricature or simply miss. Yet Chalamet has immersed himself in the Dylan repertoire, and, at least for the duration of the film, he is Dylan.
As the film follows Dylan’s rising star, one of its themes is the issue of maintaining the authenticity and purity of folk music, with the conflict coming to its climax at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 when Dylan went electric. The conflict is established from the beginning, as Dylan’s eclectic taste in music is revealed in one of his first conversations with Pete Seeger. When Dylan mentions Little Richard, Seeger comments that “a good song can get the job done without the frills.” Yet, as Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning), one of Dylan’s love interests in the film, who encourages him to perform his original songs, accurately points out: even the songs that are revered as “pure folk” such as “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” (composed by Seeger), were once new.
Although Sylvie Russo is a fictional name, she represents Suze Rotolo, an artist and political activist who was Dylan’s girlfriend in the early 60s and influenced his political awareness. Fanning portrays the inner conflict of a strong, intelligent woman who is drawn by Dylan’s talent and charm, frustrated by the elusive quality of his character, and ultimately, as his fame grows, feels that she cannot or does not want to live in his shadow. For Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro) the tangle of feelings is perhaps even more complicated, because she and Dylan share a bond through music. He inspires strong emotions of all kinds, and she doesn’t hesitate to tell him: “You’re kind of an asshole, Bob.”
No one can sing like Joan Baez. She has a voice at once tender and powerful, and her creative interpretation of songs makes anything she sings her own. Barbaro wisely does not attempt to strictly imitate Baez’s rendition of songs, her own voice is lovely, and there’s great chemistry onstage between Barbaro and Chalamet. Edward Norton delivers a fantastic performance as the ever-genial, songwriter and social activist, even sounding uncannily like Seeger. Yet ultimately it is through Chalamet – whose commitment and superb embodiment of the character is so deep that he seems to have crawled into Dylan’s skin – that the viewer experiences the mystery and mystique that is Dylan.
A Complete Unknown
Director: James Mangold; Screenplay: James Mangold, Jay Cocks; Cinematography: Phedon Papamichael; Editors: Andrew Buckland, Scott Morris; Music: Bob Dylan; Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, Boyd Holbrook, Dan Fogler, Norbert Leo Butz, Scoot McNairy
