Cate Blanchett
as one of six actors portraying a distinct aspect of Bob Dylan's Internal Personal Journey
in Todd Haynes' film I'm Not There.
as one of six actors portraying a distinct aspect of Bob Dylan's Internal Personal Journey
in Todd Haynes' film I'm Not There.
As with many great films, I'm Not There asks more questions than it answers. For example:
- How would one get Cate Blanchett to look like Bob Dylan in his angry early 20s?
"Every picture tells a [thousand] stories, don't it?"
That is she in silhouette above. She truly channels the young, tortured genius (it must be noted, Mr. Dylan would rather I just wrote "Portrait of the Dog as A Young Artist," and shut up.) It's like a chocolate subway full of Canadian mucisians, a wanderer from Minnesota, Jesse James, and an Arkansas drummer. Nobody tells Blanchett, Dylan, or Me what to do, except our Muses -- as for me and Bob, our demons get a big say too.
- Six actors to play one, real, living person?
- Yes, the remaining doubters might say, but what about that sandpaper voice?
*****
I'm starting to rant; let me wrap this up. To summarize:
- See this film. (It's now available on DVD.)
Now, how about one more cup of coffee while we wait for the city to fix the pump handle broken by the vandals?
Epigram
Because of the fashion in which I'm Not There handles one of the five most important moments in rock 'n' roll -- Dylan, Bloomfield, Al Cooper, and The Hawks going electric at the Newport Folk Festival, see No Direction Home first. This Martin Scorsese documentary is also available on DVD and well worth buying.
3 comments:
Wow.. I was going to speak about the Newport thingy.. That is the only time I think I have (or anyone else for that matter) seen Bob look like he didn't know what he was doing..
or that he made a mistake...
That is. after all..the number one rule. NO MATTER what happens on stage..make it look like you did it on purpose.
Dylan went back to the acoustic faster than the coffee went through my innards..I almost thought he was going to apologize.
Jesus, no Owen, that's why the dude introducing this segment in Murray Lerner's new film calls it the most argued about moment in rock history -- the Lerner film shows the two years prior to "Dylan Goe Electric" -- three years of Dylan evolving at Newport -- you gotta see that one. Further, this issue is why one needs to see"No Direction Home" first.
In "No Direction Home", Scorsese does the best job with the event, using straight up journalism. Scorsese's team for "No Direction" does five interviews with 5 people who were there and would know, and surprise, surprise, gets 5 different interpretations of what happened.
Finally, we have to agree to disagree about Dylan's answer back to the element in the folk scene that were booing and, in London, screaming "Judas". When Dylan goes electic at Newport, is booed by half the crowd, the rock band leaves the stage, Peter Yarrow settles the crowd by saying "Bobby's coming back, he went to get his [acoustic] ax," Dylan is not apologizing to anybody. Dylan never apologizes except in his love songs.
When he comes back with his acoustic, he sings "It All Over Now, Baby Blue" with eyes like burning coals, telling the world to go f*** itself, the Apolcalyse is coming. Dylan is pissed and getting mean -- 'Grab want you can now dudes, use what you've learned from experience to get, but it don't matter one bit 'cause "It all over now, baby blue!"'
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Thanks for finally turning this blog into what I want it to be -- a forum for discussion. Please, teach like you have taught me about Duane, I wanna know when I'm wrong.
I'm not teach.. more like a leach..
whoa..I hit the wrong key and it was asking me what I wanted to open.. THAT was weird..
I saw the film about Newport, that shows the guy coming on and saying Bobby's gone to get his guitar..Personally, I LOVED the electric scene..it helped Jimi and Janis. Plus..SubHomeBlues would sound pretty bad (along with all of his electric songs) done acoustically.
The guy you wanna talk to about Dylan is my brother..he was Jimi's roomie in the Air Force, but more importantly, Dylan was the
man to be about during those years- the wtf are we doin in Nam anyway' years..
Duane, (my brother) got this novel idea while he was nestled away in his little combat zone...He began collecting Dylan albums..and Beatles and so on..
He would buy one for him..one to save, and one extra.
So Now he has an unopned collection of the Beatles, and Dylan..and a few others..like Music from the Big Pink, Pearl..etc.. It is pretty awesome. He is the biggest Dylan fan I ever met..HUGE !
Regardless..It is hard to delineate and say..THIS is Dylan..or THAT is Dylan..in fact it is impossible.
I like this though :
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=0vM65VcDxOg
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