Robert Zimmerman arrives in New York in 1961 as a complete unknown and soon turns his new musical career and an uncertain acoustic world electric.
Writer, director and recently turned producer James Mangold – who has previously delivered some amazing films such as the energetic ‘Ford Vs Ferrari’ and ‘The Wolverine’ – comes a tale of a very particular and comparatively short timeline of an artist who shook the world then and still continues to this day with his brilliant work. Based on the 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric! by Elijah Wald, Bob Dylan changed his name from Robert Alan Zimmerman through the love of poet Dylan Thomas, which is reflected in his large catalogue of work being respected around the world as one of the greatest music innovators and writers of his time. Arriving in New York in 1961 penniless and trying to find his way in a comparatively strange and vibrant land from his home town of Duluth, Minnesota, this biopic concentrates on his early and arguably most pivotal five years of his life from struggling artist and the dawning from his acoustic years in his world to his changing controversial and powerful electric era of 1965 and beyond.
Starring Timothée Chalamet – who is quite rightly on the Oscar shortlist for best actor who has also starred in the mind blowing Oscar nominated Dune: Part 2 – acts his co-stars off the screen in his portrayal of the main man. With the working title of ‘Going Electric’, Mangold had an as yet unknown total of five years from concept to screen to get this right and with Chalamet’s devotion to not cutting corners and playing 30 tracks live mostly in full turn this film into a real gem.
Taking five years in total to prepare for this role due to Covid-19 and the writers’ strike, Chalamet gained 20 pounds and a love for the artist’s music playing and singing live in the takes to help create the required realism that here really does work. Also co-starring a plethora of talent including the recently elusive actor Edward Norton who plays the kindly acoustic father figure Pete Seeger, who briefly takes Dylan under his wing after their first meeting in a New Jersey hospital of Woody Guthrie played by Scoot McNairy, in a brief yet tricky role of Guthrie’s rapid mental and physical demise.
Though it has to be said that his love triangle of Sylve Russo played by Elle Fanning, his early girlfriend who pushes him to be more than another struggling artist and Joan Baez played by Monica Barbaro of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ fame are the main co-stars who move this piece along taking the comparatively long run time of 140 minutes into something that moves positively and superbly far faster
‘A Complete Unknown’ controversially sets it sights on what is a short period of Dylan’s life and so avoids the laborious historical childhood past that so many biopics seem to constantly tread and often fall short. Set upon an American background of uncertainty of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and the shooting of JFK in 1963 it propels the reason Dylan was so prolific in a time of constant dread where he pushed the limits of safe acoustic music into something with more energy and power. This for me lifts this above many recent offerings that on the whole have missed the beat so to speak. Chalamet’s insistence on playing live during recording meant the movement of his playing arm positively affected his vocals which are very close to Dylan’s and is one of the reasons he is quite rightly shortlisted for best actor this year in the Oscar race.
Being a Bob Dylan fan will help with the love of this film although there are some inconsistencies that many will not spot. This however will not detract from an excellent interpretation of a prolific writer in Dylan. Even going in as a complete unknown of his work will leave one feeling fulfilled with stunning performances from across the pond and across the board.
Author: Piers, Maidstone Store
