A Cinepoem Inspired by the Legend of Bob Dylan
Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger, Richard Gere and Christian Bale are among six actors who capture different aspects of singer-songwriter Bob Dylan in I'm Not There (2007), an unconventional film directed and co-written by Todd Haynes (Far From Heaven). Haynes employs a dazzling combination of visual styles, including PBS documentary, Fellini, Godard and 1960s American Westerns. The movie is thought-provoking, but be advised that it has little narrative drive.
In real life, Dylan remains an enigmatic figure who defies being pigeonholed, and this justifies the film's fragmentary, elliptical storytelling. But the music is the glue that holds the movie together and makes it emotionally satisfying. The soundtrack contains about 37 songs written by Dylan, and most are sung by him. The songs are integrated into the story, and some of the musical highlights are "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll," "Visions of Johanna," "Positively 4th Street," "Goin' to Acapulco" and "Pressing On." In one of the film's key sequences, we hear "Ballad of a Thin Man" while we watch a troubled Mr. Jones (Bruce Greenwood), who knows something's happening, but he doesn't know what it is.
The movie is named for the Dylan song "I'm Not There," which was taped decades ago in the basement of a house shared by members of the group known as The Band. However, the song was previously little known since it didn't get an official release until the film came along.
Six Actors Capture Seven Aspects of Dylan
In I'm Not There, half a dozen actors portray characters representing different incarnations of Bob Dylan. One of the most straightforward incarnations is Jack Rollins (Christian Bale), an unknown who surfaces in Greenwich Village and is catapulted to fame as a folksinger. Years later, Rollins becomes an evangelical minister, representing Dylan's embrace of Christianity.
A more oblique Dylan incarnation is Hollywood actor Robbie Clark (Heath Ledger), who played Jack Rollins in a biopic. Clark meets, marries and divorces Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg), paralleling events in Dylan's life.
The most farfetched Dylan incarnation is Billy the Kid (Richard Gere), who lives out in a mythical American boondocks where time is muddled. Billy seems to symbolize Dylan's "outlaw" nature and his seclusion after his motorcycle accident.
The most entertaining Dylan incarnation is an African-American kid (Marcus Carl Franklin) calling himself Woody Guthrie. "Woody" embodies some of the tall tales Dylan once told about his boyhood.
The incarnation most evocative of the real-life Dylan is twitchy Jude Quinn (Cate Blanchett in an Oscar-nominated performance). Jude is a famous singer-songwriter whose transition from folk to rock alienates many of his fans.
An imaginative Dylan incarnation is a young adult (Ben Whishaw) who calls himself Arthur Rimbaud after the 19th-century French poet and enfant terrible. "Rimbaud" appears to be responding to off-camera interrogators, which seems to represent Dylan's jousts with journalists.
Explanatory Materials on the DVD
The I'm Not There DVD set provides an outstanding audio commentary by director/co-writer Todd Haynes that will answer most questions about the film. He mentions that Julianne Moore's character is based on Joan Baez, Michelle Williams' character on Edie Sedgwick, and Charlotte Gainsbourg's character is a composite of Suze Rotolo and Sara Lowndes.
Also recommended is the 42-minute "A Conversation With Todd Haynes," in which he discusses the influence of Fellini's 8 1/2, Godard's Masculin Feminin and Two or Three Things I Know About Her, and Altman's McCabe & Mrs. Miller. Haynes also mentions that Montreal and environs stood in for London, New York and the rural United States.
Another worthwhile extra is the 21-minute "Making the Soundtrack," in which we learn that the Dylan songs heard in the film are not necessarily his best or most popular; instead, they have been chosen because they fit the story. We also find out some songs were updated for a 21st-century audience and about Stephen Malkmus, Eddie Vedder, and Jim James and Calexico being brought in to do covers. Also, Marcus Carl Franklin is the only principal actor who does his own singing in the movie.
Finally, all the text under the menu "Intro to Film" is worth reading. The content consists of four brief tutorials, each from a different point of view, that help in understanding the movie.
Additional DVD Bonus Materials
If you're one of those people who just can't get enough detailed information about Dylan, be sure to peruse the text and other materials under the menu "Dylanology." One of the noteworthy details covered here is that from the get-go Haynes intended that Jude be played by a woman as a way of indicating Dylan's flamboyance and foppery in the mid-1960s.
The I'm Not There DVD set includes some other extras that are occasionally of interest. There are a pair of deleted scenes, four extended scenes that are long versions of musical sequences, four minutes of outtakes that constitute a cast and crew gag reel, and audition footage for Marcus Carl Franklin and Ben Whishaw. There is also a three-minute montage of footage of Heath Ledger, who died in January 2008.
Additionally, there's a three-minute featurette on the film's premiere in New York. Finally, the DVD contains 18 minutes of footage shot for an unreleased trailer in which the principal actors show flashcards while the soundtrack plays Dylan's well-known song "Subterranean Homesick Blues."
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