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Amazon.co.uk Review
Unapologetically audacious, I'm Not There is more post-modern puzzle than by-the-numbers biopic. A title card sets the scene: "Inspired by the music and many lives of Bob Dylan." Yet the film features no figure by that name. Instead, writer/director Todd Haynes presents six characters, each incarnating different stages in the artist's career. Perfume's Ben Whishaw, a black-clad poet, serves as a slippery sort of narrator. The action begins with the wanderings of an 11-year-old black runaway named "Woody Guthrie" (Marcus Carl Franklin)--his raucous duet with Richie Havens on "Tombstone Blues" is a highlight--and ends with a silver-haired Billy the Kid (Richard Gere) watching the Old West die before his eyes. In the interim, there's the folk singer-turned-preacher (Christian Bale), the actor (Heath Ledger), and the rock star (Cate Blanchett, who has Don't Look Back Dylan down to a science). The chronology is purposefully non-linear, and editor Jay ! Rabinowitz cuts rapidly, Jean-Luc Godard-style, between cinéma vérité black-and-white and saturated colour, Richard Lester-like slapstick and Fellini-inspired surrealism (Ed Lachman served as cinematographer).
What makes the picture fun for Dylan fans--and potentially frustrating for neophytes--is that every album and movie bears an alternate title. Ledger's Robbie, for instance, stars in "Grain of Sand," actually a reference to the Pete Seeger song. As in Haynes' glam rock reverie Velvet Goldmine, the trickery involves the entire cast. While Julianne Moore plays former lover Alice, a dead ringer for Joan Baez, Michelle Williams embodies elusive scenester Coco, i.e. Edie Sedgwick. If I'm Not There is less affecting than Control, the year's other big music film, it rewards repeat viewings like few biographical features. The soundtrack mixes originals with covers, like Jim James's heartfelt "Goin' to Acapulco." --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Special Features
- A conversation with Todd Haynes
- The making of the soundtrack
- A tribute to Heath Ledger
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
33 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Todd Haynes' I'm Not There is a hugely exciting and incredibly beautiful film. It gives a sweeping view not just of Dylan's music, but also of his times from the 1950s to the 1980s. It is also the first time that Dylan has licensed his entire back catalogue to be used in a film.
Deservedly the film received a special Jury prize and a best actress award for Cate Blanchett at the 2007 Venice Film Festival.
Dylan is played by six different actors, playing six abstractions of his personality. Each of these abstractions inhabit a cinematic world of their own, the associations stretching from Fellini's 8 ½, Hal Ashby's Shampoo to made-for-television documentaries of the early 1980s. Maverick cinematographer Ed Lachman recently said that Haynes created the rhythms of the Dylan's music in the film, using free-associations you're allowed in music and reinterpreting those as film.
This is a film that eschews the easy biopic route, forcing the spectators to use their own intelligence. It is the closest any film can ever hope to get to Dylan's music and his own Chronicles. If someone calls this film pretentious, it is only as pretentious as Dylan himself, in that he always played with peoples expectations and tried something unpredictably new. I'm Not There certainly deserves to be seen more than once and preferably on a very big screen. Don't believe those bad reviewers, they are liars.
Deservedly the film received a special Jury prize and a best actress award for Cate Blanchett at the 2007 Venice Film Festival.
Dylan is played by six different actors, playing six abstractions of his personality. Each of these abstractions inhabit a cinematic world of their own, the associations stretching from Fellini's 8 ½, Hal Ashby's Shampoo to made-for-television documentaries of the early 1980s. Maverick cinematographer Ed Lachman recently said that Haynes created the rhythms of the Dylan's music in the film, using free-associations you're allowed in music and reinterpreting those as film.
This is a film that eschews the easy biopic route, forcing the spectators to use their own intelligence. It is the closest any film can ever hope to get to Dylan's music and his own Chronicles. If someone calls this film pretentious, it is only as pretentious as Dylan himself, in that he always played with peoples expectations and tried something unpredictably new. I'm Not There certainly deserves to be seen more than once and preferably on a very big screen. Don't believe those bad reviewers, they are liars.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This film was much better than I thought it'd be. I had a vision of against-the-light moody, dingy talking heads, each trying to be/sing Dylan.
To me, Dylan is one of those influential enigmas, who hasn't touched me. I don't particularly want him to, either; it annoys slightly how some people get so infatuated with any one artist, likening them to some type of god. Spelt with a small g. I have to admire, however, his poetry and enormous contribution to contemporary music.
It's common knowledge that the music biopic is tired and retreads a set formula, one which generally works, though. But this means that the strength of the subject either makes or breaks it, which in some ways could be a good thing as it proves the fondness/credibility/portrayal of the artist. Trying to find an alternative approach is both brave and interesting and to my mind this film works very well.
It was always going to be a contentious and potentially troublesome project. Different actors, in skin colour, age, sex even, looks disastrous on paper. Apart from my complete failure to grasp Richard Gere's role, to the point where I found it easier to switch my mind off, it was engaging, interesting and absorbing. You could even not have known who Dylan was and simply enjoyed the 'life-story'.
Much has been said of Cate Blanchet's portrayal of the speed-addicted Dylan, which she was Oscar nominated for. Regardless of the novelty of her being a woman playing a man, it is the swinging 60's London monochrome mood, stylised, chic and impeccably conceived and acted, that does it for me. The smooth BBC type heckling from the TV presenter with its nagging 'society' views was akin to one long personal headache for Dylan and opposition from authority in general. Dylan's much vaunted betrayal on his (original) fans is obviously paramount as it's still a question being raised. But, what was it about Dylan that singled him out from all of the many other performers who changed their lifestyles, music, motives? Didn't Jim Morrison start out also as a poet?
For many, that question might not have been answered to satisfaction in this film, and maybe they'd feel let down because of this; but for me, who doesn't care all-that-much, a surprisingly refreshing experience.
To me, Dylan is one of those influential enigmas, who hasn't touched me. I don't particularly want him to, either; it annoys slightly how some people get so infatuated with any one artist, likening them to some type of god. Spelt with a small g. I have to admire, however, his poetry and enormous contribution to contemporary music.
It's common knowledge that the music biopic is tired and retreads a set formula, one which generally works, though. But this means that the strength of the subject either makes or breaks it, which in some ways could be a good thing as it proves the fondness/credibility/portrayal of the artist. Trying to find an alternative approach is both brave and interesting and to my mind this film works very well.
It was always going to be a contentious and potentially troublesome project. Different actors, in skin colour, age, sex even, looks disastrous on paper. Apart from my complete failure to grasp Richard Gere's role, to the point where I found it easier to switch my mind off, it was engaging, interesting and absorbing. You could even not have known who Dylan was and simply enjoyed the 'life-story'.
Much has been said of Cate Blanchet's portrayal of the speed-addicted Dylan, which she was Oscar nominated for. Regardless of the novelty of her being a woman playing a man, it is the swinging 60's London monochrome mood, stylised, chic and impeccably conceived and acted, that does it for me. The smooth BBC type heckling from the TV presenter with its nagging 'society' views was akin to one long personal headache for Dylan and opposition from authority in general. Dylan's much vaunted betrayal on his (original) fans is obviously paramount as it's still a question being raised. But, what was it about Dylan that singled him out from all of the many other performers who changed their lifestyles, music, motives? Didn't Jim Morrison start out also as a poet?
For many, that question might not have been answered to satisfaction in this film, and maybe they'd feel let down because of this; but for me, who doesn't care all-that-much, a surprisingly refreshing experience.
18 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I'd really just like to say a word or two to those who persist in describing the Richard Gere segment of this film as its weakest point: please go back and listen to The Basement Tapes, pay attention to the sleevenotes, and if you've got the time and intellectual energy, read Greil Marcus's Invisible Republic. You will recognise all the strange characters who populate that eerie place that seems to hover between this world and some other (Marcus's Invisible Republic, or The Old, Weird America), and you will see why Gere's character is so crucial to this kaleidoscopic view of Dylan's art. I found this part of Haynes's admirably ambitious movie to be the most thrilling, and Jim James's otherworldly rendition of Goin' To Acapulco the most stunning piece of music (outside Dylan's own, naturally). Much of Dylan's best work seems always to be just beyond our grasp, which is partly why it is so compelling, but there are gateways to a deeper understanding available to us if we can be bothered to look for them. Like all gateways they can let us in or they can keep us out. Our choice.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
food for the eyes
I'm not a big fan of watching films more than once, I very rarely do it in fact, yet I have watched this film about 100 times. Read more
Published 14 days ago by Sarah
Don't expect this to be a documentary
I expected this film to tell me more about Bob and play a lot more music. The vignettes are stylish and well acted, but tell me very little about Bob, apart from showing him in a... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Julian Barnes
his bobness
decided to purchase this as a dylan fan and a new blu-ray owner and i had aquired a ticket to see his bobness at the london feis at finsbury park so thought it was an apt time to... Read more
Published 11 months ago by david stoneley
The Best Dylan on Blu-Ray
One of the films of the noughties and easily the best Dylan on dvd or blu-ray. The amazon review says all you need to know but I'll just add that there are some wonderful cover... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Mr. S. Gale
Dylan is 6 people ...at least.
Take a look on this website at reviews of Dylan's albums. You'll quickly see a diversity of critical opinion as to what was 'the best Dylan'. Read more
Published 13 months ago by a-to-the-d
Extremely silly
Its not the fact this is arty that makes it awful, its just plain stupid with good actors doing impersonations of Dylan, Joan Baez etc. Read more
Published 15 months ago by megapunkrockness
A good effort
If you're looking for Bob Dylan,look elsewhere.Blanchett's performance is the highlight and the rest is somewhat lacking.
Published on 5 Nov 2009 by DigSarahDig
Entertaining verging on the bizzare
I will just say that if you are buying or watching this to see a straight biopic of Bob Dylan - think again. Read more
Published on 21 Oct 2009 by M. C. Whiting
A wilful waste of perfectly good plastic
The acetate used for this film and the plastic the DVD was pressed onto could have been put to far better use manufacturing novelties for cheap Christmas crackers, but then I'm not... Read more
Published on 13 Oct 2009 by J. A. Harvey
It's not there
I could barely make it to the end of this film. At times it is uncomfortable to watch, being so full of cliches and weak, pretentious, meaningless blather. Read more
Published on 28 July 2009 by Monty Moler
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