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<\/a>Revolutionary, rebel, lover, recluse, romantic, spiritualist, mystery. How can you identify a man who has no identity? In his new film about (presumably about Bob Dylan) entitled I\u2019m Not There<\/em>, Todd Haynes does no such thing, instead taking seven different aspects of Dylan\u2019s life and portraying them in such a fresh and exciting way that\u2019s it\u2019s hard not to be compelled by this man\u2019s life.<\/p>\nBob Dylan\u2019s name is not mentioned once in the movie. Instead, each version of Dylan is given a name that has some sort of clever reference to Dylan\u2019s influences and events in his life. In fact, the whole movie is full of clever Dylan references that had me chuckling many times throughout the film.<\/p>\n
But this isn\u2019t just a film for Dylan lover\u2019s like me, but for appreciators of well-made, quality art. Music is important in a film like this, and all of the songs included in the film fit perfectly with the mood of the scenes they are featured in. Songs like \u201cBlind Willie McTell,\u201d \u201cMan in the Long Black Coat\u201d or \u201cIdiot Wind\u201d add emotion and atmosphere to the some of the films greatest moments.<\/p>\n
Also, going into the film I was expecting some awkward transitions between the different storylines, but was pleased to find that the editors had done a fantastic job weaving the stories of these six different characters into a beautiful piece of art.<\/p>\n
But of course there are the six (or seven) characterizations of Dylan themselves that deserve most of the attention:<\/p>\n
Romantic (1959-61) – Portrayed by Marcus Carl Franklin<\/strong> Revolutionary (1962-64) \u2013 Portrayed by Christian Bale<\/strong> Mystery (1965) \u2013 Portrayed by Ben Whishaw<\/strong> Rebel (1966) \u2013 Portrayed by Cate Blanchett Lover (1964-73) \u2013 Portrayed by Heath Ledger<\/strong> Spiritualist (1979-81) \u2013 Portrayed by Christian Bale Recluse (1967-????) \u2013 Portrayed by Richard Gere So in the end, who is Bob Dylan? He is everyone and no one, he is an Artist, and his music and art will live on long after he is gone. We can all be thankful for that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cAll I can do is be me, whoever that is.\u201d – Bob Dylan Revolutionary, rebel, lover, recluse, romantic, spiritualist, mystery. How can you identify a man who has no identity? In his new film about (presumably about Bob Dylan) entitled … Continue reading
\nAn 11-year old, black Woody Guthrie hops on to a train with his guitar and finds two hobos in the same car with him. We find out that like Dylan, Woody is traveling across the country to meet the real Woody Guthrie in the hospital. Woody then proceeds to tell the hobos his life story. This section of the film is the most humorous, if you understand that like Dylan, everything that Woody is telling the hobos about his life is completely false.<\/p>\n
\nYoung Jack Rollins is a rising folk star during a time of war and protest in America. This section of the film is told documentary style, featuring interviews with those who knew\u00a0Rollins, including a Joan Baez character played by Julianne Moore. Christian Bale earns the \u201cMost Convincing Portrayal of Dylan Award\u201d, capturing his mannerism\u2019s and accent perfectly. Rollins will return later in the film, a completely changed man.<\/p>\n
\nThis part of the movie doesn\u2019t have a plot, instead serving as a sort of narration for the film. Whishaw plays a convincing version of Dylan (named Arthur Rimbaud, after the poet obviously) at his awkward and sometimes hilarious press conferences. All of the dialogue in these segments is real Dylan quotes. They serve mainly as transition pieces. At different points throughout the film we\u2019ll see a clip of Arthur saying something that usually always adds quite beautifully to what\u2019s happening in the scenes surrounding it.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Jude Quinn has betrayed his followers. At the New England Folk Festival he reveals his new sound. Loud, harsh music with howling electric guitars, much more different than his quiet folk roots. What follows is a chaotic look at Jude\u2019s first tour in England after going electric. Cate Blanchett earns the \u201cSecond Most Convincing Portrayal of Dylan Award,\u201d bringing out Dylan\u2019s exaggerated speech and movements perfectly. It\u2019s a perfect bit of casting, symbolizing how Dylan changed himself so much until not even his fans knew what he was anymore.<\/p>\n
\nRobbie Clark is not a singer, Robbie Clark is an actor. An actor who made it big portraying Jack Rollins in the film \u201cGrain of Sand.\u201d On the set of the movie he meets Claire (played by Charlotte Gainsbourg),\u00a0whom he quickly falls in love, marries, and starts a family with. But as Robbie\u2019s fame grows, the relationship slowly comes apart and what results is the most heartbreaking thread of the movie. Ledger is impressive, but Gainsbourg just about steals the whole movie. What most people won\u2019t realize when watching this part of the movie is that it\u2019s telling the story of Dylan\u2019s first marriage. So while it doesn\u2019t seem to have anything to do with Dylan, it really does.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Jack Rollins enters back into the picture a new man who has discovered God. He is now known as Pastor John in the Grace Community Church. This aspect of Dylan\u2019s life only takes up one scene in the movie, but it\u2019s probably the most powerful.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Ever since his motorcycle accident in \u201966, Dylan has been a sort of hermit, reveling in the American folk tradition and Old West. This part of the film is allegorical of that aspect of Dylan\u2019s life. Richard Gere plays Billy the Kid, a man living in a cabin outside of the town of Riddle. But when Pat Garrett introduces a new highway plan to go through the city, Billy rises up and protests. This segment really is more subtle and brilliant than the others if you can fully understand the allegory.<\/p>\n