The director of ‘Walk the Line’ offers his take on another legendary musician.
, is not just a reference to a famous line from Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone.” It is the entire thesis of, Mangold’s Dylan arrives in New York City in early 1961 with the clothes on his back, an acoustic guitar, and a name that he chose for himself. He shuffles anonymously through Greenwich Village’s clubs and coffee shops. No one gives this scruffy kid a second look. Not until they hear him play.
Pretty soon, Dylan becomes a Village favorite. Within a few years, he’s an international star, and so big and influential than when he dares to buck the trend toward socially relevant folk music that he helped bring into the mainstream, he’s labeled a Judas by his own fans. But the motivations behind that decision and many others he makes throughout are left opaque. As a musician, Dylan is clearly a genius. As a man, he remains a complete unknown.
A biography that reinforces its subject’s mysteries rather than illuminates them is a valid choice for a Dylan film, and one Dylan himself would probably appreciate if he ever gets around to watching. But I am not sure it is an entirely rewarding one to the paying customer who goes to see this. Yes, this movie is well-made. But what, ultimately, does it add to our understanding of Dylan, or to great artists in general? What do we take away from this story, except that Dylan followed his muse, wrote incredible music, and left the rest to others to sort out for themselves? These are questions I am still wrestling with even as I’m writing this review.
All of the music is performed by Chalamet, doing a very credible Dylan croon — and doing an even more impressive job of inhabiting Dylan away from the microphone. His tics, his stammers, his evasive glances, his endless obfuscations. Beyond his wild mop of brown hair, Chalamet doesn’t really look much like Dylan.
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