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Topic: Re:A Complete Unknown
Posted by: Joe Conneely
Date/Time: 19/01/25 21:56:00

I grew up with Dylan's music and growing importance in my teen years plus have read a fair bit about him over the years. This film made by the same director as the Johnny Cash film "Walk the Line" seems to have made a conscious decision to let the music lead the story.

This is helped by the main characters performing and singing the songs live instead of them being dubbed, which is all done very well. Also the casting is pretty perfect, Chalamet having all the mannerisms and swagger of the '60s Dylan I remember, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez being note perfect in song and acting, and Ed Norton as the paternal mentor Pete Seeger, seems to have dialled down the anger and arrogance I always associate with his best performances.

The trade off is the script has many facts Dylanologists will tell you are simply wrong and some big gaps on events, plus most critically little character insight into what caused and drove Dylan's development across the 60s.

I saw it in a crowded Saturday night Chiswick cinema where most people seemed to enjoy the trip down memory lane. Sadly, it reconfirmed my long held view that Dylan may be an amazing songwriter but as a human being he scores low.


Entire Thread
TopicDate PostedPosted By
Film Reviews 202504/01/25 15:25:00 Susan Kelly
   We Live in Time04/01/25 15:26:00 Susan Kelly
      Re:We Live in Time05/01/25 21:28:00 Sara Nathan
   Flow05/01/25 21:47:00 Sara Nathan
   The Substance06/01/25 21:45:00 Sara Nathan
   Seed of the sacred fig (Farsi and subtitles)08/01/25 00:03:00 Sara Nathan
      Re:Seed of the sacred fig (Farsi and subtitles)26/02/25 21:47:00 Joe Conneely
         Re:Re:Seed of the sacred fig (Farsi and subtitles)03/03/25 17:19:00 Chris Hurley
   A Real Pain11/01/25 15:51:00 Susan Kelly
      Re:A Real Pain11/01/25 23:06:00 Sara Nathan
   Nickel Boys12/01/25 16:46:00 Susan Kelly
      Re:Nickel Boys16/01/25 21:53:00 Sara Nathan
   Heretic16/01/25 21:47:00 Sara Nathan
   Love Lies Bleeding18/01/25 22:19:00 Sara Nathan
   A Complete Unknown19/01/25 14:36:00 Susan Kelly
      Re:A Complete Unknown19/01/25 21:56:00 Joe Conneely
         Re:Re:A Complete Unknown25/01/25 06:49:00 Alastair Banton
            Re:Re:Re:A Complete Unknown25/01/25 07:12:00 Alastair Banton
               Babygirl26/01/25 12:24:00 Joe Conneely
      Re:A Complete Unknown (saw last year)01/02/25 16:27:00 Sara Nathan
   The Brutalist26/01/25 17:50:00 Susan Kelly
      Re:The Brutalist02/02/25 09:25:00 Norman Redfern
   Inside Out 201/02/25 16:26:00 Sara Nathan
   Re:Film Reviews 202501/02/25 16:32:00 Sara Nathan
      Emilia Perez (again!) forgot to change the header04/02/25 21:21:00 Sara Nathan
   Hard Truths02/02/25 14:23:00 Susan Kelly
   Vermiglio04/02/25 20:06:00 Susan Kelly
   Wild Robot04/02/25 21:27:00 Sara Nathan
   Becoming Led Zeppelin07/02/25 22:34:00 Joe Conneely
   September 5th08/02/25 15:02:00 Susan Kelly
   The Last Showgirl11/02/25 21:48:00 Joe Conneely
   Bridget Jones: mad about the boy15/02/25 23:38:00 Sara Nathan
      Re:Bridget Jones: mad about the boy16/02/25 16:28:00 Susan Kelly
   BAFTAS16/02/25 23:09:00 Sara Nathan
      Re:BAFTAS18/02/25 14:25:00 Alastair Banton
   I'm Still Here04/03/25 17:09:00 Susan Kelly
   Cottontail08/03/25 14:23:00 Susan Kelly
   Mickey 1708/03/25 16:46:00 Joe Conneely
      Re:Mickey 1709/03/25 16:50:00 Susan Kelly

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