Film Review - A Complete Unknown

This young man arrives on the scene unexpectedly and we know nothing about him. Most of us still don’t know this man’s real name, after decades in the spotlight. But say his stage name – ‘Bob Dylan’ – and almost everyone will know about this star. He expressed how a new generation that grew up in the sixties in America after World War II felt in the midst of a society that was very unstable and changing rapidly. It was a generation that was looking for a place, looking for equal rights, and was not happy to be dragged into a meaningless war in Vietnam. With his music, Dylan succeeds in expressing the mood of his generation and even the mood of the country at a crucial time in American history.

If I had to pick a pivotal moment in the sixties when one generation passed the torch to the next, it would be the 1965 Newport, Rhode Island Country Music Festival, when Dylan plugged in his electric guitar.

‘A Complete Unknown’ is a great period film that provides the background and history of this eventful concert. The film begins in early 1961, with Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) at the age of 19 visiting his hero, Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), who is incapacitated with Huntington’s disease. Guthrie was the voice of his own generation, the generation immediately before Dylan’s. He points his finger at Dylan’s guitar, and Dylan plays a song he wrote in tribute called ‘Song to Woody’. We can tell by the look on his face that Woody recognizes Dylan as his likely successor. At the end of the song, Woody bangs his fist on the bedside table.

Dylan hardly acknowledges the other person in the room, Pete Seeger (Edward Norton). Seeger seems to realize that he is witnessing the beginning of a new era, the era of Dylan.

As soon as he first sees Dylan, the famous promoter Albert Grossman (Dan Fogler) moves in as his manager. As soon as Joan Baez hears him play, she immediately realizes that she is looking at her rival. She is a great talent of the era herself, with a clear voice and an almost unlimited range. She will soon appear on the cover of Time magazine. But even more than Baez, it is Dylan who attracts the audience, with his unusual yet magnetic personality.

Dylan has only failure after failure in matters of love, perhaps because he is mostly in love with his music. He has a relationship with painter Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning), a fictionalized version of his long-term girlfriend Suze Rotolo, and later with Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro).

Dylan is a reclusive person, and rarely acknowledges other musicians. For example, although Seeger is always working for him, Dylan clearly does not respect Seeger as a musician. One exception is bluesman Jesse Moffet (Big Bill Morganfield), the son of Muddy Waters himself (who was a famous blues musician in his own time). When Dylan is late for a live performance on television, Moffet fills in for him. However, Dylan arrives late and starts talking to Moffet, who then starts playing his guitar. Dylan is impressed by what Moffet is doing, studying him carefully the whole time.

When Dylan arrives in Newport in 1965, the whole world is watching and waiting for an iconic and distinctive performance from the master. But when he turns up the volume on his electric guitar and plays ‘Maggie’s Farm’, half the crowd boos. Seeger is furious and tries to turn off the power, but to no avail. After the third song, Dylan leaves the stage. Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook),who is seen in other scenes singing his own anthems, hands him his acoustic guitar. Dylan returns to the stage and plays ‘It’s all over now, Baby Blue!’

You don’t know much more about Bob Zimmerman at the end of the film than you did at the beginning. Maybe that’s the point – pioneers like him are elusive. On the one hand, we see and hear the fruits of his labor and how great they are. On the other hand, we see a person just like everyone else in their private life. The contrast between these aspects, which is clearly outlined in the film, is clear and interesting.

As Dylan himself tells Sylvie: “People ask where the songs come from, but when you look at their faces, that’s not what they’re asking. They’re trying to understand why they didn’t write them themselves.” While we can witness exceptional creativity, we don’t have the capacity to fully understand the magic of it. The final scene is fitting – Dylan revving his motorcycle and riding off down the road, as darkness falls on the screen. For the last time, the main character escapes from us.

Director and co-writer of the script, James Mangold, has a strong portfolio. His films include ‘Girl, Interrupted’ (1999), ‘Walk the Line’ (2005), which he also co-wrote, ‘3:10 to Yuma’ (2007), ‘The Wolverine’ (2013), and ‘Logan’ (2017). Mangold did a great job creating a fresh perspective on Dylan, based on Elijah Wald’s book ‘Dylan Goes Electric!’

The actors were amazing and very convincing in their roles – especially Timothée Chalamet and Monica Barbaro. Both of them spent a long time learning and practicing their roles as Dylan and Baez, in every aspect of their lives. Even viewers who knew nothing about Dylan or Baez beforehand, will come out of the theater a fan of the singers. Don’t miss the opportunity to see this film on the big screen!

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