A Complete Unknown, directed by James Mangold, turns out to be a pretty compelling biographical film about the early career of Bob Dylan, played by Timothee Chalamet. Mangold also co-wrote the script alongside Jack Cocks. It was based on the biography entitled Dylan Goes Electric by Elijah Wald. Edward Norton also has a substantial role as Pete Seeger, the folk singer and activist who helped introduce Dylan’s music to the masses. The cast also includes Scoot McNairy as Woody Guthrie, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash, and Will Harrison as Bobby Neuwirth.
The story begins in 1961 when Dylan has moved to New York and sets out to meet his musical idol, Woody Guthrie, who at this point is hospitalized with Huntington’s Disease. Dylan also happens to meet fellow folk singer, Pete Seeger, who is also visiting Guthrie. He impresses both of them with an impromptu performance in the hospital room of one of his songs. Seeger invites Dylan to stay with him and his family and introduces him to the folk music scene. Dylan’s music captures the audience’s attention and so begins his rise. A major conflict arises when Dylan wants to be known as something other than just a folk musician. Apparently, when he started turning to electric guitars, that cause some ire among the fans and colleagues who preferred to pigeonhole him. Dylan has to navigate some challenges in his personal and professional relationships as he desires to create his own path within the music industry.
First of all, the performances are quite good. I am not that familiar with Dylan and his eccentricities, but it seems like Chalamet probably hits the right notes. Edward Norton, unsurprisingly, is also compelling. The film does a good job of inspiring those who may not spend that much time in folk music to look into a deeper into the genre and the major artists. The film has a top-notch cast.
The film is quite good but not free of some admittingly minor downfalls. There are moments where it seems to drag, even though it is focused on a mere three- or four-year period of Dylan’s life. There again, that is pretty tolerable because of the cast.
I thought the friendship between Johnny Cash and Dylan was kind of interesting and could have used a little more exploration, but that could be for a different film. I am not that sure how close Boyd Holbrook gets to actually emulating Cash, but I found that I liked his presence all the same.
One thing I noticed about the story is that it really reveals how mercenary the music industry can be even in the 1960’s and even when it concerns the music of the hippies and protesters. I did find myself sympathizing with Dylan’s plight, which is no doubt the intention of the film. I am not really a Dylan fan, but I did find this bit of his story rather compelling and may develop a deeper appreciation for his talent and music, even though we would likely wildly disagree on numerous political and social topics.
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