No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (2005)

User Rating:

8.6/10   

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Release Date:

21 July 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Biography | Music

Plot:

A chronicle of Bob Dylan's strange evolution between 1961 and 1966 from folk singer to protest singer to "voice of a generation" to rock star.

Plot Keywords:

Singer | Bob Dylan | Interview | Archive Footage | Performance

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 5 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Bob Dylan	...	Himself
B.J. Rolfzen	...	Himself (voice)
Dick Kangas	...	Himself
Liam Clancy	...	Himself
Tony Glover	...	Himself
Paul Nelson	...	Himself
Allen Ginsberg	...	Himself (archive footage)
Dave Van Ronk	...	Himself (archive footage)
Maria Muldaur	...	Herself
John Cohen	...	Himself
Bruce Langhorne	...	Himself
Mark Spoelstra	...	Himself
Suze Rotolo	...	Herself
Izzy Young	...	Himself
Mitch Miller	...	Himself

Also Known As:

Bob Dylan Anthology Project (USA) (working title)
Bob Dylan: No Direction Home (Australia)

Runtime:

208 min (DVD) | Finland:205 min (2 part TV-miniseries) | Canada:201 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | Argentina:208 min

Country:

UK | USA | Japan

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | Spain:T | Finland:K-3 | Singapore:PG | Argentina:Atp | Brazil:Livre | Netherlands:AL | South Korea:15

Filming Locations:

Hibbing, Minnesota, USA

Company:

Spitfire Pictures

Trivia:

The black cylindrical case that Allen Ginsberg was resting his hand upon during his interview was a Manfrotto camera tripod case the crew brought along with them for the interview.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Footage of the San Francisco Bay Bridge is included among footage of New York City illustrating Bob Dylan's arrival there.

Quotes:

Bob Johnston: I believe in giving credit where credit's due. I don't think Dylan had a lot to do with it. I think God instead of touching him on the shoulder he kicked him in the ass. Really. And that's where all that came from. He can't help what he's doing. I mean he's got the Holy Spirit about him. You can look at him and tell that.

Movie Connections:

Features Festival (1967)

Soundtrack:

Dust Bowl Refugee

If "Ray" can be released theatratrically, why can't this?

Surely Bob Dylan is just as influential as Ray Charles (if not more) and Scorsese has hemmed some of the finest films of the passed 30 years, but this is really a form of artist meets artist. Bob Dylan is interviewed and chronicled by none other than Martin Scorsese, and the results show the mending of two geniuses coming together. So what if it's a documentary? It's a fantastic film, and deserves a theateratrical release.

Scorsese doesn't cookie-cut it here, he doesn't give you the sympathetic look on an artist, it's not Hollywood in other words. He gives us a glimpse into a time period in Dylan's live. Could it be that Dylan has done and gone through so much, that a period of no more than 5 years can be edited into a 4 hour film? Yes. And it never feels stingy or overly long.

If you're a Dylan fan (which i am), this film is a MUST. If you're a Scorsese fan, this film is a MUST. If you're a film fan, this film is a MUST. A Great film, and will sure be on many top 10 lists. Now if they only released it theateratrically, maybe it'd be up for an Oscar.

But i'm sure Dylan doesn't mind. Maybe Scorsese does. :(