DVD REVIEW

I'm Not There - Two-Disc Collector's Edition

Weinstein Company || R || May 6, 2008

Synopsis

Inspired by the life and songs of Bob Dylan, I’m Not There is a film that captures the essence of the elusive genius.  Six different actors each embody part of the Dylan legend: from Greenwich Village folk singer to electric guitar trailblazer to born-again preacher.


Critique

The Newport Jazz & Folk festival, summer of ’65: Dylan went electric.  He was at the height of his fame, and he was never more hated.  Going electric, singing something that sounded too much like rock and roll and not enough like folk, was selling out, going establishment.  The real problem was with the audience: they came to hear the same old thing, and they weren’t ready to hear anything new.  They were incapable of hearing him.  They were a few years behind and he was light years ahead.  They came to see the old Dylan, but he wasn’t there.

The Dylan of I’m Not There is an elusive creature.  To find him, one cannot limit the search to just one area.  The minute you look at him, he changes.  Dylan never panders to his audience.  He does what he wants, and they either follow him or they don’t, but that single-mindedness, almost a complete lack of consideration, is what made him such a legend.  Following Dylan was better than staying behind.

Heath ledger plays Robbie, an actor.  The film never quite pins down what period of Dylan’s life Robbie represents, but he seems to best represent an early seventies Dylan, the guy who would go on to make Blood on the Tracks (down to the aviator shades).  This Dylan is kind of a jerk, content to be an asshole.  His relationship with his wife is a mess, and she sees him on television more than she sees him in real life.

Jude (Cate Blanchett) is not only the face of the film, but is the character in the film to most directly represent Dylan in looks, in attitude, and in history.  Jude’s escapades will be familiar to anyone who knows anything about Dylan circa the mid-60’s and to anyone who has seen Don’t Look Back.  Insecure, vulnerable, Dylan’s attitude toward the English press plays like the reaction of someone who feels cornered by all the attention.  Here, perhaps for the first time, Dylan was forced to recon with the fame that was thrust upon him, with interpretations and pontifications on his intentions over which he had no control.  Blanchett easily steals the movie.  Hers is the most familiar Dylan, one we can instantly recognize, but she is also the most charismatic.  Every scene is its own set piece.

Richard Gere’s Billy is the most peculiar take on Dylan.  Todd Haynes has said that this character was meant to represent Dylan’s frequent self-imposed exiles from the spotlight, such as the one that followed his 1966 motorcycle accident.  That point may be an obvious one, but what is more notable is the surreal nature of Billy’s world.  Powers that be are changing his town.  Billy, assumed to have been killed by Pat Garrett decades earlier, lives quietly, while Pat Garret (played, interestingly, by the same actor who played the contentious reporter, another antagonistic figure, in Jude’s story), now a very old man, sits at the center of the town’s power structure.  This is Dylan as outlaw, and we look at this as the period in the late 60’s and early 70’s between his motorcycle accident and his return to touring, when his output was varied.  It was during this time that he contributed to Sam Peckinpah’s Pat Garret and Billy the Kid.  

I’m Not There is a dynamic, compelling film that shines a light on an icon.  More has probably been said about Dylan than Dylan has ever said about himself, and that can only lead to confusions, distortions, lies and legends.  By looking in six different directions, Haynes has zeroed in on the man.


Video

I’m Not There is presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio.  The picture looks great, with all color levels and all the different visual textures brilliantly translated.  The blacks and whites are solid, and the gray scale comes across well.


Audio

This disc is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1.  The sound is the important thing in this movie, and the presentation is sharp.  The quiet moments are balanced well with the louder, more raucous moments.  The channels are clear and well balanced.


Special Features

Disc One

Audio Commentary by Director/Co-Writer Todd Haynes: Haynes talks about the genesis of the project, reaching out to Dylan, the cast, making the film and more.

On-Screen Song Lyrics: exactly that.  The lyrics of each song run across the bottom of the screen.

Introduction to the Film: a text intro to the film.


Disc Two

Trailer Gallery: two theatrical trailers, plus the unreleased “flash card” trailer.

Audition Tapes: tapes of Marcus Carl Franklin and Ben Whishaw.

Deleted Scenes: two of them.

Alternate/Extended Scenes: four of them.

Outtakes: exactly that.

A Tribute to Heath Ledger: clips and outtakes from the film.

The Red Carpet Premiere: the 2007 premiere of the film in New York City.

Making the Soundtrack: a look at the music in the film, the choice of songs and more.

A Conversation with Todd Haynes: Haynes, in different settings, talks about the genesis of the film and how it all came to be and the changes in Bob Dylan that informed the film.

Dylanography: the original proposal written by Haynes, a discography, filmography, and more.


Final Thoughts

I’m Not There is a dynamic, exciting film.  You don’t have to know anything about Dylan to appreciate the film, but it helps.  The bonus material is interesting, and the DVD presentation is excellent. 

VERDICT: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

 

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Review posted on Jul 1, 2008 | Share this article | Top of Page

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