1961 Revisited
By Dale Nickey
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 1/20/25 – Yes, I know, timelines were smudged, plotlines were conflated, names were changed to protect the innocent. This is standard music-bio procedure, and it should not adversely impact your enjoyment of A Complete Unknown; a run and gun profile of Bob Dylan’s formative years (1961-1965) in the Greenwich Village folk scene. When you consider that Bob Dylan (the man and artist) was a carefully self- constructed myth by one Robert Zimmerman, a little extra secret sauce in the plotline can be forgiven.
Some critics bemoan the fact that the film just skims the surface, and we never get “under the skin” of the man. Hell, nobody has, and Bobaphiles (like myself) have been trying for 60 years. Expecting a two- hour movie to give you the big reveal is a fool’s errand from the get-go.
We don’t get the whole truth and nothing but. However, the ring of truth comes through loud and clear. This courtesy of Timothee Chalamet’s acting and musicianship. If the acting parts dry up, Chalamet will have a lucrative career as the world’s greatest Dylan tribute artist. He’s got the cadence, the nasal bray, the fingerstyle picking technique, the weezy harmonica playing and for good measure, his fingernails were the right length and shape. We aren’t supposed to know Dylan ‘cause he doesn’t want to be known. He’s a cypher by choice, a curated character as alien and unapproachable as David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust. Chalamet understood this, and went full method on the set, eschewing human contact from other actors and crew.
The fact that Chalamet played and sang over 40 Dylan masterpieces live to film is monumental and closes out the Oscar competition full stop. However, don’t let that obscure the brilliance of the supporting ensemble. Specifically, Edward Norton’s spooky manifestation of the spirit of Pete Seeger, singing and banjo playing included. Monica Barbaro, gives us a sexy, less warbly Joan Baez. Dylan’s mentor and mother superior who repeatedly calls bullshit on his mystique and megalomania; and like Chalamet and Norton, she did her own singing and guitar playing. Incredible. Elle Fanning also shines as Dylan’s true love.
Dylan changed the world and people’s lives one song at a time. The film only gave us a four-year snippet of what Dylan has accomplished. It’s a saga for the ages that continues to this day. There’s serious talk of continuing the film franchise post-1965. Yes, more of this please.