The Tiiimes, they are a-Chaaalamet…
Sorry — we’re just excited about the first glimpse of an Oscar-nominee who may just have pulled off an uncanny rendition of one of the most iconic singer-songwriters of the 20th century.
He’s had a 60+ year career. He’s created civil rights anthems. Three separate US Presidents have cited him as being a direct influence on their personal lives. He’s won ten Grammys, an Oscar, and the freakin’ NOBEL PRIZE in Literature. To many, he’s the greatest ever. So — no pressure playing the guy in a movie, right?
Now, we’ve finally got our first look at the new Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, with the Rolling Stone himself played by 28-year-old Call Me By Your Name Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet. Here’s the outline:
“In 1961, 19-year-old Bob Dylan arrives in New York City… but as his gigs in downtown clubs propel Dylan to becoming a cultural phenomenon, his strong relationships and his sound altogether, begin to change and confuse. He shakes up his act on the folk music scene by going electric and siring rock as the voice of a generation — defining one of the most transformative moments in 20th century music.”
The film copped some flak when original images leaked, with fans of the period unimpressed by some of the details (including, weirdly, an oversized scarf worn by ‘61-era Chalamet). But don’t make the mistake of thinking this is a fluff piece that hasn’t gone to great pains for authenticity.
According to IMDb, “Scenes depicting the 1965 Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island, where Bob Dylan first performed in public with an electric guitar, were filmed in the seaside resort town of Cape May, New Jersey. Minimal redress was needed, given the resort’s commitment to its designation as a National Historic Landmark due to its concentration of Victorian architecture as well as other 19th and 20th century architectural motifs.”
The personnel behind the camera are no slouches, either. A Complete Unknown is written by Jay Cocks (2-time Academy Award nominee for his work on Scorsese dramas The Age of Innocence and Gangs of New York), and directed by James Mangold, who steered Joaquin Phoenix to an Oscar nomination of his own — coincidentally for playing another legendary crooner, Johnny Cash, in 2005’s Walk the Line. So can he repeat the trick?
Chances are pretty darn good. That’s really Chalamet himself singing in Dylan’s distinctive nasal drawl — and getting huge praise online from diehard Dylanologists. We’re talking about a man who’s been described as one of the most influential musical and cultural figures of the 20th century (and ranked #1 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time), so, like we said — no pressure. We had a mild chill run down our spine when we heard the first warbling notes croon forth, though!
Why focus on just a 5-year stretch of such a legendary career? Mangold recently told Collider, “It’s such an amazing time in American culture and the story of… a young 19-year-old Bob Dylan coming to New York with like two dollars in his pocket and becoming a worldwide sensation within three years.”
Also starring Ed Norton as Pete Seeger, Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash (we guess Joaquin was busy), Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez and Elle Fanning as Dylan’s love interest Sylvie Russo, A Complete Unknown is expected to skip the fall festivals and hold its cards close to its chest for an awards-qualifying December release. Smart play. You can check out the teaser trailer for the HIGHLY anticipated A Complete Unknown here.
Originally published at https://good.film.
