Dvd
I'm Not There
All right, here goes… A young, Bob (Marcus Carl Franklin), in 1959, rides the rails '30s-styles and identifies himself as a Woody Guthrie. He is admired for his talent wherever he travels, until he is upbraided one day by a wise lady who admonishes him to "Live in your own time". And so, he (now Christian Bale) moves to Greenwich Village, New York and takes the scene by storm with the likes of “The Times They Are A-Changin”. He (now Heath Ledger) moves on to star in a Hollywood film called ‘Grain of Sand’, and gets married to Claire (the always great Charlotte Gainsborough). Then! Bob (now played by Cate Blanchett) tours England, and starts to play with his guitar plugged in. In Britain he meets the likes of Allen Ginsberg (David Cross) and the Beatles, as well as straying from his wife and dealing with a crafty journalist trying to expose him as a fraud.
Starring Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw, Marcus Carl Franklin, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams, David Cross
Directed by Todd Haynes ('Velvet Goldmine', 'Far from Heaven')
Written by Todd Haynes, Oren Moverman
Festivals & Awards Winner for Best Supporting Actress (Blanchett); Golden Globes 2008
Drama, Music, Biography | 2hr 15mins | Rated (M) | sex scenes, offensive language | Origin: USA | Official Site »
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The Talk
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Flicks review
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3
The musical bio-pic is experiencing a resurgence as of late. Ray, Walk the Line and La Vie En Rose have all collected Oscars for their principle cast members, while the first two grossed heavily at the box office. The next film of this ilk to emerge is I’m Not There, maybe the most eagerly awaited of them all. For a start, the subject is Bob Dylan who has a following of fans and pop-cultural significance matched only by maybe a Lennon or Presley. Furthermore, Todd Haynes, who comes with a reputation of creative individuality (evidenced by his decision to portray Dylan with a range of actors, the facet that has drawn the film the most attention) helms the piece.
All the actors utilised acquit themselves well and through this device Dylan is successfully portrayed as a complex individual who went through many personal changes. Cate Blanchett’s portrayal of mid 60’s folk-rock era Dylan has garnered the most praise and it is all justified. Her performance is more than a ‘butch it up’ gimmick, she captures his mannerisms expertly and is also convincing in portraying the broadest range of emotions demanded of any cast member. Heath Ledger shows what a massive loss he is to the movie going public, whilst Christian Bale was impressive in the shorter amount of screen time he was allowed. Meanwhile, the child actor (Marcus Carl Franklin) who played Woody Guthrie almost upstages all his more well-known cast members.
Todd Haynes supplements the fine acting with almost every cinematic trick in the book. Most are them are effective in giving the film an adventurous visual quality, with only the mockumentary sequences falling short of the mark. A friend suggested they were reminiscent of folk music comedy A Mighty Wind and in retrospect I think he was right, which is a significant drawback when the moments in question were intended as deadly serious.
Somehow, the film as a whole is less than the sum of its admittedly impressive parts. Part of this may be due to the story it tells. It wanders from episode to episode without a strong progression of events, which becomes an issue the further we go into the two hours plus running time. It is a long film, and by the end it seems like it is being dragged out for no particular reason. Added to this is the desire to recreate, even reinforce, the mythology that surrounds Bob Dylan. It is more concerned with preserving his aura than telling the audience anything about the man, a desire that could have been satisfied with a briefer piece of work.
Dylan’s legion of fans will no doubt herald it as an artistic triumph. The casual viewer, however, may be left impressed by the craftsmanship but wondering what exactly was the point of I’m Not There.
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The people's reviews
7 reviews
Press Reviews
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Christchurch Press [Margaret Agnew]
3
I'm Not There may have been ''inspired by the music and many lives of Bob Dylan'' and certainly this filmic experiment will add to the mythologising of the singer, but sadly it fails to be inspiring of anything other than weariness over more than two hours. Fascinating for big Dylan or Todd Haynes fans only.
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Empire Magazine [UK]
4
An extraordinary attempt to encapsulate the many faces of Bob Dylan that plays better to the convert than the sceptic. Like the nasal twang of the man in question, the film finally beguiles more than it irritates.
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FilmThreat.com [USA]
5
What Haynes has essentially done is create a film that is a Bob Dylan song, one of his best.
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NZ Herald [Peter Calder]
4
The film's non-linear structure and the haunting, brilliant final shot announce that this is neither biography nor documentary. It's a exhilarating, poetic rumination on the most enigmatic, charismatic figure in modern music. And, like any Dylan album you want to name, it is a work of at least partial mastery.
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Rolling Stone [USA]
So what if nothing is revealed. Todd Haynes is a mischievous visionary who puts the music and the myth of Bob Dylan before us in I'm Not There and dares us not to revel in the troubadour's poetic, contentious, ever-changing essence. It's a feast for the eyes, the ears and the Dylanologist scratching around our minds and hearts.
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San Francisco Chronicle
Anyone can make a bad movie, but it takes a good filmmaker to make one as bad as I'm Not There.
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Total Film Magazine [UK]
4
A fascinating work for cinema and Bob Dylan fans alike. Haynes has painted a perfect picture tribute to the musical icon that only misses a beat in the final quarter. One actor simply couldn’t do the man justice...
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