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Inspired by the life and songs of Bob Dylan, I’m Not There is “a profoundly personal and passionate film” (A.O. Scott, The New York Times) that captures the essence of this elusive genius. Six different actors — including Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, Richard Gere and Oscar® nominee Cate Blanchett in a “soon-to-be-legendary performance” (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone) – each embody part of the Dylan legend: from Greenwich Village folk singer to electric guitar trailblazer to born-again preacher. Directed by Academy Award®-nominated writer/director Todd Haynes (Far From Heaven), I’m Not There is “unquestionably the year’s most original American movie” (Thelma Adams, US Weekly).

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6638 in DVD
• Brand: GENIUS PRODUCTS INC
• Released on: 2008-05-06
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Collector’s Edition, Color, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 135 minutes

Dylan Mosaic Blends and Clashes
After `Don’t Look Back’ and Martin Scorsese’s `No Direction Home’ Bob Dylan – No Direction Home what’s left? With a subject as complex and multi-faceted as Dylan, it only makes sense to do more. Just look at Dylan’s memoir/autobiography, `Chronicles’. We were given so much in Volume 1, but we know there’s much more to come. And that’s just from him. To capture all aspects of Dylan, there’s `I’m Not There’. With portrayals by six actors, each representing an aspect of his life, we get a Dylan mosaic that both blends and clashes.

This is partly true because of Dylan himself, but it’s also true because of the nature of the project. At its best the movie is an effectively surreal portraiture. At its worst it becomes a lingering still life that quickly needs the next piece in the gallery or provides some substandard reflections. More than half of the songs are Dylan’s originals, but some of the covers are fairly effective, too. I was personally glad to have so many songs from his (subjectively greatest) masterpiece, ‘ Blonde on Blonde’, but there is a wealth of material they use throughout. Their selection is nearly flawless.

One thing’s for sure it’s comprehensive. Having read the first `Chronicles,’ having seen the aforementioned films, and owning several of his recordings, most of the time director, Todd Haynes, is right on the money. Not having read Dylan’s own thoughts in ‘Tarantula’ or seen his portrayal in ‘Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid’ there are gaps that inevitably are provided for us. Still, the mosaic of Dylan effectiveness depends on the actor as well as the scene.

How does each actor do? Marcus Carl Franklin is Woody, the young, aspiring Dylan. It makes sense to have an African-American play the boy Dylan because in ‘Chronicles’ Chronicles: Volume One (Chronicles) his blues influences are amply noted, and we certainly know where the name came from. Remembering Robert Shelton’s reflections of among his first interviews, I thought the circus vagabond aspect of his life was pure folklore, but maybe even that fits. Ben Whisham is Arthur Rimbaud, the rebel Dylan, facing a parole board before he’s famous. So far it’s a good blend.

Heath Ledger is Robbie Clark or Dylan, the lover and movie star. This is the Dylan whose underbelly is shown to be chauvinistic at times, but also someone who yearns for a stable family life. Picking Ledger makes sense. Christian Bale is sometimes the stage Dylan (Jack Rollins), and, well…sometimes the born-again Christian (Pastor John). Kate Blanchett is Jude Quinn, the incredulous rebel interviewee who refuses to be pigeon-holed or answer questions based on the elders’ self-centered assumptions. Comparing ‘Don’t Look Back’ Bob Dylan – Don’t Look Back (Single Disc Remastered Edition) she’s dead on. Both Jack Rollins and Jude Quinn represent the controversial period when Dylan went electric, and some of the best scenes are found during this era.

I came shocked and surprised coming into the movie noting there was a woman playing the part. I gave myself a pep talk to keep an open mind, and found her the most convincing Dylan. Ledger and Bale have their moments, but my biggest problem is that I kept thinking of Heath Ledger and Christian Bale more often than I thought of Dylan. Richard Gere plays the Dylan role in the movie `Pat Garrett…’ Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (Two-Disc Special Edition). Here he’s Billy the Kid. He looked like Dylan, but reminded me the least of him.

The supporting players are essential. Julianne Moore is one of the best in the show as Alice Fabian (Joan Baez). Matching her is Charlotte Gainsbourg as Claire (Sarah) his wife. The playful vignettes with The Beatles and Alan Ginsberg are a joy to watch. Dylan’s manager, Morris Bernstein (Albert Grossman), is represented as every bit as protective, resourceful, and demanding as one would expect. One of the best scenes is with needling newspaper man, Keenan Jones (or “Mr. Jones” if you will) played by Bruce Greenwood.

This biopic blends more than not. Their methods seem better than the random hop-scotch ‘La Vie en Rose (Extended Version)’ tends to do. Especially when we’re at a chic cocktail party, and we see all kinds of images projected fully on the walls; it’s very well done. Jerry Rabinowicz’s editing does much for the flow of scenes, except when the ‘Pat Garrett’ scenes lingered too long, and when the criss-cross of time frames and aspects of his life were distracting and lacked focus.

Despite its flaws, ‘I’m Not There’ is a brave and magnetic portraiture of Bob Dylan. As a bold experiment it mostly succeeds and satisfies. The very fact that the 2:15 movie makes as few demands as it does on its audience shows that the results are a labor of love that mostly ring true.

Extras-Packed Collector’s Edition!
Director Todd Haynes has reinvented the musician biopic by manipulating its conventions to suit its subject instead of the other way around which is what has always been done in the past. I’m Not There invites us into Bob Dylan’s brain and has look at the world through his eyes. We also see how Dylan is perceived by the media and his fans. Because Haynes is pushing the genre to its extremes the film is quite hard to follow at times as we jump all over the place in time and are confronted by various takes on Dylan. However, I think it is a film that will only improves on subsequent viewings as what Haynes is doing becomes more apparent and understood.

On the first disc there is “An Introduction” featuring four text essays that help one get a handle on the film. “Who’s Not There: Six Faces of Dylan” explains who each of the six Dylans the actors are playing and what they represent. “Tangled Up in Clues” claims that Haynes’ film is “an homage to 1960s art films.” It does an excellent job of breaking the film down to its basic elements. “Decoding an Entertaining Enigma” examines each incarnation of Dylan in the film. “Notes on I’m Not There” is written by noted critic Greil Marcus and features a solid analysis of the film.

There is an audio commentary by co-writer/director Todd Haynes. He talks about how he rediscovered Bob Dylan’s music and his life via biographies. Haynes talks about how he pitched the project to Dylan and how he was inspired by the cinema of the 1960s because that was the time period where most of the film was set. Haynes certainly knows his Dylan history and does a great job analyzing his film and talking about the changes he made while shooting it. This is an engaging and informative track.

There is also an option to have the lyrics to the songs that appear on-screen.

The second disc features two theatrical trailers and an unreleased flash card trailer done in the style of the famous “Subterranean Homesick Blues” video with the cast.

There are “Audition Tapes” for Marcus Carl Franklin and Ben Whishaw. They both do a good job embodying the character they would eventually play.

Also included are two deleted scenes with Blanchett as Dylan messed up on drugs and another with Gere as Dylan during his western phase.

There are four alternate/extended scenes that provide an interesting, different take on these scenes.

An “Outtakes” gag reel features the cast and crew goofing around.

“A Tribute to Heath Ledger” features a montage of clips of the late actor in character and on the set. It is a sobering reminder of what a great talent has been lost with his tragic death.

“The Red Carpet Premiere” in November 2007 features footage of Haynes and his cast walking the red carpet and interacting with the press.

“Making the Soundtrack” examines how they mixed covers of Dylan’s songs with original versions by the man himself. Haynes enlisted Sonic Youth’s Lee Ronaldo to supervise some of the music and musicians like John Doe recorded their versions of key songs in the film. Assembling the soundtrack was as unconventional as the film itself.

“Conversation with Todd Haynes” features the director going in detail about his film explaining the title, the origins of the project, and so on. It’s a nice compliment to his commentary track even if there is some overlap.

“Dylanography” includes the one-page proposal Haynes sent Dylan in order to get his approval for the film. There is also a chronology of the musician’s life, a discography of his extensive output, books he’s written, pages from the director’s notebook, and stills of the various characters.

Amazing, but only for a very particular group of people.
I adored this film. It is more like a puzzle or mosaic than a story, but it comes closer than anything yet to painting a good picture of such an interesting man.

This film is nonlinear and abstract – people who like a concise, plot based story are not going to like it. People who don’t know or care much about Dylan’s career probably won’t get much out of it.

But for those of us who are diehard Dylan fans and enthusiasts, it is a very rewarding experience. You will recognize particular scenes and shots. You will marvel at how many known aspects of the man are shown.

I recommend this film, but only to diehard Dylan fans and fans of nonlinear storytelling.